With this past weekend’s early Christmas gift, we can’t help but rev up our obsession with Queen B, Miss Beyoncé Knowles. While her new album, self-titled “Beyoncé,” speaks about feminism and its new contemporary identity, many of the songs also hint at Beyoncé and her most secretive relationship with her husband of 5 years, Jay-Z. The two have kept their relationship under wraps for over ten years, and it is only with the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy that Mr. and Mrs. Carter have opened up regarding their romantic relationship.
We know Beyoncé- former member of “Destiny’s Child” and even earlier “Girl’s Time.” We have followed her through every album and watched her non-stop success. Beyoncé grew up in Houston, TX and as Jay would say, she is a nice southern girl. B’s ambitions started young as she reached for the stars performing as soon as she could walk. It seemed her destiny was written before she had a choice.
Jay-Z, on the other hand, began his rap career with much more baggage. Jay, born Shawn Carter, grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant housing project in Brooklyn, NY. Jay hustled young, admitting to the public that he dealt drugs to survive and build in himself discipline and a financial backing: “I was thinking about surviving. I was thinking about improving my situation. I was thinking about buying clothes.” It was not until he saw the bigger effect on the community later that he realized he needed to find another way. (Side but very interesting note: Jay was given the nickname “Jazzy” when he was younger, which later turned into “Jay-Z” his now infamous stage name.)
Beyoncé and Jay-Z met much later after Jay’s success, but Jay-Z knew that he had just witnessed one of the world’s next big talents. While interviewing with Charlie Rose at the Brooklyn Museum in 2010, Jay explained his first impression of Bey: “Yeah, cause she was singing like a rapper. So the first song with Wyclef she was singing really fast, and I was like why she singing so fast? And she was on a team, and everything. And I was like she’s a talented person.”
It took over a year and some courage for Jay-Z to actually ask Beyoncé out on date; According to Vanity Fair (http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/10/jay-z-beyonce-blue-ivy-story), Jay credits his “cool” factor for securing some wine-and-dine-time with the “charming Southern girl” Fast forward a few years later, Beyoncé Knowles and Shawn Carter enjoyed a top-secret wedding ceremony on April 4th, 2008. Beyoncé is grateful for the long courting period, which she spoke about during her interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter, “We were friends first, for a year and a half. Before we went on any date, on the phone for a year and a half. And that foundation is so important in a relationship. And just to have someone that you just like, is so important. And someone that is honest.”
The birth of their daughter brought the two closer. Jay and B tried to have kids prior to Blue suffering a heart-breaking miscarriage. Eventually, Blue came along. Jay shared with Vanity Fair, Blue’s support of their love and music. Jay and Blue sit and watch mom’s concerts on the computer and when Jay’s songs come on she says, “Daddy’s song, more Daddy.” It seems it just couldn’t get better for this hip-hop royalty and we hope it stays that way, because if anything were to happen to this epic relationship, our hearts would crush into a million glittery pieces. But while this relationship continues to glisten, pop in your headphones and listen to the lovely Queen B sing her heart out, you might just find some inspiration to start your own Hip-Hop relationship tale, or at the least, you can learn some new fabulous dance moves.