You Make Me Better…Most Iconic Black Business-Celebrity Relationships Ever

Visit our Black History Month homepage…

When you look at the Hollywood headlines on a daily basis, the words “break up” and “divorce” are common.

It seems that many Hollywood couples can’t keep the flame burning for a long time. When you think of the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, they couldn’t even keep it burning past 3 months.

But the couples that we profiled below have not only dated, but married, and stayed married for decades on decades, allowing them to build their own empires.

Check out our list of the most iconic black celebrity relationships that have accomplished business success.

Which one of these is your favorite?

Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee

Known as one of the most talented and socially active couples of our time, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are certainly a pair whose union will never be forgotten. Joining together in 1948, each had careers in Hollywood that spanned over 60 years. They were married for 57 years and bore three children. Not only did they pave the way for many black actors, writers, and directors after them by not allowing themselves to be typecasted, they also participated in the civil rights movement, helping to organize the March on Washington in 1965. Ossie Davis was in the early production phases of a film when he passed away in 2005. Knowing her husband was a strong advocate for education, the Ossie Davis Endowment was started to keep his legacy alive.

Ruby Dee is still working and a documentary of  Ossie and her relationship, Life Essentials by Ruby Dee, is set to release later this year. Part of the film was screened at the Schomburg Center for Ruby Dee’s 90th birthday which she celebrated in October of 2012. In the film, Ruby states, “It was the most magical experience in the world to be married to Ossie, and I think he felt the same about me.”

Ashford & Simpson

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were a match made in Motown. They met at a church in New York City in 1969 and got married in the mid 1970s. Not only did they have an interest in each other, they realized they both had a passion for music as well and started writing songs together. They went on to write classics that broke records as some of Motown’s Greatest Hits such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “You’re All I Need to Get By” performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell.

Their hit song they performed together, “Solid,” is still one of Motown’s greatest hits. Some say they were so great at writing songs together because of their relationship. In 2002, Ashford & Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Nick Ashford passed away in 2011 of throat cancer.

“A long time ago I accepted that this would be an all-consuming relationship,” Simpson said in a 1981 interview with The Times. “To keep it going we’ve worked out ways to get along so we don’t drive each other crazy…”

Jay-Z and Beyonce

Declaring their “Bonnie and Clyde-dom” in 2002, it seems Jay-Z and Beyonce have been inseparable ever since.

In 2012, they rose to be the highest paid celebrity couple according to the 2012 Forbes listing for the first time. Their annual income was said to be $78 million combined at the time, even with Beyonce’s time off to have their first child, Blue Ivy.

Coming upon their fourth year of marriage, the couple is growing in both love and business. Beyonce was even said to have taken a page out of her beau’s book for her latest $50 million

deal with Pepsi. You can catch them frequenting Barclays Center at a Nets game or hosting the first couple at a fundraising dinner. Wherever they are spotted, one can trust they will be photoshoot fresh.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are still one of Hollywood’s hottest couples. While maintaining their hip and down-to-earth demeanor, they have flourished in business and entertainment endeavors for themselves as well as their children. With Will’s production company and the couple becoming part owner of the Philadelphia Sixers, last year their combined income was approximately $40 million.

Maintaining one of the most talented households in the world cannot be an easy task, nevertheless, both will and Jada maintain balance. Their advice for keeping a healthy relationship? A marriage business plan.

Will says, “If you don’t have a purpose for your relationship, if you don’t have a place that you’re doing, something that you want to accomplish, something that you want to do, you can really get lost in the murk of the journey. There has to be a vision. Like, why are we together?”

President Barack & Michelle Obama

The first couple has won many American hearts in the family’s first four

years in the White House and we are ready to see them for another four. The Harvard Law School graduates both had flourishing careers before President Obama was elected into office and supported each others successes.

Meeting while working at the Law firm Sidley Austin, Michelle was assigned to be Barack’s summer adviser. Before allowing Barack to take her on a date, he had to meet her family first. They approved and the rest is history.

Throughout the years of their marriage and the now president’s term, Michelle continued her work up until very close to the end of their 2008 campaign, and is one of the most active first ladies to come to the White House. One of only three first lady’s with a Master’s Degree, one should not be surprised if they see her running for president in the future.

Now being called “Icons of Love” by experts, after all have seen their open displays of support, including their infamous fist bumps, and making sure they fit time for vacationing with their family into their busy schedules, President Barack and Michelle will be remembered for their commitment to their roles, families, and certainly each other.