Since they first beganmusicallyjoining forces in the early 2000s (becoming a couple not long afterward), rapperJay-Zand singerBeyoncéhave createda powerhouse combination assertively situated at the crossroads between rap/hip-hop and pop/R&B. Their resulting marriage has even led tothe rise of a talented young heir to potentially fill Beyoncé’s legendary shoessomewhere down the road.
The pair have also long dominated the headlines in other ways, includinghaving endorsements from former United States presidentsandtaking home history-making Grammy Album of the Year victories. Either way, though, Jay-Z and Beyoncé keep shining with razor-sharp rays when they go shining together, and their collaborations continue to thriveat some of the highest peaks in music history.
10APESH*T
“APESH*T” wasthe only single released from the duo’s project for the 2018 albumEverything Is Loveunder the group name The Carters. Jay-Z and Beyoncé wrote the track alongside musician/producer Pharrell Williams (as well as Quavo and Offset from the hip-hop trio Migos), and the influences are evident.
Backed by hard-thumping trap beats, this is one of the pair’s collaborations where each takes on rap verses instead of that solely being Jay’s role in the arrangement. Surprisingly, perhaps, Beyoncégoes even harder than her husband in that regard, putting the accelerator down on the duo’s achievements, where they are today, and how it makes their crowds pop.
This is Jay and Bey getting to puff their chest out on this song, and they take full advantage of that (right down to filming the “APESH*T” music video in France’s Louvre Museum). While it might be a little too honed in on the rich over the raw, the song is still an easy place to get hyped in.
9LOVEHAPPY
“LOVEHAPPY” is another team-up from The Carters' 2018 LPEverything Is Love, though this one struts much less and goes way more vulnerably introspectivewhen it comes to the couple’s highly publicized marriage issues(including Jay-Z’s noted infidelity). Beyoncé throws a few barbs at Jay about this, which the celebrated rapper takes in stride.
Otherwise, the duo seems to be much more at peace together, ruminating on their children and being able to move on from the tabloid-heavy trauma. Built out against a head-nodding throwback of sampling beats,it can be hard to say what any major power couple feels or does behind closed doors, but Jay-Z and Beyoncé feel much more stable here.
8Shining
DJ Khaled’s 2017 albumGratefulincluded a standout feature from Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the song “Shining,” where the duo once again delivered on their long-standing chemistry,clicking together like Transformers in the studio. Khaled provides backing vocals and the bouncing flex of a dance-floor-worthy groove, but the floor is all Bey and Jay’s to hold.
Beyoncé takes the lead as the irresistible, earworming R&B songstress, almost making you forget Jay-Z has to pull through, too. He aptly vocalizes to “make ‘em wait” at one point before going in on his verse.Both talents are all about how they’ve succeeded, and their winning is going to keep them shining to the finish line.
7Upgrade U
The Swizz Beatz-produced “Upgrade U” emerged from Beyoncé’s first solo album in 2006following the dissolution of her band Destiny’s Child, and found her rocking a funk-oriented fierceness where it felt like Jay-Z was along for the ride. Not that the rapper didn’t already have a significant reputation, but “Upgrade U” showed Beyoncé wasn’t going to be relegated to sidekick.
While Jay’s verse is all about his own wielded power, Beyoncé matches him verse for verse to show that, as big as his world was, their unioncould escalate them both into a bejeweled universe together. “Upgrade U” isn’t a power struggle or a battle for a bigger yacht; these are two powerhouses uniting to go bigger.
6Part II (On The Run)
Blossoming off of Jay-Z’s mixed bag albumMagna Carta… Holy Grailin 2013, “Part II (On The Run)“acts as a sequel to the rapper’s first collaboration with Beyoncé, 2002’s “‘03 Bonnie and Clyde.” While it doesn’t quite hit as hard as that first partnership, the song still finds the duo returning to what works best in their musical partnership.
Beyoncé is an ethereal presence, almost gospel and holy on the vocals, backing up Jay-Z’s bad boy persona like a conscience as he slices through his verses. Not everyone may agree with their union, and it may be keeping them just ahead of the law’s long arm, but they’ve found their loving peace together,and that, for them, is enough.
5Family Feud
With a backbeatthat holds together the holy church of Sunday and the streets all in one, Jay-Z takes the front seat while Beyoncé keeps an eye on him from the passenger as he spills his confession. At first, that vulnerability is about his place in the music game and how he’s gotten where he is, but then things deepen.
Jay admits to his infidelity and how he’d mess up a good thing if you’d let him (which he did through his much-publicized cheating on his marriage to Beyoncé). It seems likehe keeps some of his deepest feelings on the matter buried in the wordplay, though he seems to acknowledge the “Family Feud” and the stresses his actions created.
4Deja Vu
Another cut from Beyoncé’s first post-Destiny’s Child solo effort (2006’sB’Day), “Deja Vu” would come to be an apt titlewhen thinking of the potent power of the Bey/Jay tandem in the studio. Especially when it came to their initial years of working together, the pop of their pairing kept hitting home run after home run.
“Deja Vu” has heatfrom the moment Beyoncé first calls out the song’s instruments to start things up. Jay’s rap verses slap with his slick hometown brand of Brooklyn flow, while Beyoncé thrashes on the vocals, seemingly mesmerized by his presence. Even early on, this tandem had any competition mowed down like target practice.
3Drunk In Love
That heat already evidenced between Beyoncé and Jay-Z in their previous work together emerged with the full force of a roaring storm on the 2014BEYONCÉtrack “Drunk in Love.” The pair certainly hadn’t shied away from rawness in the past, but it was the throbbing, head-nodding slam of “Drunk in Love"that was the most honest about that intensity.
This song wasn’t built for the Puritanical, faint of heart,especially when it came to the idea of sexual intimacy. Despite being married for several years by this point, the rapper and singer weren’t shy about demonstrating that the heat in their relationship was alive and kicking, and that it was far from a family-friendly affair.
2'03 Bonnie & Clyde
Released in 2002 as part of Jay-Z’s seventh studio albumThe Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde” markedthe first collaboration in the rapper’s partnership, relationship, and eventual marriage to Beyoncé. The song (which samples 2Pac’s “Me And My Girlfriend”) echoes a similar theme to 2Pac’s classic track.
Though in that case, while 2Pac was referring to a gun, Jay-Z was actually referring to a woman, placing pre-solo artist Beyoncé in his right hand, ride-or-die role. Both the song and music video show how brilliant this decision was, as their chemistry was so immediatethat it launched romantic rumors that’d soon be confirmed as accurate.
1Crazy In Love
While (as evidenced by this list) there is no lack of great Beyoncé and Jay-Z collaborations over their years working together,“Crazy in Love” remains impossible to beat. Released in 2003 from Beyoncé’s first solo album,Dangerously In Love, the song is something addictively special from the first notes of that hard-popping, brassy beat.
“Crazy In Love” wasn’t directly written with Beyoncé’s forthcoming relationship with Jay-Z in mind, but it hasall the power, passion, and breakneck speed of such a high-profile union. This has always been the space where the couple has been at their best, with the production, vocals, and raps placed with perfect, devilish precision to open the dance floor.
