The hip-hop community loves when its superstars get together to remind us of what it's all about in life: love and family. Sometimes things start out like Lil Durk and Dej Loaf and flourish into Jay-Z and Beyonce. Other times, however, the relationship ends in a bad breakup and thanks to the power and immediacy of today's media, we get to go along for the ride.

Future stepped outside of the rap game to find his former bae Ciara, which in turn sent Twitter collectively tweeting every move they made a few years back when they fast-tracked from dating to a birthday engagement to pregnancy. Unfortunately, things, as they sometimes do in hip-hop relationships, went sour. From custody battles to Twitter rants to the ensuing public fall-out, fans have been looking like Michael Jackson in the theater during the "Thriller" video, slowly munching on popcorn, watching as things get wilder by the day.

It looks like things are coming to a head as Ciara's lawyers have called on the DS2 creator to give a deposition under oath. According to legal documents, they plan on grilling him on his tweets, child support and his past relationship with Ciara -- and it will all be videotaped. XXL thought this would be a good opportunity to take a look back at their relationship to see how things got this bad. So sit back and find out where this Atlanta love train derailed.

  • Dating Rumors Were True

    2013

    After being spotted out for dinner in Beverly Hills, the rumor mill was in full swing that Ciara and Future were an item. On Jan. 24, 2013, Future made it official, saying during an interview, "The chemistry is there. It’s amazing. She makes me happy; I make her smile." They immediately became inseparable, littering each other's social feeds and even musically consummating on the sexy duet "Body Party." All was right in the world.

  • Popping the Question

    2013

    In an on-air interview with Hot 97, Future's love for Ciara was bursting at the seams as the rapper revealed he was ready to take things to the next level: “This it… I don’t get into nothing just to get out [sic].”

    Shortly after the two were engaged. As Ciara exited a private jet in the midst of her 28th birthday bash in New York, her beau met her on the runway and asked the question on one knee with a 15 karat ring in hand.

  • Baby Future Was on the Way

    2014

    Rumors were once again swirling, this time, it was that Ciara was expecting a child with Future. On Jan. 14, 2014, during an episode of The View, Barbara Walters asked her if she wanted to confirm or deny the news, which prompted her to reveal the truth -- and the very sizeable baby bump -- much to the delight of the cast. Future Zahir Wilburn was born four months later.

  • Wedding Planning on Point

    2014

    In her (now ironic) September 2014 interview with Brides Magazine, Ciara hadn't yet revealed which designer she would be wearing as she said "I do," but did mention she would have five or six bridesmaids and two matrons of honor, including La La Anthony. "They’ll all wear the same color, but in different styles to suit their personalities. Meanwhile, Future couldn't keep his happiness contained, dropping the song "I Won." Unfortunately, they started the back-to-school season on a sour note.

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    brides.com
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  • Calling Off the Whole Thing

    2015

    Amidst rumors that Future had been cheating with his wardrobe consultant, Tyrina Lee, the rapper and singer called off their engagement and, well, their relationship. Future suggested cheating had nothing to do with it, claiming he had called off the engagement, but stuck around because he felt embarrassed for her. The "Stick Talk" rhymer says she had already picked out the wedding dress and taken bridal photos. Then the he said-she said talk continued and animosity began to swell. Things only got worse from here. 

  • Russell Wilson Enters the Picture

    2015

    Sometimes it takes heartbreak to help point people in the direction of true love. After the very public and humiliating situation with Future, Ciara took another chance at love with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. They stayed mum for months, but in July 2015, Russell went public, claiming, "The funny thing is, I told somebody that's the girl I want to be with before I even met her." Russell had also suffered heartache, so he related to her situation. Needless to say, Future was not a fan. During his September 2015 XXL cover interview, he referred to Ciara bringing little Future around Russell as her "being evil... basically."

    Jason Merritt, Getty Images
    Jason Merritt, Getty Images
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  • Future Vents About Ciara Publicly

    2016

    After (not so) silently watching the romance blossom between Ciara and Russell and amidst continued frustrations over his substantial child support and lack of visitation with his son, Future began to vent his frustrations on Twitter and in radio interviews. He called Ciara a “controlling bitch," referred to her new relationship as "a publicity stunt," dropped heavy shade on her parenting, and more. "I gotta go through lawyers to see babyfuture...the fuckery for 15k a month.” In an era where tweets are quick to get deleted, the "Move That Dope" rhymer stood by his claims and left them all for the world to see.

  • Getting Hit With $15 Million Lawsuit

    2016

    Rather than engage Future in a back-and-forth, Ciara decided to hit him where it counts -- in his bank account. Her legal team filed a lawsuit for defamation and slander, seeking $15 million in damages. The lawsuit specifically points to numerous examples of in which Future criticized her parenting abilities, and made her private life public. It also pokes inconsistencies in his comments, demonstrating that Future has in fact had numerous visits with his son since December 2014. The Future Hive didn’t see eye to eye with Ciara on this one, causing many to criticize this extreme measure.

