Hip-hop loves its power couples. While music is the reason many of these couples have connected with fans over the years, their public personas also have impacted the culture. Some of these couples have been together for more than ten years and are “couple goals.” Others have had less time together but still are powerhouse couples in the making.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are an example: they have been together for over 20 years and have had major success in the music industry and in non-music ventures as well.
Beyoncé is the most-awarded artist in Grammy history. She earned that title earlier this year with her acceptance of Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for Renaissance. This win is Beyoncé’s 32nd Grammy which put her ahead of conductor Georg Solti with 31. Jay-Z also has 24 Grammy wins, making him the most-awarded rapper.
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As a couple, fans know that their relationship is not all roses all the time. Beyoncé addressed Jay’s cheating allegations on her 2016 album Lemonade with songs “Sorry,” “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” “Hold Up,” and more.
“Uh, this is your final warning (don’t hurt yourself)/You know I give you life (don’t hurt yourself)
/If you try this s— again (don’t hurt yourself)/ You gon’ lose your wife,” Beyoncé sings on “Don’t Hurt Yourself.”
A year later, Jay addressed the infidelity in the title track of his 4:44 album.
“And if my children knew / I don’t even know what I would do / If they ain’t look at me the same / I would probably die with all the shame,” Jay-Z says in song’s last verse. “‘You did what with who?’ / What good is a ménage à trois when you have a soulmate? / ‘You risked that for Blue?’”
He also referenced Beyoncé’s fertility issues and how he could have contributed to it. “I apologize for all the stillborns / Cause I wasn’t present, your body wouldn’t accept it,” Jay Z said on the song.
Take a look below to learn more about Beyoncé and Jay-Z as well as other of our favorite hip-hop couples below:
Snoop Dogg and Shante Broadus
Snoop Dogg and wife Shante Broadus are high school sweethearts. They first got married in 1997 and renewed their vows in 2008. They share three children together: Cordell Broadus, Cori Broadus, and Corde Broadus. While Shante and Snoop haven’t worked in the studio together they have collaborated on business ventures together. Last year, the couple launched The Broadus Collection, which is a luxury scarf line to support their daughter Cori’s battle with Lupus. “I love doing business with the family because we’re all together, we’re helping out and thinking of things and just spending time together,” Shante told ESSENCE at the time. “And it’s money being made at the end of the day.” Shante also serves as Snoop’s manager.
T.I. and Tiny
T.I. and Tiny started dating in 2001 and got married nine years later. They share four children together: King Harris, Deyjah Harris, Domani Harris, and Messiah Harris. T.I. is stepfather to Tiny’s daughter Zonnique Pullins from a previous relationship with Zonnie Pullins.While both T.I. and Tiny are musically gifted, they have never collaborated with one another. They however in 2014, decided to talk about their marital problems in separate songs when Tiny was accused of hooking up with professional boxer Floyd Mayweather. T.I. released “Stay,” and Tiny clapped back with “What The F— You Gonna Do.” Besides that, the two had a reality show titled T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle which aired for six seasons between 2011-2017.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz reportedly began dating in 2008. The couple shares two sons: Egypt Daoud Dean and Genesis Ali Dean. Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, got married to Mashonda in 2004 and finalized their divorce in 2010.
Swizz Beatz produced a couple of tracks on Alicia Keys’ 2012 album Timeless. Last year, in a conversation with Million Dollaz Worth of Game the singer said that the two “have a real musical connection” and they often bounce ideas off one another. They also share a love for art and their California home was featured in Architectural Digest in 2021.
Keyshia Ka’oir & Gucci Mane
Keyshia Ka’oir and Gucci Mane have been together since 2010. They got married in 2017 in Jamaica. The couple has two children together: Ice and Iceland. Gucci Mane is also the father to son Keitheon, whom he shares with his ex, Sheena Evans. Keyshia Ka’oir also has has two daughters and a son from a previous relationship.Gucci and Keyshia aren’t musical partners but their extravagant 2017 wedding was featured in a 10-part series that year titled Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka’Oir: The Mane Event for BET.
Remy Ma & Papoose
Remy Ma and Papoose met in 2004. They got married four years later on the phone while Remy Ma was incarcerated. The couple shares daughter, Reminisce MacKenzie. Papoose has two children with ex-girlfriend Yvetta Lashley, Dejanae Mackie and Shamele Mackie. He also has a daughter, Destiny, whose mother’s name is not public.
