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THEY are young, they are attractive and they seem to always be together, sometimes holding hands, sometimes stealing a kiss, always into each other. They are the couples who have captured the attention and the hearts of fans across the country and the world as they more or less live out their romantic lives while the world watches and cheers them on. They are seen together on television, in magazines, attending events in Hollywood and New York.

Several of EBONY's hot couples are in the same profession or have worked together, such as singers Chante Moore and Kenny Lattimore, India.Arie and Musiq, and Usher and Chilli. Mary J. Blige says she's found the love of her life outside the music industry. Rapper Ja Rule is a devoted family man happily married to his childhood sweetheart. Then there are track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who apparently have joined hearts to become, perhaps, the fastest couple in the world.

The 10 Hot Couples that EBONY selected this year are a talented and attractive group who as individuals and as couples have captured the hearts and imaginations of America. It is refreshing to see evidence that affairs of the heart and soul take center stage as these hot couples make time for love.

USHER AND CHILLI

THEY are known by one name, and together Usher and Chilli have been making sweet music on and off stage for some time. One of entertainment's hottest love matches, R&B crooner Usher Raymond IV and Rozonda (Chilli) Thomas from the group TLC met while both were signed to LaFace Records. Seven years his senior, Thomas says she used to pinch Usher's cheeks when she ran into him at the record company a decade ago. Since those innocent days, the two have become almost inseparable--holding hands, embracing, snuggling. It appears that they grew closer following the death of TLC member Lisa (Left Eye) Lopes. Usher says: "I have to be strong for her ... she knows she can lean on my shoulder, and I let her know that I am here." While there is no talk of marriage, they continue to be one of the most talked-about couples in the spotlight.

MARY J. BLIGE AND KENDU ISAACS

FOR a woman who has had her share of pain, Mary J. Blige is proving that she can indeed live a drama-free life. Blige is planning to marry her boyfriend Kendu Isaacs, a man who she calls "her angel." The 32-year-old R&B diva says she is convinced that without each other, they would both be dead.

Although very personable, Isaacs is definitely not the Hollywood-type, and one who some observers might not expect to be Blige's fiance. In fact, he seems more average than not. Average height. Average build. Average looks. "He's smart, and he loves God," Blige says. "That's why I'm with him. I don't care how much money he has. I don't care how good he looks. Ain't no sex that good."

The couple became engaged on Christmas Eve in 2001. It was on that magical day that Isaacs knelt on one knee and proposed to her as he slid a 7 1/2-carat diamond ring onto her finger. "He said, `Will you marry me?' And I said, `Yes.'"

The couple's union has sparked chatter all across the country, and their pending wedding will no doubt be highly emotional--and exclusive. "It will be a very small wedding," she says. "We have to keep it small. A marriage is personal. Everybody knows about me. I don't want to start publicizing my love life. I did it so much when I was going through bad stuff. It's good now, and I'm not trying to mess with it."

BEYONCE & JAY-Z

FUELED by incessant rumors, bad-boy rapper Jay-Z and pop princess Beyonce Knowles are an item. At first look, you would not think this is a match made in heaven. She is the pretty young star from a hardworking middle-class Texas family. He is the older, more streetwise music veteran who is known for his hard-hitting free-style rap lyrics. Yet, for the past year, the Destiny's Child lead and star of Austin Powers: Gold Member has been linked with rapper Jay-Z, whose new album, The Blueprint 2-The Gift and the Curse, is climbing the music chart. Despite their consistent declarations that "we're just friends" rumors have been persistent that the two are much more, that they are a romantic couple making sweet music together on camera and off. Such stories were probably sparked by the fact that Beyonce appears and sings in Jay-Z's popular video 03 Bonnie & Clyde as his love interest and partner in crime. They have been photographed out together on numerous occasions, including at parties and restaurants in the U.S. as well as hanging out together in Europe. Regardless of whether they are friends or more, they are making sweet music together.

KENNY LATTIMORE & CHANTE MOORE

SOME call them the "Ashford & Simpson" of the new millennium. One of the music industry's hottest young husband-and-wife teams, Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore are talented singers, actors, duet partners and lovers. Since their romantic hits from the early '90s, the pair has been synonymous with love and romance. Married New Year's Day in 2002, their debut album together, Things That Lovers Do, is set for a February release and features their renditions of some of classic soul music's hottest love songs and duets. The beautiful couple has taken their love affair onstage and is starring in a new theatrical production with the same title as their new album. Things That Lovers Do is a romantic musical loosely based on the couple's life. However, both singers will soon be humming lullabies at home when their most important collaboration, a new little singer, croons his or her debut in April.

TYRA BANKS AND CHRIS WEBBER

THEY are a good-looking couple, and each one is accomplished, brings in megabucks and is recognized by fans everywhere. But that is only a part of what makes Tyre Banks and Chris Webber a Hot Couple. For the past few years, each has been a favorite of the media and the glare of the spotlights and cameras does not appear to be dimming. An internationally known supermodel, Banks' beautiful image continues to be ubiquitous--on billboards, in catalogs, on magazine covers, on television, in movies, and sashaying down the runway in skimpy lingerie. At the same time, Webber continues to demonstrate why he was signed to a $123 million contract with the NBA's Sacramento Kings. However, distracting from his feats on the court is the fact that he is embroiled in a sports scandal that dates back to his college days. Still, Banks and Webber are a loving twosome who seem to be headed to the altar. Sporting a huge diamond he reportedly gave her in Hawaii, she is a fixture at his games, and he is an avid fan of her work.

INDIA.ARIE AND MUSIQ

SOULFUL singers India.Arie and Musiq have a lot in common. Aside from being two of the hottest singer/songwriters in the music world, with hit sophomore albums riding waves of success on the charts (hers is Voyage to India, his is Juslisen), the two are seen together almost everywhere, but continue to deny any romance between them. And we all know that denials only add fuel to the rumor mill. The couple first drew speculation at last year's Grammy Awards, when India.Arie snuggled up to West Philadelphia native Musiq, who comforted her when she didn't make it to the podium despite seven nominations. India.Arie has said that she doesn't just want a boyfriend, she wants someone she's destinedto be with. But she has said that she and Musiq are "just friends," and she won't confirm anything until there's a ring on her finger. "[Musiq's] one of my best friends, and he's one of my favorite singers...," India.Arie told one interviewer. `I'll never talk about anybody until I'm married."

SALLI RICHARDSON-WHITFIELD & DONDRE T. WHITFIELD

GET your sunglasses ready when viewing this Hollywood couple, because their combined star wattage could easily blind you. Not only are they both drop-dead-fine, but they are heating up both the small and the big screen in a major way. Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield, once named one of EBONY magazine's 15 Most Beautiful Women, has a starring role in the film Biker Boyz and recently appeared in the film Antwone Fisher, directed by Denzel Washington. Her new husband, babyfaced actor Dondre T. Whitfield, has been receiving great reviews in the edgy new NBC comedy, Hidden Hills. The couple enjoys spending time together, golfing, scuba diving and riding motorcycles together. They even work out with the same personal trainer. Whitfield, a three-time Emmy nominee, says his most important role is still to come--daddy, and that he and the beautiful Salli plan to start their family soon. The talented actors married last fall in Los Angeles (see page 66), but because of work have not yet had time for an official honeymoon. But they plan to remedy that as soon as Dondre's show is on spring hiatus.

JA RULE & AISHA MURRAY-ATKINS