Swizz Beatz is On to The Next One: Mogul

“I’m with all the smoke”, uttered Swizz Beatz while addressing Timbaland on Instagram. The two heavyweight producers were having a friendly exchanged, that consisted of a beat battle and trash talk. With a cigar in one hand, and armed with his Mpc, Swizz began to finger drum some unreleased instrumental that was straight fire. This type of competitiveness, passion, and creativity, led Swizz to be widely recognized as one of hip-hop all-time great producers. And just like other hip-hop luminaries, Swizz uses his hustlers ambition to cross over into the business world. Although Swizz might be flying a little under the radar for his business savvy, compared to names like P. Diddy, Jay Z, and Dr. Dre; he has a diverse business portfolio that can measured up with the best.

Swizz has had his fingers on many brands, influencing positive shifts to the companies he’s in business with. In 2011, he became the creative director for Reebok, at a time when you can say there wasn’t much interest, especially in the urban community, for the company. As creative director, he helped design a line of sneakers, revamped the Reebok classic imprint, and developed a creative marketing campaign, that rejuvenated Reebok back into the hip-hop community. Throughout the years, Swizz has also served similar roles within other companies such as, the car company Lotus, DNA Headphones, and a luxury watch brand called Audemars Piguet. However, his most recent venture with Bacardi can potentially put him in the upper echelon of hip-hop moguls.  Not only do he served as the company’s global creative director; a multi-million-dollar deal, that will also earn him shares of Bacardi’s profits; the partnership also creates a platform for his NO Commission Art Show. Swizz has been unapologetically enthralled in the art world, both as a collector, and practitioner. He is looking to turn the art world upside down with his No Commission Art project, which gives artist 100% of their earnings. No Commission, hold events in different cities, across the globe, infusing music to create a unique experience centered around the art. It’s helping to create more enthusiasm, and inspiring a new generation of art buyers. It’s no secret that art collecting is growing as the next wave for the business savvy individuals. You heard Jay Z make art references in his latest projects, and it’s been said that it was Swizz that put Jay on to the art game. As the art world continue to become more mainstream, Swizz and his No Commission project are in firm position to spearhead such a movement.

It will be interesting to see where Swizz go from here in business. Wherever his path will take him, there is no doubt he will succeed. With an estimated net worth of $70 million, he clearly has the Midas touch with everything he puts his hands on. There is a sense that he’s just getting started. Long as he’s still with the smoke, “Sky is not the limit, it’s just a view”!

Credit: DJ Chalant