50 Cent seems to need a primer in Famous Celebrities 101. Wouldn’t it be great if that were a real class? 50 and rapper Jay-Z have always had a bit of a rivalry going on. Enough that I’m pretty sure Fiddy knows Jay-Z’s basic history. But according to a recent interview he gave, Jay-Z wasn’t even famous (at least by 50’s standards) outside of the U.S. until after he married Beyonce Knowles.

If we didn’t know better, we would say 50 Cent must have been living under a rock for the last 10 years (well, either that or he’s letting his ego cloud his judgment just a little tiny bit). The Get Rich or Die Trying star has just made the outrageous claim that rap rival Jay Z wasn’t all that famous until he married Beyoncé Knowles!

That right, he thinks that Jay ‘the most famous rapper in the world ever’ Z has only been a celebrity since April, despite the fact he had his first international hit in 1998.

“I’m a big fan of Jay-Z,” 50 told MTV.com, “but outside of the States and hip-hop circles, no one really knew who he was until he married.”

Come on Fiddy — surely some of the people who bought 50 million+ of Jay’s records outside of the US must know who he is.

[From OK!]

If that was meant to be a diss it failed miserably. 50 just came off as ignorant instead. Jay-Z isn’t just a famous rapper; he’s also an extraordinary businessman. He was the head of Def Jam records, made a $150 million concert deal with Live Nation, and co-founded RocaWear. Surely that ups his profile and sets him apart from other rappers a bit.

I doubt marrying Beyonce did a thing for his international fame, considering how tightly the two tried to control information about the event. I think 50’s just as good a rapper, but I can’t think of a reason in the world that he’s better known overseas than Jay-Z.

Here’s 50 Cent at the “Righteous Kill” premiere on Sept. 14th in London with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Images thanks to Fame.

Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z is the richest hip hop artist in the world. I tried to google his net worth and received answers that varied from $547 million, or 1/2 a billion, to $940 million, or nearly a billion. Either way, the guy is loaded and can afford a ring worth more than most people in the world can hope to make in a lifetime. Beyonce herself is valued at around $315 million, so between the two of them they can spend obscene amounts of money on jewelry.

Beyonce wore the ring, a flawless 18 carat diamond, to the aptly-named Fashion Rocks on Friday.

All eyes were on Beyoncé Friday night, when, for the first time, the singer publicly displayed her wedding ring on the red carpet for Fashion Rocks at Radio City Music Hall in N.Y.C.

The singer, 27, who secretly married rapper Jay-Z in April, flashed an 18 carat flawless diamond by Lorraine Schwartz, valued at more than $5 million dollars, according to the jeweler.

[From People.com]

These two had a pretty low key wedding and they keep their private life out of the public eye. Beyonce has her own charity while Jay-Z has also done charity work, raising awareness and donating money to Play Pumps International. I think it’s outrageous to spend $5 million on a ring, but it’s not like they’re not giving back, and I suppose it’s relative to these two.

If they’re worth a combined billion, or 1,000 million (and that might be a low estimate) $5 million is just 1/200th of that. It’s still a hell of a lot of money to be sitting on someone’s hand. Beyonce and Jay-Z are not big conservationists – they travel around by private jet, and neither of them is particularly interested in ecological causes notwithstanding Jay-Z’s support of PlayPumps, which brings clean water to the third world.

Sometimes when I see celebrities who are supposedly into the environment carrying around purses worth thousands it makes me wonder what they’re thinking. (*cough* Julia Roberts *cough*) Like natural resources money is a commodity too, and by wasting it on overpriced consumer goods you may as well be driving a gas guzzler. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be able to spend money as they please, many people think it’s everyone’s right to purchase whatever they like and celebrities are no exception. It’s also relative to how much money someone makes and what may seem expensive to us is not a big deal to someone who’s rich. It just seems hypocritical when eco-conscious celebrities have such overpriced items. It’s like money is different to them, but it could make a huge difference in many people’s lives, just as clean water and a healthy planet can. At least you can’t accuse Beyonce and Jay-Z of being hypocrites, because they’re gladly using their share and flaunting it.

