"The [songs] we're playing are the soundtracks to people's lives," Jay-Z said in a statement. "We've poured our hearts out many a night in the studio and look forward to going one step further onstage."

Pre-sale tickets for many of the dates are available today (2/11) at Jay-Z's fan community website, and the general public will have a shot at tickets beginning Saturday (2/16).

The outing will mark Jay-Z's first arena shows since his much-hyped 2004 retirement. Late last year, he mounted a short club tour to support his November release, "American Gangster," his 10th studio effort and 10th No. 1 album.

Blige is backing her ninth studio set, "Growing Pains," which surfaced in December and shot to No. 1 on The Billboard 200, selling more than 800,000 copies its first two weeks out.

Jay-Z and Blige first paired on the 1996 hit single "Can't Knock the Hustle." The stars, who have sold more than 80 million albums and gathered 12 Grammys between them, both had their names on golden statues at last night's (2/10) 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Jay-Z is featured on Rihanna's hit single "Umbrella," which won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Blige's duets with Aretha Franklin ("Never Gonna Break My Faith") and Chaka Khan ("Disrespectful") took honors for Best Gospel Performance and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, respectively.