Last Updated on February 28, 2024
Kasseem Daoud Dean, better known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American hip hop artist, record producer, songwriter, and disk jockey.
Dean also pursues other ventures outside the music industry, including working as a fashion designer.
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Kasseem Daoud Dean |
Popular Name: | Swizz Beatz |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | September 13, 1978 |
Age: | 44 years |
Parents: | Terrence Dean and Kim King |
Siblings: | Has a younger half-brother named Andre King |
Birth Place: | New York City, New York, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Mixed (Afro-Jamaican and Puerto Rican) |
Education: | Harry S Truman High School, Stone Mountain High School, and Harvard University |
Marital Status: | Married to singer Alicia Keys (since 2010); was previously married to singer Mashonda Tifrere (from 2004 until their divorce in 2010) |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Wife/Spouse: | Alicia Keys |
Children: | Nasir Dior Dean alias Note Marcato (with a woman named Nichole Levy), Kasseem Dean Jr. (with his ex-wife Tifrere), Nicole Dean (with UK-based singer Jahna Sebastian), and Egypt Daoud Dean and Ali Dean (with his current wife Alicia Keys) |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | USD 160 million |
Source of Wealth: | Album & Record Sales, Record Producing, Songwriting, Disk-jockeying, Fashion Design, and Other Ventures |
Height: | 6′ 2″ (1.85 m) |
Weight: | 83 kg; In pounds: 183 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Kasseem Daoud Dean was born on September 13, 1978, in New York City, New York, United States, to Terrence Dean and Kim King.
Dean attended Harry S Truman High School and Stone Mountain High School. He later graduated from Harvard Business School.
Career Information
Kasseem Daoud Dean began deejaying as a teenager. He gained early recognition at the age of 18 due to his extensive involvement with his family’s record label Ruff Ryders and collaborations with East Coast rapper DMX. Dean later befriended Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy.
Through his friendship with Cassidy, Swizz Beatz was able to launch his label print, Full Surface, in 2001. He signed numerous artists to the label, including Eve, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and Mashonda.
In 2002, a year after founding Full Surface, Beatz released a compilation album titled ‘Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories.’
In 2007, Swizz Beatz released his debut studio album, titled ‘One Man Band Man.’ He followed up with his second album, Poison, in November 2008.
Beatz has also produced music for several artists. Notable mentions include Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Busta Rhymes, T.I., Styles P, DMX, Eve, and Cassidy.
Swizz Beatz’s Net Worth
Swizz Beatz has a net worth of $160 million as at 2023. That’s the combined net worth with his wife, award-winning singer Alicia Keys.
The following are Beatz’s income over the years:
• 2007 – Earned $12 million
• 2008 – Earned $17 million
• 2009 – Earned $8 million
• 2010 – Earned $9 million
• 2011 – Earned $6 million
• 2012 – Earned $7 million
• 2013 – Earned $8 million
• 2014 – Earned $8 million
• 2015 – Earned $4 million
• 2016 – Earned $10 million
• 2017 – Earned $17 million
• 2018 – Earned $15 million
• 2019 – Earned $24 million
Music-related ventures account for the vast majority of Swiss Beatz’s net worth. However, Swiss and his wife Alicia have also raked in millions from other projects, including fashion design and endorsements.
Beatz has been involved with several renowned companies over the years either as a brand endorser or business partner. Examples include the clothing company Kidrobot, shoe manufacturer Reebok, automobile giant Aston Martin, and the headphone maker Monster.
Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys have also invested in multiple real estate properties over the years. In 2013, the couple purchased a humongous mansion in Englewood, New Jersey, from actor and comedian Eddie Murphy for $10.4 million. The mansion has 32 rooms and sits on a 5.4-acre property. In 2015, Beatz and Keys paid another $1.7 million for an adjoining property and then listed the entire estate later that year for $14.9 million. However, they did not get a buyer and re-listed the property in 2016 for $9.9 million. Still, no willing buyer came along. The property would eventually be sold in April 2022 for $6 million, about $5 million less than its purchase value.
However, this is probably the only major failed real estate project that Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys have pursued. Most of the couple’s real estate investments have yielded pretty decent earnings. They have previously owned a New York City apartment, a mansion in Phoenix, Arizona, and a home in La Jolla, California.
Lessons from Swizz Beatz
1. Learn from the best
Swizz Beatz has continually surrounded himself with people who’re better than him, including Cassidy and the late DMX. That networking formula is part of the reason he has succeeded in most of his musical and entrepreneurial projects.
2. Knowledge is power
Beatz was accepted into the Owner/President Management executive program at Harvard Business School. He graduated from Harvard in 2017 and utilized the opportunity to challenge his peers to further their education regardless of their age or achievements.
3. Accolades aren’t necessarily a reliable performance indicator
Swizz Beatz is one of the rappers and record producers with the fewest awards to his name. Interestingly, Beatz swims in millions despite his near-empty trophy cabinet.
Famous Quotes by Swizz Beatz
I don’t even know how to sell a piece of artwork of mine because it’s so personal.
I want to help promote Korean music around the world. Share this Quote Swizz Beatz You know, I never did music for money. I did music to hear myself in the club, and to hear my creation on the radio.
My idea to bridge the world together with music starting in Asia and going to the West is something that is new, untapped and leading to the future of bringing the worlds together.
There’s no wrong way of doing art. It’s an expression of the individual.
You have to invest in yourself and your surroundings.
Wrap Up
Swizz Beatz is an accomplished musician with a net worth of $160 million. That’s the combined fortune with his wife and fellow musician Alicia Keys.