For a genre where songs like WAP and Anaconda are so popular, many of hip hop’s biggest stars manage to keep their relationship status secret or share it as a low-key thing that’s not worth public attention. And you know what? I get it. The music industry is male-dominated already, and the world of hip-hop and R&B is even worse. So, any speculation on the relationship status of its biggest stars would steal attention away from the stars’ lyricism, talent, and influence on the industry. So, let’s keep this low-key and just take a quick look at husbands and boyfriends of hip hop’s most notable divas!
Nicki Minaj
We’ve written about Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty before. They have been a couple since December 2018 and got married in October 2019. But their story begins much earlier than that, going way back to when Nicki was just 16 and they were first dating. Despite Mr. Petty’s past transgressions, it seems like Nicki is happy living the married life with her husband, and, in the end, that’s all that matters.
Beyonce
Beyonce and Jay-Z are the dictionary definition of “power couple”. They are hip hop and R&B juggernauts with influence that spans music, film, culture, business, and philanthropy. They’ve been married since 2008. Even though their relationship has likely been through some turmoil in the past, they’ve managed to overcome this, grow stronger as a couple, and even turn it into several platinum albums (Lemonade by Beyonce and 4:44 by Jay-Z).
Cardi B
If Beyonce and Jay-Z are the epitome of a hip-hop/RNB power couple, then Cardi B and Offset have the potential to take over the mantle in due time. Their influence in the music scene and pervasiveness in the charts shows great promise! Plus, if Clout (Offset’s song featuring Cardi B) is anything to go by, I’d be excited to see what their equivalent of an Everything is Love album would be!
Rihanna
Rihanna has also taken a page out of Queen Latifah’s rule book and has been keeping her relationship status under wraps for quite some time. Until the start of 2020 she was in a relationship with a Saudi Arabian billionaire entrepreneur, Hassan Jameel. This relationship was never a big secret (paparazzi photos of them together have been around for a while), but it also wasn’t overtly public. However, it’s clear that they’ve broken up, and ever since, rumours have been circulating about a potential relationship between Riri and A$AP Rocky. But rumours on this relationship have ranged from “they are definitely dating” to, as Vulture put it, “Obviously Rihanna and A$AP Rocky aren’t dating, you clowns.” If that’s true, Cardi B and Offset have to watch out, because if there’s one power couple that can outrun them, it’s Riri and Rocky!
Lizzo
Although it seems that Lizzo is single now, she has always been candid and open about her dating life. She flirts openly on Twitter (once tweeting “Wow marry me 🥴” to Chris Evans after he retweeted a video she shared), told several media outlets that she doesn’t hesitate to slide into the DMs of somebody she fancies (notably — Drake), and flirting with talk show hosts on their show (yes, I’m referencing that video of her hitting on Trevor Noah for 8 minutes straight). Whatever her relationship status, I’m 100% here for girls being flirtatious and having fun!
Erykah Badu
I couldn’t write this article and not mention Erykah Badu. Although it seems Ms. Badu is single now, she’s almost infamous for how much men change after being in a relationship with her. She’s been in a relationship with Andre 3000 (of Outkast fame), Common, The D.O.C., Jay Electronica, and Carl Jones. And one man after the next has seemed to suffer immensely after the end of their relationship with Erykah. Common has gone as far as to say that it was difficult for him to eat after his split with Ms. Badu.
