Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

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Lore & Background

Beyoncé's first major collaboration with Jay-Z came on the track "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from his 2002 album *The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse*. The single peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. She appeared as Jay-Z's girlfriend in the music video, fueling speculation about their relationship; she later shared that they began dating when she was nineteen, after a year and a half of friendship. In May 2003, Beyoncé released "Crazy in Love", the lead single from her debut solo album *Dangerously in Love*. The song featured Jay-Z and became her first number-one single as a solo artist on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for eight consecutive weeks. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 317,000 copies in its first week, and earned Beyoncé five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love". *Dangerously in Love* has sold more than 11 million copies globally.

In Their Own Story

In 2002, Beyoncé featured on Jay-Z's track "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from his album *The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse*. The single peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. She appeared as his girlfriend in the music video, sparking public speculation. She later shared that they began dating when she was nineteen, after a year and a half of friendship. In May 2003, Beyoncé released "Crazy in Love", featuring Jay-Z, as the lead single from her debut solo album *Dangerously in Love*. The song became her first number-one single as a solo artist on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for eight consecutive weeks. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 317,000 copies in its first week. *Dangerously in Love* earned Beyoncé five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love". The album has sold more than 11 million copies globally.

Reader's Guide

Beyoncé's role in Jay-Z's career began with their collaboration on "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (2002), which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. She featured on his track from *The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse*. Their next major collaboration was "Crazy in Love" (2003), the lead single from her debut solo album *Dangerously in Love*, which became her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for eight consecutive weeks. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 317,000 copies in its first week, and earned five Grammy Awards. *Dangerously in Love* has sold more than 11 million copies globally. Beyoncé and Jay-Z married, and she later formed the management company Parkwood Entertainment. Her subsequent albums include *B'Day* (2006), *I Am... Sasha Fierce* (2008), *4* (2011), *Beyoncé* (2013), *Lemonade* (2016), *Renaissance* (2022), and *Cowboy Carter* (2024). She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 200 million records, and is the recipient of a record 35 Grammy Awards.

Did You Know?

• Beyoncé's first solo number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 was 'Crazy in Love', featuring Jay-Z, which topped the chart for eight consecutive weeks.
• Her debut solo album *Dangerously in Love* (2003) sold more than 11 million copies globally and earned five Grammy Awards.
• Beyoncé and Jay-Z began dating when she was nineteen, after a year and a half of friendship.
• She is the most-certified female artist by the Recording Industry Association of America and the only woman whose first eight studio albums each debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
• Beyoncé is the recipient of a record 35 Grammy Awards.