  • Ciara Gets Engaged Once Again

    2016

    A month after hitting Future with a lawsuit for $15 Million, Russell popped the question, and Ciara accepted. "She said Yes!!! Since Day 1 I knew you were the one. No Greater feeling... #TrueLove," Russell wrote on Instagram. Just to be a showman, he also gave her a 16 karat ring, one additional -- one extra karat more than Future’s ring. Reports say that Future spent that same night partying with strippers, enjoying the benefits of a single lifestyle.

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    Instagram
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  • Future Claps Back With a Countersuit

    2016

    Future, not one to take his lawsuit lying down, filed a countersuit claiming that he hasn’t damaged Ciara's “reputation," because she hadn't had a particularly significant one in recent memory. He goes on to call her last album a “flop,” and asks that aside from badmouthing him to the press, she should also be responsible for legal fees incurred from her initial lawsuit. Ouch.

  • Court Orders in Effect

    2016

    After hitting the FreeBandz leader with a $15 million lawsuit, now Ciara has ordered him to appear in a Georgia court this month. Future will be required to give a deposition under oath this month regarding his past relationship with the singer. According to legal documents, the rapper will be questioned about his tweets and child support in addition to whatever else her legal team deems necessary. When it comes to hip-hop and depositions (remember when Lil Wayne and Pharrell were under oath), this can and will get ugly.

  • Future Wins a Custody Battle Against Ciara

    2016

    As the court battles waged on, the "Body Party" songstress attempted to defame Future's character and parenting skills in order to have full custody of Baby Future. But a Los Angeles judged didn't buy Ciara's tales and she was wasn't awarded sole custody. In other words, the judge sided with him and didn’t look too favorably upon Ciara’s allegations.

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    TMZ
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  • Future Drops His Suit Against Ciara

    2016

    Soon after CiCi was denied sole custody, the "I'm The Plug" rapper seemed to have a softened heart. Fut dropped his suit against Ciara on June 17, 2016 citing no further reason to proceed. As TMZ reports, because Future's his end goal was to get more time with his son, the joint custody judgement ruled in his favor and prompted him to drop the countersuit.

    Federick Brown, Getty Images
    Federick Brown, Getty Images
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  • Ciara and Russell Marry, Future Hive Reacts

    2016

    Amidst all her legal drama, Ciara jetted off to England to be married in July. The singer and baller surprised their fanbases by posting pics of the wedding and as soon as they did, Future's faithful fans, the #FutureHive went in on the jokes. Some fans tweeted that this new development in her life would mean Future would be dropping fire new music soon.

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  • Ciara Comes at Future With More Accusations

    2016

    In the same month she got married to Russell, the "Goodies" singer accused Future of costing her a  potential half a million dollar endorsement deal by bad-mouthing her on social media and in interviews. Ciara said a cosmetics company wanted to work with her but then ended discussions because of the negative press associated with her ex. In September of 2016, Future asked their judge to throw out this part of the singer’s defamation lawsuit.

    Ethan Miller / Larry Busacca, Getty Images
    Ethan Miller / Larry Busacca, Getty Images
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  • Future Scores Major Court Win Over Ciara

    On Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, a judge ruled that a series of tweets Future fired off at Ciara weren't enough to warrant the $15 million she was suing the "March Madness" rapper. Ultimately, the judge didn't believe Ci-Ci's "evidence" sufficiently proved Hendrix damaged her career, which the Purple Reign rapper claimed barely existed in the first place. Ouch.

  • Ciara Drops Libel Suit Against Future

    On Oct. 20, 2016, TMZ reported that Ciara was dropping her libel case against Future. According to their sources, the Atlanta vocalist stopped pursuing the case because she was making more money at that point than she was when Future first dissed her. Making her decision easier was her realization that she wouldn't be able to prove that Future had actually damaged her case.

  • Ciara Drops Defamation Lawsuit Against Future

    The legal battle between Future and Ciara finally came to an end when Ciara dropped her $15 million defamation lawsuit against the EVOL rapper on January 6. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the case was dismissed with prejudice, which means that she won't be able to refile it. In other words, this saga of Future and Ci-Ci's courtroom battles is probably over.

  • Future Attends Playoff Game Between the Atlata Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks

    On Saturday, Jan. 14, Future attended an NFC playoff matchup between his hometown Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. While the Internet saw Future's attending of the contest as an attempt to troll Ciara's husband Russell Wilson. But was he?

  • Future Insists That He Wasn't Trolling Russell Wilson

    Although the web wanted to believe Future was trolling Russell Wilson when he attended the divisional playoff game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks, sources close to the Atlanta rapper told TMZ that he was only trying to support his hometown team. The celebrity gossip site also reported that Future and Ci-Ci were "cordially" co-parenting their son Future.

  • Future and Ciara Finally Settle Their Child Custody Battle

    On Jan. 18, TMZ reported that Future and Ciara had officially settled their child custody battle over baby Future.  Although their son will spend the majority of the time with his mother Ci-Ci, Future will have "reasonable access" to him when he isn't touring the globe.

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