Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles, a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African American, Native American, and French) descent. Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother and to prevent the name from becoming obsolete, since only a few of the Beyincé males carry the name. Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles. She is the elder sister of Solange, a singer-songwriter and actress. During the turmoil of Destiny's Child in 2000, Knowles had admitted in December 2006 that she had experienced depression from an accumulation of struggles: the publicized split of LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, being publicly attacked by the media, critics and blogs for causing the split-up, and a longstanding boyfriend (that she had dated from age 12 to 19 years) leaving her. Since 2002, Knowles has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has collaborated several times. Rumors began to circulate about their relationship after Knowles was featured on "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". In spite of persistent rumors about their relationship, they remained discreet about it. On April 4, 2008, Knowles and Jay-Z were married in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008, but Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City. As one of the most media-exposed black celebrities in the United States, Knowles has often received criticism that some believe is due to racism and sexism. Toure of Rolling Stone stated that since the release of Dangerously in Love, "Beyoncé has become a crossover sex symbol a la Halle Berry ..." Her appearance in Vanity Fair magazine has also provoked speculations that her skin tone was digitally altered. In 2007, Knowles was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the first non-model and non-athlete woman to pose on the issue and the second African American model after Tyra Banks. In the same year, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated". On April 24, 2009, Knowles appeared on Larry King Live, where she gave herself a more political image and talked about everything from singing at President Barack Obama's inauguration, to racism that she has faced being an African-American. She said that Michelle Obama is "so chic," and even stated that singing for the Obamas' first dance was the highlight of her career. Knowles became the first female to be awarded the International Artist Award at the American Music Awards. At the 2008 World Music Awards, Knowles was honored the legend award for Outstanding Contribution To The Arts. Knowles was the lead vocalist of one of the world's best selling female groups of all time Destiny's Child. Her debut album was listed as one of the top 200 Definitive albums in music history by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She was one of a few artist of her generation to be mentioned on that list. Knowles has many different wax figures but her most known figure is at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Mo'Nique hosted the 2003; 2004, and 2007 BET Awards and was apparently inspired by Knowles, deciding to open the 2004 ceremony by performing Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love". The performer repeated this pattern at the 2007 ceremony by performing "Deja Vu". Knowles and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear contemporary women's fashion line, in 2005. The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name Deréon paying tribute to Knowles' grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, who worked as a seamstress. According to Tina Knowles, the overall style of the line best reflects Knowles' taste and style. Launched in 2006, products of House of Deréon received public exhibitions during the group's shows and tours during Destiny Fulfilled. The store, which is available across the United States and Canada, sells sportswear, denim along with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear. They also include footwear, which Knowles teamed up with House of Brands, a local shoe company. In 2004, Knowles and her mother founded their family's company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for House of Deréon. In early 2008, they launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a mobile game with an online social networking component, featuring House of Deréon. The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has criticized Knowles for wearing and using fur in her clothing line. The organization sent letters of protest and confronted the celebrity at a dinner about the issue. Beyonce has yet to respond