Swizz also creates his own art – eclectic and unexpected pieces, many overlaid with text. He shows his paintings exclusively to the Wall Street Journal.
“It’s your expression,” he said. “People can’t criticize an expression.”
Art world giant Jeffrey Deitch admires Swizz’s art – and even sees similarities between Swizz’s work and his idol, Basquiat.
“Swizz Beatz is in the forefront of the new fusion of art and music,” Deitch said. “His paintings draw on the example of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat who also mixed musical and artistic inspiration.”
Keys also seesfirsthand Swizz’s artistic talents.
“He’s one of the most creative people I know and is just becoming more so,” she said. “Everything is art to him, from music, to his paintings, sculptures and mixed media, to what he brings to the partnerships and businesses he’s involved in. Its like he has a line from his head to a higher power that showers inspiration down on him. I believe we all have this capability but he is tapped in – that’s why his evolution as an artist is so fantastic to watch because he’s been tapped in all along and so he just keeps getting better.”
Swizz has also become a powerhouse in the world of fashion with collaborations with fashion icon Christian Louboutin and global footwear and apparel giant Reebok – both fitting, since his interest in fashion was started with a pair of red shoes he owned as a child.
“I met Christian Louboutin on my friend’s yacht, I had been with [my] kids and I was just beat,” he said. But apparently Swizz impressed Louboutin, because the result was the sneaker collaboration between the iconic designer and Swizz. Additional collaborations are also a possibility.
“It was a fun way to get into fashion,” Swizz said. “Being able to be mentored by Christian Louboutin was just a blessing. More than anything, a friendship. He’s a great person, an amazing trendsetter.”
And it seems the feeling is mutual.
“Swizz is a great soul,” Louboutin said. “The wonderful thing to collaborate with someone like him is that you have no sense of boredom, no sense of exhaustion. It’s all great energy mixed with fun ideas. To translate words, situations and images into music is a fantastic gift. It’s great to share common sense about beauty and aesthetics in general with your friends. With Beatz it’s always showtime, being around him would put anyone in the best mood.”
According to Louboutin, Swizz is a Renaissance man, not just in life, but in fashion.
“The fashion style of Swizz is a colored mix of various influences,” Louboutin said. “[It’s the meeting of] the street style of the hip hop culture, but also the way he wraps himself in his scarves reminds me of these élégantbédouins from the Sahara Desert. He also reminds me sometimes, in his well-tailored suits fitting his deep voice, of Nat King Cole.”
Swizz’s collaboration with Louboutin led to his partnership with Reebok.
“I got inspired through working with Christian Louboutin to do something that I can relate to,” Swizz said. “I was so inspired and I was like, maybe I’ll go to Reebok and change a couple of things there and get my creativity on.” That he did! As their Global Director Swizz helped relaunch the Reebok Classics brand and in that process collaborated with the Reebok design team to release the new Kamikaze III. He also kicked off the Reebok’s Reethym of Lite campaign with a cross-collaborative campaign, where he took the song “International Party” (featuring Alicia Keys) from his upcoming LP and used that the song as the musical bed for the brand’s global campaign.
With Swizz’s help, the shoe’s popularity exploded.
“To find out that people were outside on Wednesday waiting for a shoe that comes out on Friday, was CRAZY! I’ve never seen nothing like that,” he said.
Reebok President and CEO Uli Becker had nothing but good things to say about their collaboration.
“Swizz’s influence is felt through our brand,” Becker said. “He has a great touch and feel for fashion. He collaborates with us on various products, such as our Basquiat collection as well as other classic products. He is also involved in the overall direction of our classic campaigns. He has a great feel for design and a great cultural sense. He is constantly full of ideas, never stops thinking and passionate about what we do together.”
Swizz just recently added another partnership to his portfolio by teaming up with the car giant Lotus being named Vice President of Creative Design and Global Marketing for the brand.
“The amazing Lotus team [and I] sat down and decided to strategize ways to market Lotus to the United States, raising the bar,” he said. “We got things coming that people have never seen in their lives.”
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October 31, 2011The Penthouse Suite at The Fairmont San Francisco
