The Graduate

Inspired by the “world,” Swizz attributes the countless opportunities for traveling the globe to his big hopes and aspirations. As he prepares to make his move, Swizz will always honor his past, but he will never let it hold him back. “You know if you’re just comfortable living in Beverly Hills, and your life revolves around that, your ceiling stops. But now I am extending my ceiling to space.” It would be a shame for all of this talent to be wasted on business endeavors. So with great affection for the many obstacles he faced, Swizz is involved in all types of philanthropic endeavors.

In the wake of the devastating Haitian earthquake, Swizz immediately embraced the chance to contribute his fame to the relief efforts. “I was actually working in the factory with Christian [Louboutin] in Italy when I called Bono and I called Jay[-Z]. They called me back in 15 minutes, and by the end of the night we had a chorus and vocals. So that was super amazing.” What resulted from this trans-Atlantic phone call was the hit song “Haiti Mon Amour” performed by Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Bono at the Hope for Haiti Telethon organized by George Clooney. Swizz takes a lot of pride in this collaboration, as they produced the only original song created for the Hope for Haiti event and available for purchase on iTunes, helping to contribute almost $60 million to the cause.

Swizz is also getting ready to travel to Africa in support of Keep a Child Alive and is involved in the Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation. To support the nonprofit, Swizz donated one of his original paintings. “Contributing to the Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation was amazing to me because I was able to auction off one of my paintings to go toward an amazing cause for these beautiful kids,” says Swizz.He adds, “I think my philanthropic endeavors are going to be growing every year.”

And while philanthropy is very important to this mix master, he is also passionate about art. Growing up in the Bronx, Swizz was influenced by all breeds of creative geniuse; from the rappers beat boxing on the street to the artists tagging bus stops and handball courts, ingenuity was rampant in his violent neighborhood. He remembers seeing Keith Haring paintings on crumbling buildings, as well as “a whole bunch of other greats that used to express themselves on the back of courts or the side of a train.” That resourcefulness caught on, affecting his appetite for groundbreaking success along with his own passion as an artist. “It always stuck with me and I started collecting art. But then I thought, with the prices of these pieces, I could just set up myself and get some canvases and play around,” says Swizz. Counting Eric Navaro, Peter Max, and the late Ernie Barnes as mentors, this recreation soon turned into a true passion for painting. “It really became my therapy, and I was like, wow, I am meant for this.”