# Do you know who Beyoncé is married to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2013, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671 "2013-05-18T12:11:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/201 "2013-05-21T23:53:08Z")
Don’t know, don’t really care either. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/202 "2013-05-22T00:29:01Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Again, wait. I _know_ this one. “Hard Knock Life” was a song in _Annie_, sung by the orphanage kids. Did it get covered by a rapper? Good heavens, _why_? [Yes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxtn6-XQupM), well, I think it’s techically sampling but it does include some talentless girl shrilling through the chorus of the Annie song. Why? To torture us. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/203 "2013-05-22T00:47:10Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Hey, I’m rich, white, and perhaps elitist. But I’m equally uninterested in rich white artists as much as rich nonwhite artists. I don’t think I’ve elevated anything over anyone else. I don’t care that other people care. My point was not that people of your ilk are particularly uninterested in non-White artists, but rather that you don’t feel obligated to participate in society because of many of the reasons I mentioned above. > [@Procrustus](#): > > Hell, members of my own family, who I love without reservation, care more about these things than I do. I don’t find that my “willful ignorance” of music other people enjoy makes my lilfe any less rich and interesting. Let me clear, I am not talking about trivia like who is married to whom. I am talking about have no idea who two (or three if you include Prince) of the more popular and influential musicians of the last 25 years are. Particularly when they both have put out albums recently, are constantly in the news, hang out with the current president of the US, and are utilized by some of the world’s biggest companies for advertisements. To me that is not just ignorance by happenstance; it’s actively deciding that certain things and people are not worth knowing about or researching despite the fact that said things are influencing the world around you with your without your appreciation and/or understanding. > [@Procrustus](#): > > What is it I’m going to get out of learning more about Jay Z or his wife? Aside from maybe hearing some music you may enjoy, you get to better understand our culture, the world, and your fellow man. Like it or not, both Beyonce and Jay-Z, shape the world we live in, and the culture we have to a relatively large extent. There is a generation of people whose dress, musical taste, etc. were shaped in large part due to the two of them. Like I said, time and circumstances don’t always allow for everyone to have a deep interest in every popular person or fad. However, I do expect people who can to care enough about what motivates, moves, excites, entertains, and influences their fellow man to feel somewhat obligated to brush up on trends and important people. Especially since actively not doing so is a privilege most people don’t have, and because doing so requires less time and effort than ever. > [@Procrustus](#): > > I don’t want to sound rich, white and entitled, but I doubt any more edification about their lives or profession will really make an impact on me. Nor would my life be much different if I had never heard of the Beatles. Maybe, but you have to wonder how different the choices you would have had to make in order to have “accidentally” avoided knowing anything about The Beatles in decades past. > [@Procrustus](#): > > Shameful? That hurts. Well, I think it is kinda shameful that as Americans in this day and age, we have access to near instant access to information that gives us the ability to understand, communicate, and empathize with one another in ways we never would have before, yet we spend more and more time happily walling ourselves off from anything we might find unpalatable. That kind of outlook has demonstrable consequences that are largely deleterious IMO. Yes, the world will not crumble because some guy doesn’t know who Jay-Z is, but it might when a critical mass of individuals are completely oblivious to the things others around them care about. When there is no expectation of basic cultural literacy, society suffers. > [@Irishman](#): > > So how much time and effort to you put into paying attention to things you don’t enjoy? Country music, hockey, fishing, car mechanics and souping them up, modern art, wine tasting, microbrewing beer, professional poker players, the Real Housewives of wherever, _Mad Men_, Big Band music, _Robot Combat League_? Surely there’s something on that list that you don’t pay attention to and only have the vaguest idea of what is it, but don’t care enough to find out more about it to see why someone else enjoys it? I know a good amount about most of those things; particularly those that have had the impact of a musician like Jay-Z. That