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• Music industry titans Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been married since 2008.
• According to Forbes, the couple’s net worth comes out to a total of $US1.16 billion.
• The pair now have three children: Blue Ivy, and twins Rumi and Sir.
Ever since they collaborated on the song “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” back in 2002, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been a match made in musical heaven.
Tabloids were quick to speculate whether or not the duo had more than a professional relationship. But even after they tied the knot in 2008, the couple has largely kept quiet about their romance.
But that doesn’t mean it’s always been smooth sailing for the “Crazy in Love” couple.
In a recent interview with New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet, Jay-Z opened up about his infidelity, which Beyoncé alluded to in her acclaimed visual album Lemonade.
“You shut down all emotions,” the rapper told Baquet. “So even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can’t connect… In my case, like it’s, it’s deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity.”
Jay-Z went on to reveal the couple used their craft “like a therapy session,” making music together in order to heal. The sessions ultimately resulted in reconciliation, along with Lemonade and Jay-Z’s album 4:44.
Here’s a look back on the relationship of Jay-Z and Beyoncé:
While “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” dropped in 2002, Vulture reported the couple might have initially met as early as 1997.
Source: Vulture
The pair graced the red carpet together for the first time at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. Still, they stayed mum about their relationship.
Source: Vulture
Beyoncé later told Essence the couple both decided they didn’t want their romance to be in the spotlight: “What Jay and I have is real. It’s not about interviews or getting the right photo op. It’s real.”
They wed in Jay-Z’s apartment in Manhattan on April 4, 2008. The date — 4/4 — held special significance for both Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who were each born on the fourth of the month. Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Lawson, designed her gown.
Source: Vulture, Vanity Fair
The pair got matching tattoos on their ring fingers of the Roman numeral IV.
Source: Vulture
, Refinery 29
Over the course of their relationship, Beyoncé and Jay-Z established couple friends, like rocker Chris Martin and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who have since split. “They’re very kind, generous, good, good people,” Paltrow told Ellen DeGeneres
The couple also founded dual charitable organisations. Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation has raised funds for everything from disaster relief to global gender equality, while Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation provides scholarships to disadvantaged young people.
Source: Essence
, BeyGood, Shawn Carter Foundation
They have both continued to dominate the charts. Forbes estimates Jay-Z has a net worth of $US810 million, while Beyoncé is worth $US350 million.
Source: Vulture, Forbes, Forbes
The couple performed “Love on Top” during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé revealed she was pregnant during the performance, and gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy Carter in January 2012. That same year, four years after they were married, Jay Z and Beyoncé renewed their vows in a private ceremony.
Source: Vulture
,The Daily Mail
Beyonce discussed her marriage in an interview with Oprah, saying “I would not be the woman I am if I did not go home to that man. It gives me such a foundation.” She also opened up about having a miscarriage, adding, “It was the saddest thing I’ve ever been through.”
Source: Vulture
,The Hollywood Reporter
, US Magazine
But speculation about their marriage ramped up when Beyoncé’s sister Solange was videotaped striking Jay-Z in an elevator at the Standard Hotel in New York City in 2014.
Source: Business Insider
Rumours began to spread throughout the tabloids about Jay-Z cheating on his wife. Beyoncé’s Lemonade, released in April 2016, seemed to allude to her husband’s infidelity, as well.
Source: Cosmopolitan
Jay-Z told The New York Times that therapy had helped the couple repair their marriage in the wake of his cheating.
Source: The New York Times
The couple acquired two major pieces of property in 2017: an $US88 million Los Angeles estate, as well as an escape in the Hamptons for $US26 million.
Source: Business Insider
The couple also recently expanded their family, welcoming new twins, Rumi and Sir Carter, in June.
Source: Vanity Fair, Business Insider
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