S. Samuel
With hitmaker Swizz Beatz balancing family, music and art these days, SOHH recently hit up the Ruff Ryder to find out how his new position as Reebok Classic's creative director is impacting his lifestyle.
Capable of thriving in multiple aspects of business, Beatz admits it is not uncommon to see cross-promoting with his ventures.
“It’s hard to keep it separate,” Beatz told SOHH when asked about balancing music and his new Reebok business venture. “Especially when the main theme song behind the Go Global campaign is ‘International Party.’ It’s something we shot a video for, a campaign for, so it’s kind of hard to keep them separated when we have such a great partnership and such a great understanding. The brand is not going to exploit my brand or my music. It’s more of a joint venture on a real level and even in every day living. It’s not like I’m saying [my Reebok line], ‘Kamikaze, Kamikaze, Kamikaze’ all in people’s faces. It’s fun and I like being a part of the underdogs, that’s what I came up in.” (SOHH)
Earlier this month, Beatz talked about his aim at Reebok.
“It’s not only on some urban level but really on a global level. They’re letting me take the whole business model to the next level. I don’t have an endorsement deal. I don’t have a ‘Swizz Beatz’ sneaker. The Kamikaze [sneaker] is just a part of what we’re doing as an entire brand. I’m [involved] in all categories from apparel to stuff we’re doing in the art world, basketball and just everything from A to Z.” (SOHH Guest Star)
Outside of sneaker talk, Swizzy recently scraped plans to drop his Haute Living album.
“As far as my project, which is no longer an album, it’s gonna be a lot of great moments for music,” Beatz revealed in an interview. “That’s the reason why I decided not to even do an album no more and just create moments. If it ain’t Bono and Kanye [West] alone on ‘Skyscrapers’ it’s out of hand. Me, [Lil] Wayne and Lenny Kravitz on ‘Rock N Roll.’ It makes no sense. My plan is to, in five years from now, be ten times as more successful.” (Punchbowl Blog)
Last month, Beatz announced his incentive to drop the now-scraped LP on his birthday.
“Monster Mondays was a warm-up for people to understand that I’m doing things different,” Beatz said about releasing new musicon a weekly basis. “So when we get into my album Haute Living, which I’m dropping on my [birthday] September 13th, people, when they hear the track with me, Bono and Kanye [West] they can be prepared for it. When they hear the track with me, Lenny Kravitz and Lil Wayne, they can be prepared for it.” (BBC Radio)
Check out a recent Swizz Beatz interview below:
