03 bonnie & clyde still alive?

This post is something that has been weighing on my mind for a minute and with a few things I have seen here and there, as a human being, it is only right I speculate. Ever since The Blueprint²- The Gift & the Curse's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", word on the street is that Jay-Z & Beyonce are indeed an item. The song had the duo clearly saying the "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" word but other than that, neither one has come clean outright, in 3 years no less, to confirm that they are actually dating.

However, a man and woman (even siblings) can only be so close; for if these two are indeed just very good friends, Halle and Denzel need to donate their Oscars to them pronto! Since "Lost Ones" from Jay's new album, Kingdom Come leaked unto the streets, its second verse has had debates raging from Marcy to Mongolia as to the status of Hip Hop's golden couple (Will & Jada rep for black Hollywood). Did they breakup or is the couple still in tact? I have mused on this issue for a minute but it is my strong belief that they are still (that is if they ever really were) together. Here are my 2 cents on the whole issue from jump street.


lost ones
The verse on that track covers what I had screamed about from Day one. The age difference and career positions of these two individuals had to play a major part in their relationship. My argument was, Jay was 34 at the time and B was 22. He had achieved virtually all he could hope to achieve in his career and was touted as the King of Hip Hop. B had shared the spotlight with her band members for years, and her solo start was about to shine. She was poised to ascend the throne as the Queen (no disrespect to Mary J. but the world is round and it does revolve too) of R&B. So in essense, what do you have? A man getting on in years that has to be thinking family and a young girl coming into her own that is thinking world domination. Plus, in today's fickle vanity driven entertainment world, looks play an all important role. Besides being eye candy for male (and numerous females too) the world over, Beyonce is also an energetic performer, so staying in shape is top on her priority list. The last thing she'll be thinking of is a rugrat or two to slow her down. Not just yet.

So at that point in time, I had already seen a crack in their union, however, they appeared to stick it through. As they say, the true meaning of love is sacrifice, so seemingly, Young Hova appeared to be the party doing more of the compromising. Through These Eyes features another perspective on this issue in her blog, which I find interesting so you could take a peek. It also includes the lyrics to the song. Moving on, according to TTE, Jay said on the radio that the song was written two years ago and that's how he was feeling at the time. Based on this, TTE looked at it as Hov airing out their business and making Beyonce look bad. I understand how someone could arrive at that conclusion but I have to disagree. If anything, it makes Jay-Z look selfish for not sticking around to watch her "mature", as he calls it, into the star she is becoming. Remember I said if anything. From where I stand, it is perfectly normal for people to go through such things in relationships. As for the "calling her out" bit, this is what artistes do. Music is their form of expression and Kingdom Come is a very personal album where Jigga tries to connect with the listener. "Lost Ones" is a very personal song and details issues he has not really spoken about before, so the Beyonce verse, if anything, details how he almost lost one, even though it may not have been said that way. The verse just goes to show that, even though they are in the public glare, they go through it too. This can easily be a chick rising in th executive ranks and her entrepreneur boyfriend having this convo. It is perfectly normal.

"Lost Ones" is a valid source for concerned but that's just how it is with this things. You can't just hear it to get it. You need to listen.


infidelity
Then there were the rumors of Jay-Z's infidelity (and a Beyonce/50 Cent one did the rounds in brief when 50 was hot) with his Def Jam recording artist, Rihanna and 106 & Park's original VJ, Free.

I can understand where the Rihanna rumors would come from. First of all, she's an attractive female with some talent and also, one of Jigga's top prospects. Regarding the latter, the promise he sees in the young songstress makes it understandable that he'd be around her quite a lot, nurturing her talent but the former, is what would lead many to voice opinions that the hours spent together are not strictly business. Artists draw inspiration from various sources, so Beyonce might actually have written "Ring The Alarm" off of the Rihanna rumors but not necessarily about the Barbados representer. You never know. However, if the verse from "Lost Ones" is anything to go by, then it would be redundant to leave B for the younger Rihanna, no? That is not to say that he didn't hit it though...

As for Free, she allegedly carried his baby and he addressed it on "Trouble" from his new album:

"So I ain't gon make a move unless I got a Plan B/that'll happen the day I have a baby by Free/not to say that anything is wrong with Free/Just to say that ain't nothing wrong with me/If my hand's in the cookie jar, know one thing/I'ma take the cookie, not leave my ring..."

That pretty much sums it up but once again does not make it any clearer whether he went deep sea diving or not.


blog marley's personal madness
In addition to what I wrote earlier in lost ones, I also had some crazy little theory of my own:

For the Thisday Music Festival, apparently, Beyonce had it written into her contract that she had to be the headliner at the event and she was slated to perform on the same day as her "boyfriend" a seemingly bigger star. She did get her wish but to her own detriment as Iceberg Slim blew all competition off the stage in his hour plus set. He didn't take the stage for "Deju Vu" or "Crazy In Love" and that was a personal disappointment to me. Jay-Z has always claimed to be a competitive performer out to out-do everyone else but this just seemed more personal. There was also the rumor that he was slated to perform for half and hour but he was out there for closer to two hours. Kinda like saying, "you ain't shit without me B", no? What do I know, eh?


parting shot
All in all, I believe that all is well in the world of Hov & B and people really have nothing to worry about. We are human beings, so we will speculate and let's be honest, we enjoy these things. However, if they did break up, really, how does it affect the rest of our lives? These are two individuals who know why they are together or not. They are entertainers but they are meant to entertain us with their talent and not their personal lives. However, like their latest collabo off Kingdom Come, "Hollywood", clearly denotes, they know what they are in for. I leave you with excerpts from a Jay-Z interview from XXL Magazine and pictures of the happy couple (the last one is rather funny, with Beyonce looking like there is nothing to smile about once she's out of the public eye).

Be good now.

BM out like curfew!

XXL: On a new song, “Beach Chair” you talk about leaving it all to your unborn child, when are you gonna settle down?
Jay-Z: I’m not ready yet. I’m still moving. I still got things to accomplish. The worst shit is to be too busy and miss all your kids’ firsts. First walk, first school, all that shit. You’re not gonna be a bum, you wanna at least be in the state.

XXL: You made it cool in hip-hop to have a girlfriend.
Jay: I only made it cool to say it. Niggas already had girlfriends. They just didn’t wanna say it. I didn’t claim it, they just knew what it was.

XXL: But you’re protective of it though, which is the cool thing. I mean, your private life should stay private.
Jay: The only time your relationship means anything to people that don’t give a shit about you, is when you get together, have a baby or break-up. All the in-between is bullshit to cause something else to happen. They’re trying to fuck your shit up. Why even feed into the gossip?

XXL: Still the longevity of the relationship took away the secrecy of it. Now it’s out there, do you feel like it has affected you?
Jay: I’m not lying about it, I just talk around it or don’t discuss it at all. I’m not rude about. I could just be like, “Shut the fuck up.”

XXL: It must be a trip though with all the attention. The Paparazzi wolves is out.
Jay: It’s part of the game. No regrets. I love it. If you don’t have that negative aspect to fend off, then how do you do it? Something to fight against.