Nas And Kelis' Love Life: A Timeline

For quite some time, hip-hop icon-couple Kelis and Nas stood as an outstanding example of a pop romance that could last. He even got a tattoo of her body on his forearm—that proves long-term commitment, right? Well, when the bombshell divorce announcement came down the pipeline, it wasn't long before the two lovebirds turned into vultures. The 'Milkshake' singer's divorce from her controversial rapper hubby has quickly taken a nasty turn, leading Latina.com to dub it the "hip-hop divorce of the century." Here's a timeline of how these rappers' relationship unraveled: Read: What Truly Keeps A Marriage Together?

August 29, 2002: Kelis and Nas meet at a MTV Music Awards afterparty hosted by Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Kelis recalled their meeting to VIBE: "Everyone moves out of the way, and Nas stands up, and I put my hand out, and I'm like, Hey, I'm Kelis. And he goes, 'Who?'… So I'm crawling into a f**king hole, and he's like, 'Wait-huh? What's your name? And I'm like, Kelis, and he's like, 'Oh, well that's great, because I've been waiting to make you my wife all these years.'" Read: Are You Seduced By Inner Game?

2003: Nas appears on Kelis' single, "In Public," off her hit album "Tasty."  

January 2005:
On January 8, Nas and Kelis were married at Morningside Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia in front of 175 guests. Kelis' green silk and chiffon wedding dress made the rounds in style gossip columns for its untraditional color and bold statement.

2006: Kelis lends her vocals to Nas' 2006 single, "Not Going Back."

2008: Rumors of Nas' infidelity crop up and a sex tape rumor dogs Kelis. However, the press doesn't seem to latch on as the couple leads a low-profile life.

February 2009: Kelis announces that she's pregnant with the couple's first child, a son. Read: Pregnancy Makes Women Smarter

March 2009: A sex tape featuring Kelis and a rapper named Infrared hits the Internet. Kelis swears that filming happened pre-Nas, but apparently Nas felt humiliated regardless. Rumors of an imminent breakup are at all-time high. 

April 30, 2009: A spokesperson for Kelis confirms that she has filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Gossip blogs speculate that the sex tape scandal fueled the separation. Read: Sex Tape Leads To Kelis and Nas Divorce

May 2009: Kelis holds a celebratory dinner with some girlfriends during which she reportedly toasts to her divorce, saying: "Here's to taking that motherf**ker for everything he has!"

June 2009: Kelis files legal papers stating that Nas is neglecting spousal support, child support and pregnancy-related medical expenses. She also requests $3,500 for a nanny and $20,000 for baby items. According to PopEater.com, her statement read, "My survival is based on [Nas'] will at this time. If he does not want to pay for an expense, it does not get paid."Read: Divorce Laws, Demystified

July 14, 2009: Kelis, in her divorce petition, is demanding more than $10,000 in child and spousal support in order to maintain the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed. She claims that Nas is playing miser with $11 million from a recent record deal with Def Jam, whereas the Queensbridge rapper retorts that he is raking in less than half of that, and most of it is needed to maintain his own rock star lifestyle (including a reported $10,000 on toiletries every month).

July 15, 2009: Nas fires back at Kelis' accusations by saying he's already paid for a stroller, a baby sling and two cribs. He also says Kelis is more well off than she makes out to be. The financial dispute is scheduled to be settled in court on July 21.

 Photo courtesy Bauer-Griffin.