Swizz Beatz

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Swizz Beatz bigraphy, stories - American rapper

Swizz Beatz : biography

September 13, 1978 –

Kasseem David Dean (born September 13, 1978),Some sources indicate his name at birth was Kasseem Daoud Dean. better known by his stage name Swizz Beatz, is an American hip hop recording artist, record producer, and composer from New York City. Born and raised in The Bronx, he began his music career as a disc jockey and has since added creative director, fashion designer and painter to his repertoire. At the age of 16, he gained recognition in the hip hop community through his friendship and work with East Coast rapper DMX. He also found a protégé in Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy, who helped Dean launch his label, Full Surface Records.

About.com ranked him #27 on its list of the "Top 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Producers," while The Source placed him on its list of the "20 greatest producers" in the magazine’s 20-year history. Fellow American rapper and music producer Kanye West, has also praised Dean, calling him "the best rap producer of all time." Dean is married to American R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, with whom he has one child. He has also fathered three other children, including one with ex-wife American R&B singer-songwriter Mashonda and another with English singer Jahna Sebastian.

Life and career

1978–1997: Early life

Due to his parents’ separation in his early life, Dean did not see much of his postal worker father. Of Puerto Rican ancestry on his mother’s sideSome sources indicate his mother is Chilean and African-American on his father’s side, he spent much of his childhood raised by his mother in the South Bronx, where he first encountered hip hop. After obtaining the necessary equipment from his stepfather and uncles, he began deejaying as a teenager and enjoyed a modicum of success.

After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia due to his repeated involvement in violent behavior at Harry S. Truman High School, he started to work for his uncles, Joaquin and Darrin Dean, who were co-CEOs of the Ruff Ryders record label. In his early work, he generally chose not to sample, instead using the Korg Trinity and Triton keyboards and seeking to accentuate the performance aspect of his music.

1998–2006: Career beginnings

With his aunt Dee and uncles Chivon and Waah all involved with the Ruff Ryders label, he began to produce tracks at age 16. A year later he sold his first beat to DMX , which became his chart-topping single "Ruff Ryders’ Anthem". In 2001, in a joint venture with Clive Davis, he established his own record label, Full Surface, which became a subsidiary of J Records. The first artist signed was Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy. It was not until Dean’s first compilation album, Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories released in 2002, that Swizz started to get noticed for his production style and interesting ideas and Cassidy began to gain attention for his performance.

The same year, he released two singles "Guilty" and "Bigger Business", both of which charted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs as well as being accompanied by music videos.DisCogs entry. . Discogs. Accessed August 23, 2007. Along with being associated with their own Ruff Ryders and Roc-A-Fella Records, Dean began to expand his scope to include production of artists from more mainstream labels such as Elektra, Atlantic, Epic, and Def Jam and Bad Boy Entertainment. His career largely grew from that point.

2006–2007: One Man Band Man

In February 2007, design duo Heatherette staged their Fall 2007 New York Fashion Week runway show and Dean was asked to mix the music.

On August 21, 2007, Swizz Beatz released his debut studio album, One Man Band Man. The album, preceded by the singles "It’s Me Bitches" and "Money in the Bank", sold 45,000 copies in its first week. Two months later on October 19, he launched a contest called "Share the Studio", presented by Music Video 2.0 and The Source magazine. The contest was intended to be a continuation of the work from his debut album.