10 hottest couples - African Americans - Cover Story

Ebony, Feb, 1993 by Laura B. Randolph

LOVE is in the stars this year and one thing is certain: for the beautiful and the famous, the high and the mighty, 1993 will be remembered as the year of love. In the ionosphere of Black America, no one, it seems, was safe from Cupid's arrow. From Washington to Hollywood, romance replaced power as the most sought-after commodity and intimate contact, not professional contacts, was the thing to have and to hold.

After six years, Stedman popped the question and Oprah said "yes." Eddie announced his wedding date. In January, Halle Berry and Atlanta Braves star David Justice tied the knot and started the new year as husband and wife. And in four of the most-talked-about ceremonies of 1992, Whitney Houston married Bobby Brown; Atlanta Hawks star Dominique Wilkins married the former Nicole Berry; Kenny (Babyface) Edmonds walked down the aisle with the star of his My Kind of Girl video, and Will (The Fresh Prince) Smith wed his real-life princess.

Whew! What a difference a year makes. Not that long ago, pulling an all-nighter meant party hopping 'til sunrise or power-brokering 'til dawn. Now, with the current swell of nuptials and newborns (Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Magic Johnson and Terry Lewis all became proud papas while Vanessa Williams, Anita Baker, Janet Hubert-Whitten and Whitney Houston are all expecting), it's more likely to mean handling the 2 a.m. feeding.

Whether these high profile couples have walked down the aisle, or are simply basking in the glow of incipient romance, one thing is clear: for the beautiful, the famous and the powerful, love is the new drug of choice. And here's a special report on who's loving whom--and how much.