Birth Date:
Birth Place:
Gender:
Nationality:
Professions:
Sep 13, 1978 (45 years old)
The Bronx
Male
United States of America
Record producer , Music executive , Artist , Rapper , Disc jockey , Fashion designer , Composer , Musician , Visual Artist , Music artist
Swizz Beatz, an American hip-hop artist, record producer, and composer, has a net worth of $150 million. This figure is combined with his wife Alicia Keys. They have been married since 2010 and own an impressive property portfolio. Their net worth is almost equally divided.
Swizz Beatz was born Kasseem Dean on September 13, 1978, in the Bronx, New York. His parents divorced early, leading to limited interaction with his father. Raised by his mother in the North East Bronx, Beatz was exposed to hip-hop, which ignited his passion for DJing as a teen. He acquired equipment from his stepfather and uncles, earning local success as a DJ. Despite facing challenges with violent behavior at Harry S. Truman High School, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to work for his uncles, CEOs at Ruff Ryders music label.
At the age of 16, Swizz Beatz began producing tracks. His first sold beat was "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" by DMX, a chart-topping single. Unlike many producers, Beatz opted not to sample; instead, he used Korg and Triton keyboards to create original sounds. By 19, he had produced hits for Jay-Z ("Money, Cash, Hoes") and Noreaga ("Banned from TV"). He produced tracks for the "Ryde or Die Volume 1" compilation and Eve's first album. In 2001, Beatz founded Full Surface Records with Clive Davis, signing Cassidy as the first artist. He also signed and produced albums for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Beatz released his singles, "Guilty" and "Bigger Business," which charted on the "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart. His production expanded to major labels like Atlantic, Epic, Elektra, Def Jam, and Bad Boy Entertainment.
Beatz launched two albums: "Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories" in 2002 and "One Man Band Man" in 2007. Recognized by About.com as the #27 Greatest Hip-Hop Producer and among the 20 greatest producers by "The Source," even Kanye West called Beatz "the best rap producer of all time." Beatz achieved a Grammy Award in 2011 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "On to the Next One" with Jay-Z. He has nominations for "Fancy" with Drake and T.I., and as a songwriter for "Famous" and "Ultralight Beam." Swizz Beatz won the BET Hip Hop Award for Producer of the Year in 2010. In 2018, he announced recording 70 songs for his album, "Poison," featuring 10 tracks.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Beatz is a dedicated art collector and connoisseur, frequently showcasing his home collection on Instagram. Along with Alicia Keys, he co-chairs the Gordon Parks Foundation, which preserves the works of photographer, filmmaker, and musician Gordon Parks. The couple has the largest private holding of Parks' works and manages the Dean Collection, a philanthropic organization and family contemporary art collection. Featured in "Cultured Magazine" during the summer of 2018, they discussed Parks' works, the Dean Collection, and their personal art collection. Beatz enjoys painting, donating proceeds to the Children's Cancer & Blood Foundation.
In 2003, Beatz became a partner with Kidrobot, a clothing company. In 2010, he unveiled his new sneaker line with Reebok via Twitter. He was also involved in the design and launch of the Aston Martin Rapide in 2010, became the official face of Lotus cars in 2011, and returned to Aston Martin in 2013. In 2013, Beatz joined the board of Monster, promoting their GODJ DJ mixing unit and 24k Headphones. Between September 2017 and September 2018, Beatz earned $15 million, largely due to a significant endorsement contract with Bacardi. Currently, he serves as Vice President of Sports Style Marketing, Design, and Brand Music Development for Reebok.
Swizz Beatz dated singer Mashonda Tifrere from 1998 to 2000 and welcomed a son, Nasir Dior, in 2000 with Nichole Levy. He married Mashonda in 2004, and their son, Kasseem Dean Jr., was born in December 2006. Beatz also has a daughter, Nicole (b. 2008), with UK singer Jahna Sebastian from a brief 2007 romance. He learned of Nicole's birth a year later.
Beatz then began dating Alicia Keys. In May 2010, they announced engagement and pregnancy, marrying on July 31, 2010. Their son, Egypt Donald Dean, was born in October 2010, and their second son, Genesis Ali Dean, in December 2014. Remarkably, Egypt was credited as a producer on Kendrick Lamar's 2016 compilation "Untitled Unmastered."
In 2012, Beatz became the Global Ambassador for New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation and was accepted into Harvard Business School in April 2014. Before graduating in October 2017, he shared a video encouraging education and celebrated his graduation in November 2017.
In 2013, Alicia and Swizz purchased a 5.4-acre mansion in Englewood, New Jersey, for $10.4 million from Eddie Murphy, featuring 32 rooms. They paid $1.7 million for an adjacent property in 2015. Initially listed for $14.9 million in 2015 and re-listed for $9.9 million in 2016, they finally sold it for $6 million in April 2022.
They also owned an NYC apartment bought from Lenny Kravitz in 2010 for $12.75 million, sold in 2013 for a slight loss, and a home in Phoenix sold in 2021 for $3.1 million. In September 2019, they purchased a La Jolla, California mansion for $20.8 million, originally listed at $30 million.
On August 9, 2019, Swizz and Alicia announced plans to transform the former Jindal Films center in Macedon, New York, into a "musical paradise," creating a performing arts center and recording studio on the 111-acre property.
