Beyoncé and Jay-Z seem to be made for one another, regardless of their significant 12-year age gap. While it's unclear when the couple first met, Glamour believes it was anywhere between 1999-2000. This means Beyoncé was just 18 or 19 years old when she crossed paths with an almost 30-year-old Jay-Z. Beyoncé later confirmed with Oprah the two were friends for about a year and a half before they decided to pursue anything romantically.

Glamour reports, in 2001, the duo decided to give it a go and begin dating. Beyoncé was 20, and Jay-Z was 32. Jay-Z recalled Beyoncé was full of "Southern charm" and he knew in order to win her over, he had to put in some effort, per Vanity Fair. He said, "Well, you know, you've got to try first. You got to dazzle ... wine and dine." Jay-Z even confessed to the outlet that he was actively pursuing the singer. Luckily, for the couple, their connection was developing from their friendship.

In fact, it was their chemistry that inspired some of the duo's collaborations including "03 Bonnie & Clyde" and "Crazy In Love." Although it seemed obvious the two were falling for one another, Beyoncé and Jay-Z tried to keep it as private as possible. That was until they made their 2004 red carpet debut at the VMA awards. From that point on, the two continued to stand by each other's side.

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