8 Great Collaborations between Jay-Z and Beyonce
Jay- Z and Beyonce are, without doubt, THE power couple of hip-hop and R&B. Unimaginable success, countless awards, multiple collaborations and three little Carters later, the couple is stronger now than ever.
Even though their story seems nothing short of a fairytale, they have had their fair share of ups and downs. Take Jay-Z’s alleged infidelity for instance which is referred to in Beyonce’s explosive album, Lemonade, that had us all looking for ‘Becky with the good hair’! Or Jay-Z’s latest hit 4:44, which puts on display an unfiltered emotional side of Jay-Z as he confirms the allegations and addresses them.
But come what may, the army of fans falling ‘Crazy in Love’ with the power duo never seems to diminish!
And now, with lucky number four right around the corner for the Carters, we couldn’t be more excited! As the two prepare to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on 4/4, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the top collaborations between Jay-Z and Beyonce as an ode to the joy they have given us over the years!
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“Part II (On the Run)” – Jay-Z ft. Beyonce (2013)
The song that is believed to be a sequel to “Bonnie & Clyde” from Blueprint 2, talks about the emotions involved in the idea of a potentially doomed love. Queen B, perhaps addressing the nature of her own relationship with Jay-Z, opens with the powerful lines, “who wants that perfect love story anyway, anyway? Cliché, cliché”. The song sheds some light on the fact that even in case of a highly publicized romance, it is two human beings in love with each other at the end of the day.
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“Drunk in Love” – Beyonce ft. Jay-Z (2013)
The song that made marriage sound unbelievably hot, “Drunk in Love”, is an ode to raunchy love-making. With lyrics such as “I get filthy when that liquor get into me” and “Why can’t I keep my fingers off you, baby?” the song is practically a walk-through the sex life of Jay-Z and Beyonce. Adding to the lyrical content is the heavy bass throb and the wild thrill in Bey’s voice when she sings about crazy nights and hung-over mornings. This flawless collaboration gives us even more reasons to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary of Bey and Jay.
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“03 Bonnie & Clyde” – Jay – Z ft. Beyonce (2002)
In 2017, the power couple celebrated the 15th anniversary of “03 Bonnie & Clyde” – the song that initiated their romance. In the now iconic music video for the song, Beyonce appeared as Jay-Z’s girlfriend, adding fuel to the rumors about a secret relationship. Fast-forward six years, the couple exchanged vows and got married in a private ceremony in April 2008. This single was not only Beyonce’s first duet with Jay-Z, it was also her first solo feature after parting ways with Destiny’s Child. The song was a massive hit, and the chemistry between Jay-Z and Beyonce became undeniable!
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“Déjà vu” – Beyonce ft. Jay-Z (2006)
In this song, Jay-Z opens up about his past as a single man – “I used to bag girls like Birkin bags/Now I bag B” with Beyonce returning with “Baby, seem like everywhere I go, I see you/From your eyes I smile, it’s like I breath you”. The song received a lot of critical acclaim for the element of sensuality and assertiveness in Beyonce’s singing style. Her vocal capabilities on “Déjà vu” were compared to those of Tina Turner in the late 1980s.
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“Hollywood”/”Welcome to Hollywood” – Jay-Z ft. Beyonce (2006)
The song reflects on the dark side of living a famed life and how easy it is to become addicted to the limelight. It was co-written by Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Reggie “Syience” Perry and highlights the tiredness of music icons. The song got a good reception from music critics, who praised the lyrical content, along with the musical arrangement and the guest vocals by Beyonce. With lyrics like “Paparazzi spots me/ In the lobby of my high-rise/I hide behind my shades/Cause the fame is blinding my eyes”, the song deals with an important subject in the context of the ‘glamorous’ Hollywood life.
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“That’s How You Like It” – Beyonce ft. Jay-Z (2003)
The song lists all the things that Beyonce imagines an ideal partner to have. She kicks off the song with “I need a thug that’ll have my back” and continues to talk about the qualities she expects her man to have, including good style, a nice smile, integrity and honesty. As the song reaches Jay-Z’s part, the rapper confirms that he has all the things his Queen wants, and a lot more, wrapping it up with the sassy “Young Hova and the letter B/How you like that, huh?”
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“Shining” – Beyonce ft. Jay-Z and DJ Khaled (2017)
Produced by DJ Khaled, the song features vocals from the powerhouse couple itself. The poppy, enigmatic hit, with the right amount of sass is perhaps one of Queen B’s best vocal renditions in recent times. The song came out right after Adele grabbed the Album of the Year Award over Beyonce at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Even though that might have ruined the mood for the release of this song, the song itself is a masterpiece to behold. Both megastars sing about their never-ending fame and all that it has gotten them, with lyrics such as “Ran to the dealer, bought twin Mercedes/The European trucks for the twin babies/Don’t let me have a son, I’m a fool, haha/Send him to school in all my jewels, haha…”
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“Crazy In Love” – Beyonce ft. Jay-Z (2003)
Last, but certainly not the least is the best of them all – “Crazy In Love”. The song about romantic obsession reflects on the uncontrollable feelings that Beyonce has in her new relationship. The song itself, and the accompanying music video, further solidified the couple’s romance and their fiery chemistry – Jay-Z and Beyonce dancing back to back in front of a burning car is pretty much the epitome of chemistry for all of us! The catchy, old school feel of the song that made it an instant hit back in 2003 continues to be enjoyed enormously by the fans.
So there you have it – the top 8 collaborations between Jay-Z and Beyonce. With the couple celebrating 16 years of being together and 10 years of marriage, there is no better way to congratulate them, then reliving some of their best musical moments!
