The Truth About Alicia Keys' Music Producer Husband
Alicia Keys has had plenty of success over the last two decades. We know the R&B star for songs like "Fallin," "No One," and "Girl on Fire," as well as her feature on Jay-Z's smash hit "Empire State of Mind," and for her philanthropy too.
What you might not know, however, is that she's been married since 2010 and has two children with her husband, Swizz Beatz. They've kept their private life out of the spotlight for the most part, but are often pictured together at events, and they speak about each other on social media too. He's a successful music producer, working with some of the biggest names in music, and you might recognize some of the tracks he's worked on in between raising his family alongside his wife.
So, just who is Alicia Keys' music producer husband, real name Kasseem Dean, and what do we know about him? Keep reading to find out more.
Swizz Beats has been married before
While Swizz Beatz is Alicia Keys' first and only husband, he's been married previously, and has five children altogether. He started dating singer Mashonda in 1998, and they married in 2004, having a child together in 2006 – meanwhile, he also fathered a child with Nicole Levy in 2000. However, it wasn't meant to last. They separated in 2007 and officially divorced in 2010, while in 2008 Swizz fathered another child with Russian singer Jahna Sabastian.
The same year as his divorce, Swizz and Keys announced their engagement – and first pregnancy, (via BBC). They actually go back a long way, right to their teenage years, but it took time before they became a couple –per Refinery29, Keys revealed to Marie Claire UK that she didn't actually like him when they first met! The pair got married in July 2010, and Keys gave birth to their first child together in October that year. Fast forward to December 2014, and their second son was born.
Despite divorcing Mashonda, it appears that Swizz's still on good terms with the mother of his elder two children. Both Swizz and Keys made contributions to Mashonda's 2018 book, which looked at their experience co-parenting their child, Kasseem Dean Jr.
Swizz Beatz has worked with many big names in music
Arguably one of the best producers in the business, Swizz Beatz has worked with some huge names. His aunt and uncles founded the Ruff Ryders Entertainment record label, so he began working there and ventured into the world of producing at 16. A year later, he was able to sell his first beat to late iconic rapper DMX, before producing for the likes of Jay-Z and Eve.
In 2002, he set up his own label and signed rapper Cassidy, who became his protégé, and he started working with a range of artists from major labels – the 2000s was the decade in which his career really took off. He went to the top of the charts after producing Beyoncé's "Check On It," and also went on to produce tracks like Whitney Houston's "Million Dollar Bill," Chris Brown's "I Can Transform Ya," Drake's "Fancy," and Nicki Minaj's "Roman's Revenge."
He's released two solo albums, too: "One Man Band Man" came out in 2007, and "Poison" followed in 2018. The latter in particular boasts a star-studded feature list, including Lil' Wayne, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and French Montana.
He graduated from Harvard in 2017
Swizz Beatz might be one of the hottest hip-hop producers in the world, but he's got plenty of brains too. In 2014, he was accepted into the Harvard Owner/President Management executive program at Harvard Business School, and he graduated three years later in 2017, (via Billboard).
Born and raised in New York City, growing up in The Bronx, he often got into trouble at Harry S. Truman High School. It was for this reason that he moved to Atlanta, GA, and began working with his uncles, (via Celebrity Net Worth). However, returning to education a couple of decades later looked to have been an inspired decision, coming away with something else to add to his Grammy award and other accolades .
He took to Instagram to announce his graduation in November 2017, writing, "Today I will become Harvard alumni and although I'm not getting an "MBA" no one can EVER take this accomplishment away from me." With his wife's 15 Grammys, the superstar must be running out of places to put everything.