said, I don’t claim to be an expect on those things, or that you couldn’t compile some list of things that would not be on my radar. But I would bet that they are not nearly as visible as either Jay-Z or Beyonce, and that if they were, I would not feel my ignorance was some source of pride. > [@Irishman](#): > > Why? They’re just celebrities. I know enough about rap to know I don’t like most of it. What makes it important I learn about Jay-Z, that I know what songs he’s performed, know what he does with his life? Because these people impact the world around you. Not only by influencing trends, but also changing the perspectives people have. I am not saying you need to memorize his lyrics or even buy his album, but knowing who he is is part of recognizing the people who affect real and lasting change in this country. Society function and evolves in large part on people having a common basis of understanding. Even if we all have different tastes and hobbies, I expect others to make and effort to understand what makes America what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/204 "2013-05-22T00:59:24Z")
Didn’t know she was married, much less to whom. I also only had the shakiest idea whom Beyoncé is; “some singer I think” summed up my knowledge of her. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/205 "2013-05-22T01:33:23Z")
I barely know who Beyoncé is, let alone her spouse. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/206 "2013-05-22T02:38:23Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > My point was not that people of your ilk are particularly uninterested in non-White artists, but rather that you don’t feel obligated to participate in society because of many of the reasons I mentioned above. Lighten up, Francis. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/207 "2013-05-22T10:27:00Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > [Yes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxtn6-XQupM), well, I think it’s techically sampling but it does include some talentless girl shrilling through the chorus of the Annie song. Why? To torture us. Frankly I preferred the girl chorus to Jay-Z’s arhythmical ramblings in that song. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/208 "2013-05-22T12:18:35Z")
I can’t stand the music of either but I did know they were married. Because I live in this world and I try to pay attention to it. Not really that hard since they are right there on the homepage of the top websites so often. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/209 "2013-05-22T12:28:22Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I can’t stand the music of either but I did know they were married. Because I live in this world and I try to pay attention to it. Not really that hard since they are right there on the homepage of the top websites so often. Hate to quote myself but I decided to test it. First page I try, yahoo. Right on the front page there is a link to an article. “Beyonce shares an adorable photo of Blue Ivy. There have been reports that Beyonce and Jay-Z are expecting another child-and another that says they are not but one thing is clear…,” That’s without clicking on anything. It’s kind of like your parents (grandparents whatever) sticking their nose in the air and saying “Beatles? Never heard of em.” ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/210 "2013-05-22T14:00:39Z")
Well, back in a smaller world, my grandmother astonished me one day when visiting, pointing to Brian Jones in a newspaper picture of the Rolling Stones I had taped on my door, and taking him to task for knocking up some girl! It had been in the paper, she read it, she knew who these Rolling Stones were. I think a whole lot of people knew who each individual Beatle was, that they were from Liverpool in England, and the oldest, John Lennon, was the married one. It was a smaller world, and the Beatles took up a lot of it. Newspaper articles, magazines, teen fan magazines, the huge important appearance on Ed Sullivan (everybody watched that!). Now the world is larger, there is the internet, twitter, hundreds of TV channels, and I dunno what else, but there are also groups and sub-groups and sub-sub groups, cult groups, all attracting different audiences. There is no one big phenomenon like The Beatles, that just about everyone knew something about. Someone who likes country hat acts is a fervent fan of country hat acts, and is surprised that society at large doesn’t recognize or know much about Garth Brooks or whatever. Someone who likes rap or hip-hop is dumbfounded when society at large doesn’t recognize or know much about rappers or hip-hoppers. “But Jay-Z made a billion dollars in his career! He’s married to Beyonce who made millions in her career.” OK, that’s nice, so? Why should an older lady stuck in the music of the 80’s know or care? Other than seeing them on TV once in a while or mentioned on the cover of a tabloid, Jay-Z and Beyonce just don’t mean that much. It’s like knowing there are rich women in NYC who wear jeans that cost $1,000, chenille sweaters identical to Target sweaters except they’re knitted from silk yarn and cost $800, and carry $25,000 pocketbooks. You know they are out there. You leaf through Star and People and fashion magazines. But unless you are a huge fan of fashion…just doesn’t mean that much. