Couples

Jay-Z Finally Speaks About Marriage to Beyoncé

By Stephen M. Silverman

Originally posted Friday August 08, 2008 01:30 PM EDT

Although word first leaked out in April, at the time of the nuptials, that longtime couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé had tied the knot, neither bride nor groom has ever confirmed that simple fact – finally prompting one journalist to confront the hip-hop superstar with the question.

For the September issue of Vibe magazine, interviewer Elliot Wilson presented 15 questions to Jay-Z – with No. 15 being, after Jay-Z had referred to Beyoncé as a "friend": "You said your 'friend,' but this is your wife. Are you still not willing to confirm?"

"That's ridiculous for me to confirm," replies Jay-Z. "I don't have ... I'm gonna say, I think that was a ridiculous question. I just think it's really a part of your life that you gotta keep to yourself."

Continuing the riff, Jay-Z says, "You have to, or you'll go insane in this type of business. You have to have something that's sacred to you and the people around you.

"I shared so much of my life, my childhood, and my family, the death of my nephew with the world. I should have something to hold on to. You need something for your sanity … to say, Okay, I could chill out, and this is it.

What Jay-Z does own up to is being part of a stable, committed relationship – which he considers "part of maturing, right? You have the right people around you, and if that person around you is your friend, then you just wanna carry it like that. You get to a point when you could let people into your circle, and that's it."