Celebrity News
10 Things you don’t know about Swizz Beats
- His real name is Kasseem David Dean
- He began his career as a DJ
- At the age of 16, he gained recognition in the hip hop community through his friendship with rapper DMX
- He was helped by Cassidy to launch his recording label, Full Surface Records.
- He is ranked number 27 on About.com ‘s”Top 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Producers
- Hip Hop magazine , The Source placed him on its list of the 20 greatest producers in the magazine’s 20-year history.
- Kanye West called him “the best rap producer of all time.”
- He is married to American R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, with whom he has one child
- He worked for his uncles, Joaquin and Darrin Dean, who were co-CEOs of the Ruff Ryders label.
- In 2011, Swizz Beatz won his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group with American rapper Jay-Z, for the song “On to the Next One”
- Swizz Beatz not only collects paintings but also paints in his free time. He donates the money he earns from his paintings to the Children’s Cancer & Blood Foundation.
- In 2006, he became a partner involved in the popular clothing company Kidrobot, a creator and retailer of limited-edition art toys and clothing
- During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa
- On Twitter in 2010, Swizz Beatz revealed his new sneaker line with Reebok
- Swizz Beatz was named the first “Producer in Residence” at New York University. This lasted from the 2010-2011 academic year.