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/211 "2013-05-22T14:30:12Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Well, back in a smaller world, my grandmother astonished me one day when visiting, pointing to Brian Jones in a newspaper picture of the Rolling Stones I had taped on my door, and taking him to task for knocking up some girl! It had been in the paper, she read it, she knew who these Rolling Stones were. I think a whole lot of people knew who each individual Beatle was, that they were from Liverpool in England, and the oldest, John Lennon, was the married one. It was a smaller world, and the Beatles took up a lot of it. Newspaper articles, magazines, teen fan magazines, the huge important appearance on Ed Sullivan (everybody watched that!). > > Now the world is larger, there is the internet, twitter, hundreds of TV channels, and I dunno what else, but there are also groups and sub-groups and sub-sub groups, cult groups, all attracting different audiences. There is no one big phenomenon like The Beatles, that just about everyone knew something about. Someone who likes country hat acts is a fervent fan of country hat acts, and is surprised that society at large doesn’t recognize or know much about Garth Brooks or whatever. Someone who likes rap or hip-hop is dumbfounded when society at large doesn’t recognize or know much about rappers or hip-hoppers. “But Jay-Z made a billion dollars in his career! He’s married to Beyonce who made millions in her career.” OK, that’s nice, so? Why should an older lady stuck in the music of the 80’s know or care? Other than seeing them on TV once in a while or mentioned on the cover of a tabloid, Jay-Z and Beyonce just don’t mean that much. > > It’s like knowing there are rich women in NYC who wear jeans that cost $1,000, chenille sweaters identical to Target sweaters except they’re knitted from silk yarn and cost $800, and carry $25,000 pocketbooks. You know they are out there. You leaf through Star and People and fashion magazines. But unless you are a huge fan of fashion…just doesn’t mean that much. For the most part I agree. And for almost anyone else in the music business it would apply. But Jay-Z is on a different level. Ever hear of Elvis Presley? Jay-Z beat Elvis for the most #1 albums of all time for a solo artist. He is second behind the Beatles for most #1s of any group or artist. And now he’s married to one of the biggest superstars on the planet. There is a front page story about them on every major website just about everyday. Its part of the current culture in America. As someone else said their influence is helping to shape the world around you. These are people who take a trip to Cuba and the White House has to answer questions about it. There is nothing wrong with being willfully ignorant of current American culture. But its not something to take pride in either. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/212 "2013-05-22T15:15:56Z")
See, I did not know that! I’ve never heard, to my knowledge, one of his songs. I’m just out of his demographic! I know his name, I know Beyonce’s name, and … that’s it. Not being willingly ignorant or taking pride in ignorance (I HATE that, it’s so so maddening in other people. I take an interest in other things outside my tiny world, why don’t they??) If I am at the dentist office and read all about them in People magazine, then I will know. If I’m reading gossip sites online, I will skim an article about them, maybe, but…that’s it. I’m ahead of the game, no one I hang with (over the age of 25) knows anything about either of them, except that pretty Beyonce was on the superbowl halftime show in a skimpy outfit. Mention Jay Z’s surpassing Elvis, and the conversation immediately turns to a heated discussion about the best Elvis song. That trip of theirs to Cuba attracted some attention, though. Even the dullards I know are aware of Cuba and why Americans don’t travel there, and who is that rich famous couple who did so? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/213 "2013-05-22T15:28:46Z")
Sure, Jay-Z. If you turn on the TV or browse the Internet more than a little you will find that out pretty easily. The last thing I remember hearing about them is they attended a rock/alternative music festival which I think is pretty cool. I’m not a rap fan since the “white kids liking Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre” craze of the 1990s, but some of Jay-Zs stuff is listenable to me. He did an album with Linkin Park which is good, and DJ Danger Mouse did a cool mash-up of Jay-Zs Black Album and The Beatles White Album. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/214 "2013-05-22T15:29:12Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Jay-Z beat Elvis for the most #1 albums of all time for a solo artist. He is second behind the Beatles for most #1s of any group or artist. :eek::eek::eek: 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/215 "2013-05-22T15:33:55Z")
