Beyoncé and Jay-Z are the power couple to end all power couples. Untouchable, unknowable, unstoppable. They’re great together, like on the joint album Everything Is Love, and of course, just as popular apart. She pioneered visual albums like Lemonade; he gave New York City its modern anthem: “Empire State of Mind,” featuring Alicia Keys.
And they’re far more than musicians. Jay-Z’s entertainment agency, Roc Nation, is super successful, and he brought the Nets to Brooklyn. Those ventures, plus his other investments, made him the first hip-hop artist to make the billionaires list. As he says on 4:44’s “Family Feud,” “Ain’t no such thing as an ugly billionaire, I’m cute.” Bey, meanwhile, mentored up-and-coming artists like Chloe x Halle, has the Ivy Park fashion line, and oh right, the most Grammy Awards of anyone ever. 32. 32!!! There’s a reason the Beyhive is so devoted.
But we have to imagine that they are most proud of the three humans they’ve managed to co-create. Rumi, Sir and Blue Ivy Carter are icons in the making. Them, combined with a two-decade-long relationship…yep, family goals.
As fans know, the pair have had their ups and downs, but if there’s anyone who can make marriage work at this level, it’s them. Here’s how they got—and more importantly stayed—together:
1999–2000
We don’t know the exact date when Beyoncé and Jay-Z first met, but she did give us an idea when talking to Seventeen in 2008. “I was 18 when we first met, 19 when we first started dating,” she revealed. “There was no rush—no one expected me to run off and get married.”
2001
The biggest thing to happen this year is their appearance in Vanity Fair’s music issue right when they started dating. “We were just beginning to try to date each other,” rapper Jay-Z said years later. Beyoncé told Oprah Winfrey that they had a friendship as their foundation. “We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates,” she said.
2002
A year later they must have realized that their star power was that much more impactful when they performed together. Their first musical collaboration is when Beyoncé appears on Jay’s “03 Bonnie and Clyde.”
2003
Next they drop “Crazy in Love,” which is possibly one of the most fun songs to dance to with your friends. It even earns them a Grammy for best R&B song. The lyrics aren’t shy about the fact that they’re a couple: “I’ve been playing myself, baby, I don’t care. ’Cause your love’s got the best of me,” she sings.
2004
Nonfamous couples usually make their big debut on Instagram or by changing their relationship status on Facebook. When you’re a superstar, the big debut usually happens on a red carpet. Bey and Jay are no different when they step on the carpet together for the 2004 VMAs.
