Beyoncé Knowles and Shawn Corey Carter, AKA Jay-Z. Though the phrase power couple had been coined a decade or so before the two became an item, it describes them to a tee.
How Did Beyoncé and Jay-Z Meet?
In keeping with the mega-couple’s habit of fiercely guarding the details of their personal life, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the two first met. Nearly a decade after the fact, Beyoncé offered that it had happened when she was still a girl of 18. Chronologically speaking, that places the historic moment somewhere between September of 1999 and August of 2000.
Slow and Steady
In an interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé candidly revealed, “We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates. We were on the phone for a year and a half, and that foundation is so important for a relationship. Just to have someone who you just like is so important…”
Making Beautiful (And Powerful) Music Together
Despite the circulating rumors that the two were now an item, neither Beyoncé nor Jay-Z was willing to make a comment. They did, however, collaborate on a song, 03 Bonnie & Clyde, that was released on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse album.
Further fueling the fire that was their supposed romance, Jay-Z found himself featured in the music video for Beyoncé’s hit single, Crazy in Love — and the reciprocity paid dividends when the pair won two Grammy Awards at the 46th Annual show (Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration).
Beyoncé and Jay-Z Make It Official
And yet, there was still no word on whether or not the singers were romantically linked — a frustrating fact that can be blamed on Oprah, who lamented in the same article referenced above, saying, “I remember the first time you were on the Oprah show, I told you, ‘Don’t go around telling people who you’re dating.'” The host then joked she took it too far — she could tell people whom she married.
However, in 2004, the duo finally bowed to the mounting pressure and made their official debut as a couple. The 2004 MTV Video/Music Awards was the catalyst. They took to the event’s red carpet arm in arm. Beyoncé was attired in a pair of gold shorts with a matching blazer while Jay-Z was in an all-white suit offset by his yellow-with-orange-flourish tie and hat.
A Wholly Secret To-DO
With their love affair out in the open, Beyoncé and Jay-Z continued to make sweet music together — he was featured in two songs on her album B’Day and she sang a duet with him on his Kingdom Come Release.
Then, on April 4, 2008, they quietly married in an intimate, though super-secret, ceremony held inside the groom’s lavish penthouse. A white tent was erected in the home’s basketball-court-sized living room which had been decorated with 70,000 white dendrobium orchids — flown in fresh from Thailand.
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The wedding commenced without a best man or maid of honor. The groom looked dapper in a black tuxedo and the bride stole the show in her voluminous white gown.
There were 40 guests who bore witness to the event — among them Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and Gwyneth Paltrow — and all were instructed to abide by a strict no-recording-device policy.
In lieu of rings, the spouses opted for IV tattoos — the number four bearing great significance in their lives; Beyoncé was born the fourth day in September and JAY-Z on December 4.
Confirmation of the wedding was not forthcoming from either party and the topic was not discussed until August — four whole months later.
A Devastating Loss and A Miracle
In 2010, Beyoncé was stalked by persistent insinuations that she was about to bear her first child and while she was indeed pregnant, the singer later admitted that “[Early into the pregnancy] …I flew back to New York to get my checkup — and no heartbeat. Literally the week before I went to the doctor, everything was fine, but then there was no heartbeat.”
The loss devastated the couple, but hope was right around the corner. Flash forward to August 2011. During her on-stage performance at that year’s MTV Video & Music Awards, Beyoncé revealed to the crowd that she was pregnant! On January 7 of the next year, she welcomed Blue Ivy into the world.
Violence Erupts
In April of 2014, the Carters announced that they would be embarking on a joint cross-country tour. One month later, gossip site TMZ released video footage recorded inside an elevator showing Jay-Z being attacked by his sister-in-law while Beyoncé looked on.
The Future Looks Bright
Eventually, it emerged that the event had been spurred on by the revelation that Jay-Z had been unfaithful. With the benefit of therapy, the couple was able to move past the incident and emerge stronger than before. In June 2017, they welcomed twins Rumi and Sir. Later, they co-headlined another stadium tour and in 2018 released the album, EVERYTHING IS LOVE.
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