It makes me wonder what parts of the internet you haven’t been visiting that you didn’t know that. It also makes me a tad envious. I wonder if there is some kind of Beyonce-screening app that would keep Beyonce news out of my internet. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/216 "2013-05-22T15:43:12Z")
> [@11811](#): > > It makes me wonder what parts of the internet you haven’t been visiting that you didn’t know that. > > It also makes me a tad envious. I wonder if there is some kind of Beyonce-screening app that would keep Beyonce news out of my internet. I would have liked to have kept her out of my Superbowl too but no such luck. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/217 "2013-05-22T16:18:43Z")
I think all those no. 1’s have more to do with the dearth of competition. Being no. 1 in America in the 2000’s is like being no. 1 in Finland in the 1960’s. It’s nice, but it doesn’t mean much. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/218 "2013-05-22T16:21:18Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That might be true if they watched TV news, where which what stories you are exposed to is determined by the media. The _New York Times_ and “Morning Edition” are not TV news. I am pretty sure Beyonce’s name has popped up more than a few times in other non-television news sources as well. > [@](#): > > But if they didn’t know who Beyonce was before, there is no reason they would necessarily read or click on a story with the headline “Controversy over Beyonce’s Trip to Cuba.” That doesn’t mean they’re not well informed about current US news. If they habitually ignore any news story that involves a person with an unfamiliar name then that _does_ mean they’re not well-informed about current US news. Someone who already knows that Beyonce is a famous pop singer may conclude that her trip to Cuba is unlikely to have a major impact on US-Cuba relations and skip the story, but someone who’d truly never heard of Beyonce\* would have no way of knowing how important this mysterious Mr. or Ms. Beyonce’s trip to Cuba might be without reading the story, or at least Googling “Beyonce”. \*If I didn’t know who Beyonce was, I’d assume that the name was a (French?) last name. I just checked Wikipedia, and it turns out Beyonce was given her Louisiana Creole mother’s maiden name as her first name. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/219 "2013-05-22T16:31:54Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > For the most part I agree. And for almost anyone else in the music business it would apply. But Jay-Z is on a different level. Ever hear of Elvis Presley? Jay-Z beat Elvis for the most #1 albums of all time for a solo artist. He is second behind the Beatles for most #1s of any group or artist. And now he’s married to one of the biggest superstars on the planet. There is a front page story about them on every major website just about everyday. Its part of the current culture in America. As someone else said their influence is helping to shape the world around you. These are people who take a trip to Cuba and the White House has to answer questions about it. > > There is nothing wrong with being willfully ignorant of current American culture. But its not something to take pride in either. But see, again, what did I miss out on by not knowing any of that? Seriously, I hadn’t known of any of it until I opened this thread. I doubt any of my band members or most of my co-workers know it now. Going to Cuba is a publicity stunt. Album sales aren’t what they once were in importance, and haven’t been for a long time. There’s more people to sell albums to, and besides, the numbers are easily manipulated. Even if they weren’t, Pink Floyd had an album on the Hot 100 for 20 years; and I have no idea who any of them were ever married to or even if they were ever married, ever had sex, or just thought about England for the fun of it. I still know how to play several of their songs. And since I browsed the top 100 albums to verify Jay-Z didn’t have an album on there currently, I now know that Journey’s greatest hits are on there again. My faith in humanity is now drinking beer with me. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671/220 "2013-05-22T16:37:51Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > The _New York Times_ and “Morning Edition” are not TV news. I am pretty sure Beyonce’s name has popped up more than a few times in other non-television news sources as well. > > If they habitually ignore any news story that involves a person with an unfamiliar name then that _does_ mean they’re not well-informed about current US news. We disagree about what “well-informed” means. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-beyonce-is-married-to/658671.md?page=12)