The New York City natives first met as teenagers when Keys was 14 and Beatz was 16 when they were introduced by a mutual high school friend. “We ended up in the same circles at various awards shows and industry events,” she wrote in her memoir, More Myself. “He’d usually pull up in some fancy car, rolling deep with his Bronx crew and shining with diamonds. I wanted nothing to do with that scene or with Swizz.” But they became interested in each other years later when they worked together on a music project, she says. “The more we talked the more I noticed how his mind worked. Beyond the baggy jeans and arm tats there was depth. He was so aware of what was happening around the world,” Keys writes in the memoir. Their friendship blossomed into a loving relationship before they married in Corsica in 2010.

The couple welcomed their first son Egypt Daoud Dean in 2010 the same year of their wedding, and their second son, Genesis Ali Dean, in 2014. Keys is a stepmother to Beatz’s other children, Kasseem "KJ" Dean, with his ex-wife, Mashonda Tifrere; Prince Nasir Dean, with Nicole Levy; and daughter Nicole with Zhanna Andrianova.

Swizz’s ex-wife Mashonda Tifrere released a book, Blend, in 2018 about co-parenting, which includes a foreword by Keys and contributions by Beatz. Keys writes about how the three were able to work together as co-parents. “It took two years into our blending to make it happen, but when we did it was like turning the light on,” Tifrere told PEOPLE. In October 2016, Keys paid tribute to the family dynamic with Beatz and Tifrere with the song, “Blended Family (What You Do For Love).”

Swizz posted a photo of himself and Keys on Instagram in August 2018 during a trip to Egypt. He wrote these supportive words for Keys: "Attention all MEN. You shouldn’t be jealous or upset if you have a Queen that’s successful, Smarter or better than you! What you should do is thank the most high or step your game up! I can’t stand when I see brothers jealous of the lady they’re with that shit is very weak!!!!!"
 

In a 2013 interview with Wendy Williams, Keys said Beatz’s intelligence is what drew her to him. "I think what happened was, he really got me when I saw how far his mind went," she explained. "He’s really, really intelligent and knows so many interesting things. He knew all this stuff I had no idea about. I think that he loves to live life and he really showed me how to live life in a beautiful way." Check out the video below:

Beatz, who graduated from Harvard Business School's Owner/President Management executive program in 2017, is an art collector, which is also a passion for his wife. In August 2019, the pair opened an arts center in upstate New York, which is influenced by artists whose works they collect, including Kehinde Wiley, Nina Chanel Abney, Arthur Jafa, KAWS, and Deana Lawson, according to ArtNetNews. They also co-chair the Gordon Parks Foundation, which preserves the photographer’s work.
 

The global pandemic taught families a lot about each other, with some surviving the extreme closeness, while others fell apart. Keys and Beatz hung tight and posted some hilarious moments on social media. In April 2020, he posted an Instagram video of himself removing a gel manicure from his wife’s nalls, writing, " Quarantine Day 33 😳 I think everyone will come out of this more handy and crafty 100% 😂😂😂 #Deans FYI I was joking." Check out the hilarious bonding moment below:
 

Keys made headlines in December 2019 at the MTV Video Music Awards when she hit the red carpet with no makeup. While many applauded the move, not everyone supported her makeup-free choice, according to PEOPLE. Beatz rushed to her defense via Instagram in a matter of days, saying, “We gotta really talk about this — you gotta think about this, this is deep. Somebody sitting home mad because somebody didn’t wear makeup on their face…not your face. You can do whatever you want to do. She didn’t tell y’all to wear no makeup. She’s just not vibing with the makeup all the way 100 percent.” Check out the Instagram video below:

To help celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary, the pair took to Instagram with a very special message. In a caption for a picture of her baby bump while pregnant with Genesis on July 31, 2014, she wrote, “Happy anniversary to the love of my life @therealswizz !! And to make it even sweeter, we’ve been blessed with another angel on the way. You make me happier than I have ever known. Here’s to many many more years of the best parts of our life!”

The two famously shared an intimate kiss at the fourth annual Bronx Charter School for the Arts fundraiser. Check out this sweet image below:

Watch the 52nd Annual NAACP awards on BET on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 8/7C