Beyonce, supposedly 26, and Jay-Z, 38, have been married since 4/4/08, a date that has special significance to them. Although the couple has not yet publicly admitted to their union, they’ve both been seen wearing wedding rings and some details were leaked from their exclusive party at Jay-Z’s Tribeca loft celebrating their nuptials. Now that the two superstars have been married for a few months, Beyonce’s husband and mother are said to be bugging her to get pregnant and have a child as soon as possible. Jay-Z wants to be a dad and his mother in law, Tina, was to have another grandchild. Beyonce has a pretty enviable career however, and wants to focus on that for a while before she commits to motherhood:

It’s boom time for babies in Hollywood – but newlywed Beyonce’s not about to join the club anytime soon! And that’s a problem for both her husband Jay-Z AND her mom, say sources. They’ve joined forces to persuade the sexy singer to slow down and have a baby.

“Beyonce’s getting double-teamed to give in and get pregnant,” a longtime family family friend told The Enquirer.

“Both her husband and her mother want to see her have a child.”

But super-busy Beyonce has her career calendar blocked out solid for the next two years, and says there’s just no time for kids yet.

“Jay-Z is ready to have children,” said another source. “He and Beyonce dated for years, now they’re married, and for him it’s time for children.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 25, 2008]

Beyonce’s little sister Solange has a nearly four-year-old son, so it’s not like their mother doesn’t already have a grandchild. Another one would be a blessing, and you can see Jay-Z wanting to be a dad. These two are incredibly private, though, and if Beyonce ever does get pregnant it might be up to the tabloids to guess because she probably wouldn’t confirm the news until the baby arrived. She was rumored to be pregnant around the time of her April wedding, but that didn’t turn out to be true at all and she and Jay-Z didn’t bother to have their reps deny it.

Beyonce is young and she has plenty of years left to have children if she wants. This strikes me as a smart decision to wait, and her husband and mother are just going to have to hold their horses. They’re not the ones who are going to have to care for the baby most of the time and it’s ultimately her decision.

Beyonce and Jay-Z are shown in Cannes on 5/23/08. Credit: Fame

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z went about their union in a pretty uncommon fashion, as far as celebrities go. While most do try to keep the affair a bit private – and rarely openly announce the date – most of those that desire complete privacy jet off to some remote island and tell everyone about it when they get back.

Not Beyonce and Jay-Z. Not only did they very obviously get married in New York City more than three months ago, but they have steadfastly refused to confirm their marriage. God only knows what they could possibly be protecting at this point. So Jay-Z tried to explain their logic to Us Weekly.

Jay-Z says privacy is the reason he and Beyonce won’t talk about their wedding or marriage.

“I just think it’s really a part of your life that you gotta keep to yourself,” he tells Vibe in their September issue.

“You have to have something sacred to you and the people around you,” the 38-year-old adds. “I shared so much of my life… I should have something to hold on to.”

Beyonce, 26, and Jay-Z tied the knot over three months ago in a “very special, very private, very intimate” rooftop ceremony, according to a source close to the pair. He was finally spotted with his wedding ring last week.

Beyonce also showed off her wedding ring for the first time on Wednesday, when she saw Jay-Z perform at Madison Square Garden.

[From Us Weekly]

Okay I get the argument that a lot of people make that even celebrities have the right to a private life, and they’re not obligated to tell anyone anything. But what. the. hell. Everyone knows! It’s been forever. There is no big special secret they’re keeping to themselves anymore. They filed the very public legal documents.

Not just saying something like, “Yes, we’re married, that’s all I’m going to say about it,” makes it look like Jay-Z is trying to do the exact opposite of what he says. It makes it look like they’re trying to get more attention, and keep it less to themselves, because everyone is talking about their bizarre behavior. Jay-Z’s logic doesn’t hold up at all. Yes I know he didn’t ask me. But he should have.

Here’s Beyonce and Jay-Z with Diddy at the “Armand De Brignac” brand champagne party held at the VIP Room in Cannes on May 23rd. Images thanks to Fame.

Jay-Z and Beyonce sure were weird about their whole marriage thing. The couple has never officially confirmed their marriage to People magazine. Which makes it feel like it’s somehow not legal. As a celeb, isn’t it a requirement to file a marriage certificate and chat with Us Weekly to make it legal? I don’t think it’s official until they’ve done that.

I think we all assumed they were keeping things as secret as possible so they could sell the photos for the highest amount of cash. Which hasn’t happened yet. It almost seems as though they truly wanted to keep the whole affair private, and not profit off of it. Which seems odd, as Beyonce’s mother Tina is known for doing things up as tacky as she possibly can. Class seems weird here.

