ESSENCE MAGAZINE'S TOP 10 CELEBRITY COUPLES OF 2007

Mary J. Blige & Kendu Isaacs
Her upcoming December release is full of happy songs, which means things between the R&B diva and her record producing husband of 4 years must be going well. When Blige was signed as a spokeswoman for Chevrolet, she took Isaacs and the step-kids along for the ride.



Eddie Murphy & Tracey Edmonds
This hot Hollywood couple hooked up after parting with their long-time spouses. After just 10 months of dating, the Shrek 3 star put a dazzling 8-carat Cartier rock on the TV producer's left hand, proving their rebound love affair was more than a fling.



Usher Raymond & Tameka Foster-Raymond
Tameka, a mother of three, was vilified in the media even before Usher presented her with an 11-carat engagement ring. Usher publicly defended his wife to-be and after a called off wedding in July, they married in August. The couple became the proud parents of a baby boy in November.


T.I. & Tiny
Their on-again, off again relationship has had many ups and downs, including a highly publicized miscarriage and the rapper's October arrest on gun charges. Through it all, the one-time songbird has stood by her allegedly felonious man.




Irv Gotti & Deborah Lorenzo
Gotti's Way, VH1s surprise hit show, introduced the couple to America and was picked up for a second season. Though separated for over a year, the Lorenzos continued attempts to make their unique marriage work proved riveting to millions of viewers.

MORE CELEB COUPLES AFTER THE JUMP!

Jay-Z & Beyonce
The couple is notoriously guarded about their 4-year relationship. Their you-can-ask-but-we-won't-tell stance has only made them more interesting. No matter where the songstress and rapper are-- even on a private yacht in the South of France�photographers and bloggers haunt their every move.


Kimora Lee Simmons & Djimon Hounsou
After parting ways (sort of) with her estranged, much older husband, fashion-mogul Simmons found a man somewhat closer to her own age. Actor/model Hounsou is tall, dark, chiseled and handsome, but he's also a romantic. Multiple pictures of the canoodling twosome have surfaced on the Internet.


Kanye West & Alexis Phifer
Since their sudden engagement in 2006, Phifer, a clothing designer, has been a constant at the rapper's side. The reserved ying to West's outspoken yang, Phifer earned high praises from Kanye's mother and held down her man during the matriarch�s untimely passing.



Janet Jackson & Jermaine Dupri
When the pop-icon�s beau-produced album tanked and Dupri left his lofty executive position at her label over the debacle, their relationship started to make sense to the masses. A ride or die boyfriend, Dupri took a job at a different label in February and then garnered a new deal for his sweetie of 4 years.


Honorable Mention: Kelis & Nas
Fans expected plenty of high profile antics after the eccentric singer and the poetic rapper wedded in 2005. But surprisingly there have been none. Rumors of their pending reality TV show were confirmed in March, but it's yet to be slotted for airtime.