Remy Ma and Papoose have worked together several times. The two collabed on “Thought I Was Gonna Stop,” “The Golden Child,” “Whats My Name,” and more.
LL Cool J and Simone Smith
LL Cool J and his wife Simone Smith met in 1987 when they were teenagers. After they dated, they got married in 1997. The couple has four children together: Nina Simone Smith, Samaria Leah Wisdom Smith, Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith, Italia Anita Maria Smith. The two have no collaborated musically but Simone opened up to Oprah on her show and revealed the three tips on how the couple has kept up their 25+ year marriage strong, “Putting God first … compromise [and] picking your battles,” she told the media mogul. On ESSENCE’s “Yes, Girl!” podcast, LL Cool J also gave some advice on marriage. “Make sure that you’re going after your dreams and make sure you’ve got a purpose. You want somebody that can add to that and you can add to their life.”
Jhené Aiko and Big Sean
Jhené Aiko and Big Sean started dating in 2016. They welcomed their son Noah Hasani in 2022. The couple is not married. Aiko also has a 14-year-old daughter, Namiko, who she shares with ex O’Ryan Omri Browner.
One of Jhené Aiko and Big Sean’s biggest contributions to hip-hop and R&B is their joint album Twenty88 in 2016. Last year, Big Sean teased that there is a sequel on the way. “I’m here working on [a] new album and new TWENTY88, me and Jhené,” the Detroit rapper said on Instagram Live with Queen Naija. “S—, we’ve been working on it for a little bit… It’s coming along good, though.”
Lil Durk and India Royale
Lil Durk and India Royale began in 2017. Four years later, the Chicago rapper asked her to marry him on stage at his concert in his home city. The couple shares one daughter together, Willow Royale. Both Durk and India have other children from previous relationships.
While Durk and India aren’t musical partners, Durk has been very supportive of India’ business endeavors. The mom of two has a cosmetic line called India Royale Beauty and Durk shouted it out on his song with Drake for Certified Lover Boy. “She only play me in the whip, India Royale cosmetic/I’m just promoted my bitch
Drake song do a billion streams for sure, I’m just promotin’ her s—,” Durkio raps on “In the Bible.”Nelly and Ashanti
Nelly and Ashanti got back together this year after previously dating from 2003-2013. Ashanti and Nelly both never have been married. The “Foolish” singer has no kids but the “Dilemma” rapper shares Chanelle Haynes and Cornell Haynes III with ex Channetta Valentine.
The couple has released two songs together over the years “Body on Me,” and “Switch.” Since the two have found their way back to one another we hope that they can also head back into the studio together too.
Pharrell Williams & Helen Lasichanh
Pharrell Williams and Helen Lasichanh met in the early 2000s. The couple got married in 2013. They share four children together: son Rocket (born in 2008) and triplets (born in January 2017).
The couple shares a love for music and fashion with one another. The late André Leon Talley, Vogue‘s former creator director praised her fashion sense per PEOPLE. “I love her style! … Helen has this extraordinary quality where she can dress to the nines for the red carpet, or she can go around here with leggings.”
On the music side, Pharrell and Helen are both “huge Tribe Called Quest fans,” the producer told Oprah in 2014 per PEOPLE. “That just cemented that every girl that I’ve had a serious relationship loved Tribe and if they didn’t, it just didn’t make sense.”
Ice-T and Coco Austin
Ice-T and Coco Austin met through a mutual friend in 2001. They got married a few months later that same year. The couple welcomed their daughter Chanel Nicole in 2015. Ice-T has two other children from two other women.
The rapper and model previously had a series that let fans inside their relationship on their reality show Ice Loves Coco. The show premiered on E! in 2011 and ended in 2013 after three seasons. The couple also had a three-week run as tv show hosts together on Ice & Coco in 2015. Back in May on the That Moment with Daymond John podcast, the Law & Order actor said that Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne’s partnership made him want to take his relationship with Coco to the next level. “I was looking like, would Ozzy have a mansion if it wasn’t for Sharon Osbourne?” he told the host, adding, “He’s wealthy because he got a woman to hold it together.”