Nonetheless, the marriage is definitely legit – they filed certificates, went on a honeymoon – and has finally been spotting wearing a wedding band.

Jay-Z donned never-before-seen bling in NYC Wednesday: his wedding ring to Beyonce!

The rapper, 38, was spotted wearing the jewelry while leaving his Tribeca apartment, where they wed April 4.

Beyonce, 26, and Jay-Z tied the knot over three months ago in a “very special, very private, very intimate” rooftop ceremony, according to a source close to the pair.

[From Us Weekly]

I guess they’re no longer trying to keep the whole thing a secret, since everyone’s stopped talking about it or caring either way. There was no doubt they got married, but there remained a lot of speculation about why they went to such extreme lengths not to talk about it. I understand the desire for privacy before and during the ceremony, but not admitted you’re married after the fact is a little unusual. There was a lot of speculation that Beyonce was pregnant, but that doesn’t seem to be the case either. At least they’re acknowledging their union, if quietly.

Here’s an older image of Beyonce and Jay-Z. The image of Jay-Z wearing his wedding ring can be seen on Us Weekly’s site.

Beyonce and Jay-Z performing at Radio City Music Hall in June, 2006
Beyonce and Jay-Z got married in a moderately top secret small wedding and reception at Jay-Z’s Tribeca penthouse apartment in early April. The paparazzi were crowded outside, surrounding guests limos like zombies hungry for brains, but apart from some subdued photos of people coming and leaving there were no pictures of the event. For a female performer known for multiple elaborate costume changes and extravagant wigs, Beyonce kept her special day surprisingly private. It wasn’t without its luxuries of course. The venue was decorated all in white, guests were instructed to wear white, and 50 to 60 thousand white orchids were imported from Thailand.

Rumor has it that Beyonce is expecting a child with Jay-Z, and that may have prompted the longterm couple to get married quickly, but the date of their wedding had special significance for them and suggests it was planned well in advance. Their birthdays both fall on the fourth of separate months, they have roman numeral IV tattoos on their ring fingers, and their wedding was held on 4/4/08.

If Beyonce is pregnant, a potential child with Jay-Z is worth $5 million under her prenuptial agreement. She has her own empire and is a multi-millionaire in her own right. Jay-Z is worth at least $300 million, though, and his financial advisers are said to have encouraged him to draw up a prenup to protect his assets. He supposedly made it generous in order to be fair:

“The prenup calls for Jay-Z to pay Beyonce $10 million if the marriage ends after two years, and $1 million dollars a year for each further year she remains in the marriage, up to 15 years,” revealed a source familiar with the deal.

“If they do split, he’s promised to pony up $10 million to buy her a home..

“He’s promised to pay her an additional $5 million for each child she bears him – for her ‘loss of income’ during the pregnancy and child-rearing years.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 12, 2008]

Other provisions in the rumored prenup include “access to their private jet and a fleet of cars,” and all expenses paid college educations for their future children.

Doesn’t it seem like the prenup should pay out more the longer you stay with the person, like the amount increases per year so that spouses aren’t encouraged to cash out early? Maybe they assume that if you’re with someone for financial reasons it’s better not to include incentives to stick it out under false pretenses.

It seems like a necessity for celebrities and people with money to get prenuptial agreements since everyone’s chances at a lasting marriage are about 50/50. You also never know if you’ll have a successful career and eclipse your spouse’s earnings, and how your circumstances may change. I remember reading Suze Orman and being impressed by her reasons to always get a prenup.

Beyonce and Jay-Z have been together for a while, and there have been faint rumblings that they’re fighting or having trouble, but they’ve stuck it out and kept their relationship private. I bet they’ll last, and that they’re aiming for 4 kids.

Beyonce made a brief appearance at Jay-Z’s concert at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The first few bars of “Crazy in Love” came on and Beyonce did a dance on stage briefly. Jay-Z said “that’s some good shit right there,” which may have been a reference to the rumor that he got mad andmade the DJ stop playing “Crazy in Love” at an earlier show.

Beyonce sure can move, but it’s hard to tell if she’s pregnant or not. The camera stays on her upper body on the big screen on stage and never moves down.

Thanks to NecoleBitchie via ONTD for this video.

