Swizz Beatz

Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz in 2014
Born
Kasseem Daoud Dean[1]

(1978-09-13) September 13, 1978 (age 46)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Other namesThe Monster[2]
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • disc jockey
  • record producer
  • music executive
Years active1997–present[3]
Works
Title
  • Founder of Full Surface Records and Monster Music Group
  • Co-creator of Verzuz
Board member ofBrooklyn Museum
Monster Cable
Reebok
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2004; div. 2010)​
  • ​
    (m. 2010)​
Children5
AwardsFull list
Musical career
GenresHip hop
Labels

Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean initially embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the age of 18, he gained recognition in the music industry through his family's record label Ruff Ryders Entertainment and his affiliation with its flagship artist, Yonkers-based rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ, and hype man helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile figure in hip hop in the following years.

Dean later found a protégé in Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy, whose success foresaw the launch of Dean's own label imprint, Full Surface Records in 2001. Dean has since signed numerous artists to the label, including Eve, Mashonda and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. As a recording artist himself, he released his compilation album, Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (2002) and debut studio album, One Man Band Man (2007) through the label; the latter peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception. He signed with Epic Records to release his second album, Poison (2018). As a producer, Dean has been credited on releases by prominent music industry artists in hip hop, pop, soul, rock and R&B. With a career spanning over two decades, his works include "Ruff Ryders' Anthem", "Party Up (Up in Here)" (DMX), "Upgrade U", "Check on It", "Ring the Alarm" (Beyoncé), "Bring 'Em Out" (T.I.), "Hotel" (Cassidy), "Touch It" (Busta Rhymes), "Fancy" (Drake), and "Uproar" (Lil Wayne), among others.

Dean has won a Grammy Award from five nominations. He was named the inaugural "Producer in Residence" at New York University in 2010,[4][5] and The Source magazine included him on their 2008 list of the "20 Greatest Producers" of the last 20 years.[6][7] Kanye West has referred to Dean as "the best rap producer of all time".[8] Aside from music, Dean has also been involved in fashion design, art collection, and board directing—he has been a member of trustees at the Brooklyn Museum since 2015, and served as a creative director for the companies Monster Cable and Reebok.[9][10] With his wife Alicia Keys, he jointly won the Producers & Engineers Wing Award by The Recording Academy for "outstanding contributions to music" in 2018,[11] and the couple were featured in their first cover shoot for Cultured Magazine that same year.[12]

  1. ^ "ACE Repertory".
  2. ^ Baker, C. Daniel (February 6, 2013). "Swizz Beatz Joins Monster Headphones as Investor, Board Member". Black Enterprise.
  3. ^ Fred Thomas. "Swizz Beats". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. ^ Tanzer, Myles (November 24, 2010). "Swizz Beatz Named NYU "Producer in Residence"". NYU Local. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  5. ^ "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers". Rap.about.com. September 7, 2012. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  6. ^ Mello Melanin (August 24, 2008). "The Rap Beat Creator: Make Your Own Beats!!!: The Source Magazine Picks 20 Greatest Producers". Createrapbeats.blogspot.com. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  7. ^ "Source Mag Picks Twenty Greatest Producers « NODFACTOR.COM". Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  8. ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (August 14, 2010). "Kanye West Calls Swizz Beatz "The Best Rap Producer Of All Time" who also produced West's new song on The Life of Pablo, "Famous."". Sohh.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  9. ^ Chiaverina, John (October 23, 2015). "Swizz Beatz Is Now On The Board At The Brooklyn Museum". ARTnews.
  10. ^ Munro, Cait (October 23, 2015). "Swizz Beatz Joins Brooklyn Museum Board". News.artnet.com.
  11. ^ "International Music Icons Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz to be Honored by the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing". businesswire.com. November 30, 2017.
  12. ^ "Kasseem Dean and Alicia Keys-Dean Are Changing History One Image at a Time". Cultured Magazine. June 7, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.