The news of R&B songstress Kelis Rogers filing for divorce from her husband, rapper Nasir “Nas” Jones, of four years was a shock to us all. The two jumped the broom during a 2005 winter wedding in Atlanta and were a refreshing addition to list of Black celeb couples that made us smile. We take a look back at their journey as a couple and examine other failed marriages of entertainers we love.
Here, Nas and Kelis (who is now seven months pregnant) party it up in 2007 at a Las Vegas nightclub.
Kelis and Nas prepare to welcome a new addition to their family, as they shop for nursery furniture at Pottery Barn Kids in Hollywood. The couple was reportedly expecting a son, and Nas even joked to MTV that he and Kelis were having problems choosing names for the bambino and were considering enlisting the help of fans.
The two look like teenagers as they cheese for the camera during a birthday party for Kelis during happier times.
Nas and Kelis perform onstage during a New York City concert in October 2008. Kelis, who is known for being a fashion trendsetter, told ESSENCE in 2006, “I wish people would see the different sides of me. Women are never just one thing.”
Nas and Kelis celebrate his album “Hip Hop is Dead” at a Black & White Ball in 2006. Nas’s debut album “Illmatic” was released in 1994 and is still regarded as a hip-hop classic.
Here, the couple performs together during an ESPN All-Star party in Las Vegas back in 2007. Nas released a single titled “Getting Married” which touched on his then upcoming marriage to Kelis. The chorus of the track revealed how their relationship helped his personal growth.
“Say hello to the man, goodbye to the gigolo
It was difficult for me to find a chick I want”
Decked out in their Sunday Best, Nas and Kelis work a Las Vegas red carpet in 2007. The couple was scheduled to appear together on a MTV reality show called “Me & Mrs. Jones” in 2007 but the program never aired.
In more pleasant times, the couple celebrate Nas’s birthday in 2007 with a lavish affair at The Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Queens-bred Nas and Harlem native Kelis complemented each other (as usual) during the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
Here, the fly couple steps out on the red carpet at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards with Destiny, Nas’s daughter from a previous relationship. Destiny’s mother, Carmen Bryan, released a tell-all book, “It’s No Secret: From Nas to Jay-Z, from Seduction to Scandal” (MTV) in 2007.
Keep clicking for more celeb couples who’ve called it quits.
Kimora Lee Simmons hosts a “50 & Fabulous” surprise birthday party for ex-husband Russell Simmons in New York City in 2007. The business savvy couple married in 1998 and were officially divorced in January 2009. They have two daughters together, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee.
Vocal powerhouse Whitney Houston and boy band standout Bobby Brown wed in 1992 after a three-year courtship. After a whirlwind marriage, the duo finally divorced in 2007. The Grammy winners have one daughter together, Bobbi Kristina.
Here, Whitney and Bobby attend BET’s 25th Anniversary show taping in 2005.
Music mogul L.A. Reid and R&B singer and one-time TLC manager Pebbles were married from 1989 to 1996. Aaron, the couple’s teenage son, has appeared on an episode of MTV’s “My Sweet 16” and is looking to follow in his father’s businessman footsteps.
The wedding of Star Jones and Al Reynolds in 2004 was a true public affair, with many items being donated in hopes of a plug by the television personality. The dream wedding didn’t equal a heavenly marriage and the two parted ways in 2008 after three and half years.
High school sweethearts Solange Knowles and Daniel Smith quickly tied the knot in 2004, shortly before the birth of their son. The singer confirmed to ESSENCE.com in 2007 that they had parted ways, and continue to share parenting duties.
Tracey Edmonds and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds built a family and entertainment enterprise together during their 13-year marriage. In 2006 the two ended the marriage, but continue to be friends while raising their two sons.
Vivica A. Fox divorced her husband Christopher “Sixx-Nine” Harvest after four years in 2002. The actress is now enjoying life dating younger men and is the host of the new reality show “The Cougar.”
Michael Jordan and former wife Juanita attend the 2000 Essence Awards in style. Their divorce in 2006 after 17 years made entertainment history as she walked away with approximately $150 million.
Hip-hop got a new king and first lady when Biggie Smalls and Faith Evans hit the scene. But just as quickly has the two married, the relationship dissolved in 1996. The two were working on a possible reunion when he was killed in March of 1997.
Janet Jackson and James Debarge secretly married and joined their two famous families when she was 18 in 1984. The next year Janet left James, and since their short marriage unfounded rumors have continued to circulate that the two had a secret lovechild.
Halle Berry and Eric Benet exchanged e-mails for a year before officially becoming a couple and married three years later. The two soon found bumps on the road to happily ever after and parted ways less than two years later. The two have both found love again.
The fairy tale of former Turks and Caicos Prime Minister Michael Misick and actress LisaRaye McCoy came to screeching halt in the summer of 2008. After two years of marriage, the country’s new first lady was heading back to America with bite marks allegedly from her husband.
After four years of marriage, singer T-Boz and rapper Mack 10 called it quits in 2004. Things got ugly as T-Boz requested a restraining order, saying her estranged husband had threatened to kill her. The two both spend time with their daughter, Chase, 8.
Terry McMillan was so inspired by her marriage to Jonathan Plummer, she wrote the hit book turned movie “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” Their 23-year age difference didn’t stop the romance, but his relationships with other men did. The two divorced in 2005, ten years after the top-selling author met him while vacationing in Jamaica.
Chante Moore and Kadeem Hardison ended their seven-year relationship in 2000. The two secretly married in 1997 and now share joint-custody of their daughter Sophia, 12. Moore is now married to fellow singer Kenny Lattimore.
Are you surprised at the pending divorce of Kelis and Nas? Why or why not?
