10 Hottest Couples - African-American celebrity couples

Ebony, Feb, 2001 by Joy Bennett Kinnon

Recording star Ginuwine and rap star Sole tried to keep their passionate relationship on the DL for some time, but everything is center stage now. The hot duo has several projects together in 2001, including new albums, a new baby due in March and a huge new home, now under construction. They were introduced in 1999, did a video for his "None of UR Friends' Business" single and by summer of 2000 were engaged. Wedding plans are progressing for the self-proclaimed "bachelor" and his beautiful bride.

FOOTBALL legends and pop singers, actresses and boxers--and don't forget rap's royalty--all head an eclectic list of EBONY 2001 hottest couples. On the hottest couples list are four newlywed couples: NFL star Emmitt Smith and actress Patricia Southall Lawrence; pro boxer Laila Ali and former champion boxer Johnny McClain; singer Shanice Wilson and actor-comedian-dancer Flex Alexander; and Barry Sanders, former Detroit Lions running back, and Detroit news anchor Lauren Campbell. Four engaged couples are perched at the pool of matrimony and most have announced plans to wed this year, if they haven't already eloped by press time. They are actress Halle Berry and her fiance, singer Eric Benet; actress Nia Long and her flank, Massai Dorsey; R&B star Ginuwine and rapper Sole, Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman and his fiancee, film producer Sharhonda Jones.

New on the list this year are music chart-toppers Toni Braxton and her man Keri Lewis from Mint Condition, and rap's reigning diva, Eve, and her man, producer Stevie J.

These top couples prove that African-American couples in 2001 are successfully combining romance and finance, taking care of business on screen and off, on stage and off, and on the field. With sizzling business partnerships and scorching hot stage success, a new generation of couples are emerging to keep Black love real in the new millennium.

Singer Toni Braxton and Keri Lewis of the group Mint Condition have been making music together on stage since 1997 when his band backed her on tour. The couple, both involved in other relationships then, started out as just friends. Today, that friendship has blossomed into marriage talk. But for now the musical pair have tours to do, music to make and films to complete. What is clear is that Lewis, the man who stood by her through her legal and bankruptcy trials and who gave her a platinum credit carol has the Midas touch for Braxton's heart.

When actress Halle Berry and singer Eric Benet graced the hot couple's list, their romance was still rumored. Formally engaged since last summer, the pair have been keeping their intended wedding date a closely guarded secret. But what is not a secret is their devotion to each other. His passionate musical tribute to her last year was his most memorable Valentine's Day. "Halle was receiving the Entertainer of the Year Award from the NAACP," he says. "I was asked to perform a musical tribute to her. I decided to perform `Spend My Life With You.' As an extra surprise, I arranged to have three of my sisters and my brother sing background. It was a Valentine's Day that we will both remember for a very long time."

The first lady of Ruff Ryders, the "It Girl" in the world of rap, Eve, and her love, Stevie J., a sought-after music producer (Puffy, Mariah, Aretha Franklin) who debuts his first CD this spring on Loud Records, have been seen in all of the fashionable late-night spots. Reportedly this sexy hip-hop couple has matching tattoos: his says "Sleazy"; hers, "Sleazy's Girl." What's clear is this hip-hop couple have a special connection all their own.

When former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders and Detroit news anchor Lauren Campbell met more than six years ago, she had no idea who he was, she says. She was visiting with her good friend, former Miss USA Kenya Moore, when one of his agents introduced them in the parking lot of a Detroit restaurant. Five months later--("He's very cautious; he thinks before he makes a move, "she adds)--he called and the pair had their first date at a seafood restaurant for dinner and have returned every year since to mark the occasion. When Sanders and Campbell married last fall in an intimate private wedding, Moore was one of the attendants.

Dallas Cowboys star Emmitt Smith and actress Patricia Southall Lawrence were engaged for nearly a year before their fairy-tale wedding last May. In fact, Smith popped the question to his lovely bride, a ' former Miss Virginia and Miss USA contestant, during his 30th birthday party in 1999. "On our wedding day Emmitt and I did not feel as if it was our day," the bride says. "The most important thing was for our union to be blessed by God and to have His presence felt. Having God as the center of our lives and the foundation for our marriage is critical to both of us. We were so happy on our wedding day to share our love with family and friends."

Actress Nia Long and fiance Massai Dorsey have been busy in 2000 attending premieres for Long's many hit movies. The pair also announced the birth of their first child, a 7-pound, 10-ounce boy named Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, who was born on Nov. 26 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Long starred in the hit comedy Big Momma's House with Martin Lawrence. Her agents say she is considering future projects while on maternity leave.