Once upon a time, Jay Z and Beyoncé fell in love. But—when, exactly? At this point, it seems as though music’s preeminent power couple has been together forever, but there were actually several years where they kept the world at large guessing, denying their undying love while likely continuing to date under the rader (or—as under the radar as two famous people can be).
Though there are varying reports as to when exactly they first came face to face, but in 2007 Jay told Charlie Rose he met Bey “10 years ago,” or in 1997; Queen B told Seventeen a year later that “I was 18 when we first met, 19 when we first started dating.” So young! Beyoncé was born September 4, 1981, so that’d mean they met in late 1999 or early 2000. Since women have a better memory than men, we’d bet on Bey. (Jay was born December 4, 1969, which means he was about 30.)