Well I really hope Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “We’re not gonna discuss whether or not we’re married” thing works out really well for them. The two singers – who last time I checked, depended on fans and publicity for their large incomes – refused to say whether or not they had gotten married. And while I get that they wanted to keep it on the downlow prior to the event so that they could have a private ceremony, there was absolutely no need not to confirm the marriage after it had taken place. Part of me thinks they refused to do it in an attempt to get even more publicity. Either way, Beyonce and Jay-Z did marry on Friday, April 4th just like everyone thought.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are mum, but their paperwork is doing the talking for them: The couple filed their signed wedding license Friday in Scarsdale, N.Y., PEOPLE has confirmed exclusively.

Scarsdale Town Clerk Donna Conkling tells PEOPLE the license – which lists the wedding date as April 4 – was received on Friday afternoon. The couple applied for the license just three days before the ceremony attended by friends and family, including Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles, her father/manager Mathew, her sister Solange, her Destiny’s Child pals Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and the couple’s friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

Although the couple’s license was filed more than five days after the wedding – as required by law – Conkling tells PEOPLE it’s expected to be processed with the state without a penalty. (No special celeb treatment here: Conkling says the penalty is frequently waived.) Though sources confirmed the wedding to PEOPLE, the couple have remained silent about their nuptials. Shortly after the wedding, Beyonce was spotted with a ring while joining Jay-Z on tour, but neither of them have publicly stepped out with new jewelry.

[From People]

I don’t know why, but it really grates on my nerves that Jay-Z and Beyonce couldn’t just say yes or no after the fact. I totally agree that they have the right to privacy during their wedding – and of course they have the right not to tell people if they’re married. I just think it would have been courteous to give a simple yes or no one way or the other. A lot more talk went on due to their refusal to confirm anything in their attempt to “keep things private.” Though I’m guessing that was the real point all along. Refuse to ever talk about it, and get more press than ever. Or maybe Beyonce was just ashamed because of the supposedly tacky-ass job her mom Tina did putting the wedding together. I’m guessing that’s the more likely reason.

US Weekly and People cover images from coverawards.com via Gossip Rocks.

There are a lot of things Beyonce Knowles is known for. Awesome voice. Catchy songs. Gorgeous. Diva. But I’ve never heard anyone mention her fabulous sense of humor – and generally divas aren’t known for being able to laugh at themselves. It seems to be a lack of humor that’s gotten Jay-Z into some trouble with his new wife. According to the Mirror, Jay-Z poked a little fun at Beyonce at his concert at the Hollywood Bowl – and Beyonce , being Beyonce, didn’t really care for it.

Flicking through his box of oldies, the DJ slapped on one of Beyonce’s biggest hits, Crazy In Love. But as the fans grooved, Jay-Z growled. Storming to the mic, he yelled: “F*** that. Sorry Bey but f*** that – let’s play something else.” Furious, Bey stalked off… before laying into her man later away from prying eyes. “Beyonce had been side stage for most of the night, dancing and singing along,” says a fellow reveller. But when Jay-Z got the song pulled, her mood soured. He meant it as a joke, but Beyonce didn’t take it that way.

“After he came off stage, she confronted him, demanding to know what the hell his comments had been about. She was gesturing wildly and not looking happy. Like any good husband would, Jay-Z grovelled and tried to get out of it with compliments. It’s a shame because earlier the pair had been flashing their tattooed wedding ring fingers. Both have ‘IV’ – the date of their wedding’ – inked on.

[From the Mirror]

The tattoos are actually old and appeared after the couple took a trip to Paris this past Christmas – which of course spouted a slew of “are they married” gossip. According to the source, the couple later made amends and were seen holding hands again. It seems pretty clear Jay-Z meant the song playing as a joke – clearly he wasn’t trying to publicly humiliate his wife. But I could see something like that bothering a lot of people, because it does seem like a dis. And it’s very public. It seems that the couple have no plans to officially confirm their marriage in the near future – certainly an unusual choice, but their right.
m
Here’s Jay Z in concert on April 8th. Images thanks to Splash.

A new story in the NY Post brings up an interesting question: Are tabloid magazines racially biased? In the wake of the relatively light coverage of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s wedding last weekend, some are speculating that the disinterest from the tabloids was racially motivated. Gatecrasher’s Ben Widdicombe did some actual journalism for his column this week and found some disturbing results.

Are the celebrity media racist?

A top tabloid editor tells me that Jay-Z and Beyonce’s wedding was played down by the weeklies because “African-Americans don’t sell covers.”

