When did Beyonce and Jay-Z meet and when did they start dating?

3 April 2024, 16:46

When did Beyonce and Jay-Z meet and when did they start dating?
When did Beyonce and Jay-Z meet and when did they start dating? Picture: Getty Images

By Anna Suffolk

What year did Beyoncé and Jay-Z meet and when did they start going out?

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been a power couple for as long as we know, and have welcomed three children together during their relationship.

The pair have worked together on many projects, including their joint album "The Carters' in 2018, a joint tour, and business enterprises.

So, when did Bey and Jay-Z actually meet and when did they start dating? Let's take a trip down memory lane about their relationship.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been together for over 20 years.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been together for over 20 years. Picture: Getty

When did Beyonce and Jay-Z meet?

Superstar Beyonce revealed that she first met future husband Jay-Z when she was 18-years-old, according to a cover story from magazine Seventeen.

She says "There was no rush — no one expected me to run off and get married." on meeting rapper Jay-Z who was 30 at the time.

Beyoncé has maintained that the pair were friends before it turned romantic, and told Oprah Winfrey that: "We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates."

Bey and Jay pictured in 2002.
Bey and Jay pictured in 2002. Picture: Getty

When did Beyonce and Jay-Z start dating?

According to Beyonce, she started dating Jay-Z in 2001, a year and a half after they first met.

The 'Texas Hold' Em' singer would have been 19-years-old when she became romantically linked with the rapper.

From 2002, the pair started teasing collaborations between the singer and rapper, which started with '03 Bonnie & Clyde', to 'Crazy in Love', 'Deja Vu' and 'Upgrade U' in the first few years of their relationship.

Beyonce and Jay-Z performing together in 2003.
Beyonce and Jay-Z performing together in 2003. Picture: Getty

When did Beyonce and Jay-Z get married?

Bey and Jay married in April 2008, around 8 years after they first met.

The pair decided to tie the knot in an intimate and private ceremony at their New York home, and kept their marriage a secret for a few months until September of that year.

Their first child, Blue Ivy, was born in 2012 and twins Rumi and Sir were born in June 2017.

Here Are All The Ways You Can Listen To Capital XTRA

Live Playlists