The Baddest Celebrity Couples in Music. Ever
August 23, 2011 No Comments
When you think of what might have been with Chris Brown and Rihanna [bubble gum pop's musical match made in heaven?] the subject of the baddest musical couples comes to the forefront. There have been many that have complemented each other like yin to yan. Like Yoko Ono to John Lennon.
There have been many, but they have been far and few between. Here’s our rundown on what rocked it together like red beans and rice.
Millie Jackson and Isaac Hayes
Soul music’s Adam and Eve were Millie Jackson and Isaac Hayes. One part brown liquor, two parts corn starch, the couple, made beautiful music together with the likes of Stax Records and the black eyed peas and collard greens of Memphis, Tennessee.
Ashford and Simpson
Update: The untimely demise of one half of one of the greatest songwriting duos in soul music history won’t diminish want Nick Ashford meant to music. He and his wife Valerie Simpson were quite possibly the avatars for black celebrity couples in music. The songwriting couple met at a church in Harlem, New York. They wrote for such luminaries as Ronnie Milsap and Ray Charles, unable to make it big as a duo at the time. Then they joined Motown, and the rest as they say, is soul music history.
Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye
Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye were a super tandem that short-circuited right at the pinnacle of their stardom. Their hit “Aint Nothing But the Real Thing” (written by Ashford and Simpson) catapulted the couple into a radio mainstay. Tammi died at the age of 24, sending Gaye into a four-year depression that finally lifted with his anthemic album, “What’s Going On”.
Bey-Jay (or Jay-Bey)
The “hottest couple in the game” right now, rapper Jay-Z and songstress Beyonce, have pranced up and down the charts and awards show stages since becoming a public item in 2005. Bey’s songs have gotten more street, albeit simplistic since Jay, while the rapper’s music has gotten deeper and more complex since the former Destiny’s Child singer.
Drake and Nicki Minaj
Toronto rapper Drake and NYC’s Nicki Minaj may not be an item — publicly, but the two are a stone-cold powerhouse as a duet team. They both have also expressed affection for each other, and of course, not denied that they may have a thing going on. Drake even leaped to his label mate’s defense during a very public beef. Either way, musically, the pair is bonkers.