Of the big five celebrity glossies out midweek, only Us Weekly gave Beyoncé the top spot on the cover. Other magazines gave her second billing to the likes of Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston.

“None of the magazines landed an exclusive on wedding pictures, which would have made the story bigger,” said one tabloid insider, justifying why Beyoncé was relegated to a small cover box on his magazine.

But even wedding photos make less money for black stars, says another source. “Eva Longoria can get $1 million for wedding photos, but without the expectation of cover sales, Beyoncé might have gotten as little as $250,000 if she had sold hers,” says a top editor.

Magazine publisher and black gossip pioneer Flo Anthony responds: “That sounds to me a very racist statement. Beyoncé is one of the biggest stars in the world, much bigger than Eva Longoria.”

Anthony publishes Black Noir for women, as well as Toy Box, a black parenting magazine with a celebrity focus. She said: “It is hard for African-Americans in magazines. Only a few people, like Will Smith and Halle Berry, are mainstream. Editors really still think that only blond hair and blue eyes sell magazines.”

As another tabloid source says: “We have a saying, ‘Only Oprah.’ Oprah is the only black celebrity big enough to put on our cover.”

But Us Weekly editor in chief Janice Min tells me: “Janet Jackson has been on our cover twice, for two of our best-selling issues we’ve ever had.”

Min is also the only non-Caucasian to helm a top celebrity magazine. She acknowledges there is a perception in her industry that black stars don’t sell covers, but adds: “Typically, you will hear that discussion among a group of all-white editors.”

[From Gatecrasher]

I do agree that the tabloids tend to focus more on white celebs- especially the unholy trifecta of Spears, Lohan and Hilton. I’m not sure why- maybe there are more white celebs who are screwing up in public than black celebs? Or maybe, as the Gatecrasher article suggests, it comes down to money. However, comparing coverage of Eva Longoria’s wedding to that of Beyonce’s wedding is not a good analogy for this argument. Eva Longoria courted the press every step of the way when she got married- from the engagement to the wedding plans to the numerous ceremonies and parties. Beyonce and Jay-Z are both huge stars and if they had chosen to go the Longoria route with their wedding, they would have been on every magazine cover last week. However, the couple chose to get married under the radar- even their guests are staying mostly silent about the nuptials. The only reason US Weekly had the wedding on the cover is that Beyonce’s sister Solange went to the mag with an exclusive. Other than that, the magazines didn’t have any info on the wedding. If the couple had shopped wedding photos around, I’m sure there would have been a bidding war over them. But just like their long courtship was kept fiercely private, so was their wedding.

The latest US Weekly and People cover images from coverawards.com via Gossip Rocks.

An older image of Beyonce and Jay-Z

The New York Daily News has an article today alleging that Beyonce is pregnant, and that’s the real reason for her “quickie nuptials” to Jay-Z last Friday. We still have yet to receive any official confirmation of a wedding from the couple or their reps, but some random details have leaked out about the ceremony, including a photo of Beyonce’s alleged bouquet. It’s super tacky and reeks of Tina Knowles. The Daily News seems to think Beyonce’s got a bun in the oven, and that’s the real reason the longtime couple finally tied the knot.

Did a pregnancy send Jay-Z and Beyoncé running down the aisle? Buzz is building that this weekend’s quickie nuptials were actually a shotgun wedding. It would be the second for the Knowles’ family: At just 17, Beyoncé’s little sis, Solange, wed boyfriend Daniel Smith in the Bahamas after learning she was pregnant.

While reps for both J and B are neither confirming nor denying baby talk, the diva has indicated in the past that she’d like a big family: “I want to get married, and I really want a family. In a perfect world I’d have two boys and a girl.”

[From Rush & Molloy]

That seems like a whole lot of speculation to me. First off, we have no reason to believe it was a quickie wedding. Just because the press wasn’t informed about it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been in the works for months. It seems like the fact that it was a small ceremony that happened 3 days after they got their marriage license makes people think it was a hastily made decision. Jay Z and Beyonce have always kept their relationship really low profile. It’s quite likely they’ve been engaged for a while.

The way Beyonce and her mom go all-out on everything (some would say to a ridiculously tacky extent), I highly doubt they’d rush a once-in-a-lifetime event like Beyonce’s wedding. I think based on the Daily News’ evidence, we could accuse just about every bride of being pregnant.