Name	Swizz Beatz|image Swizz beatz at hot 97 summer jam 2007.jpg
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kasseem Dean
Birth date	September 13, 1978
Birth place	The Bronx, New York, United States
Instrument	Keyboard, sampler
Occupation	Record producer, rapper, record executive, painter
Years active	1998–present
Genre	Hip hop, alternative hip hop, experimental
Label	Full Surface, Ruff Ryders Indy, Atlantic
Associated acts	Fat Joe, DMX, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, The LOX, Kanye West, T.I., Cassidy, Lloyd Banks, Ruff Ryders, Drag-On, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Beyoncé
Website	http://swizzbeatzonline.com }}

Kasseem Dean (born September 13, 1978), better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records. He is married to R&B; superstar Alicia Keys and has one child with her, as well as three other children.

Early life

Dean did not see much of his father, a postal worker, due to his parents' separation in his early life. Dean is of Puerto Rican and African American decent. He was raised by his mother in the South Bronx, where he spent most of his childhood. This was where he first encountered Hip hop and began deejaying. He began deejaying after he got some equipment from his stepfather and his uncles. He later relocated to Atlanta as a teenager due to having too many fights at Harry S. Truman High School; there he started to work for his uncles, Joaquin and Darrin Dean, who were co-CEOs of the Ruff Ryders label. Forgoing the practice of using samples, he mostly used the Korg Trinity and Triton Keyboards and tried to accentuate the performance aspect of his music.

Music career

1998–02: Music beginnings

With his uncles (Chivon, Dee, and Waah Dean) involved with the Ruff Ryders label, he began to produce tracks at the age of 16. He sold his first beat at 17 which became DMX's hit single "Ruff Ryders' Anthem". In 2001 at the age of 23 he established his own record label, Full Surface, in a joint venture with Clive Davis of J Records. The first artist signed was Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy. But it was not until Swizz's first compilation album, 2002's ''Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories'', that he started to get noticed for his production style and interesting ideas and Cassidy began to get attention. He released two singles "Guilty" and "Bigger Business", both charted on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs and were accompanied by music videos. Swizz Beatz along with being associated with Ruff Ryders & Roc-A-Fella Records, began to produce for artists from labels such as Elektra Records, Atlantic Records, Epic Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Bad Boy Entertainment and his career largely grew from that point.

2006–07: ''One Man Band Man''

In February 2007, the producer mixed the music for design duo Heatherette's Fall 2007 New York Fashion Week runway show. On August 21, 2007, Swizz Beatz released his second solo album, titled ''One Man Band Man''. The album sold 45,000 records in its first week and includes singles "It's Me Bitches" and "Money in the Bank".

On October 19, 2007, Swizz Beatz launched a contest called "Share the Studio", presented by Music Video 2.0 and ''The Source'' magazine. The contest was intended to be a continuation of the work from his debut album.

In 2007 Swizz Beatz signed longtime friend Drag-On, legendary Cleveland-based rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and former Ruff Ryder member Eve to his label.

2008–present: ''Haute Living''

Undaunted by the disappointing sales of his last album, ''One Man Band Man'', Swizz Beatz is working on his second album (his second as an artist, however, it will be the third album he has released). In late 2007 Swizz Beatz confirmed it will be called ''Life After the Party'' in an interview with ''Format Magazine'' saying

April 24, 2009 Swizz Beatz did a promo song for Hennessy Black, entitled "When I Step In The Club". A video was made and was directed by Hype Williams.

In 2010 on his Twitter Swizz Beatz renamed his album three times. He first announced he was calling it ''King Issues'' but later on that day settled on ''The Perception of Greatness'', and on August 23 while in a studio session with Mary J. Blige in New York City, Swizz unveiled his new album title ''Haute Living'', stating that it's the perfect phrase to represent what he's all about. Swizz Beatz announced while being interviewed on BBC Radio that he was planning to release it on September 13, to coincide with his birth date. The album will be released under his actual contract with Everest Entertainment/Atlantic/Warner, who signed the rapper in August 2010. Confirmed guest appearances include Bono, Travis Barker, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and John Legend. On February 12, 2010, he and 81 other artists including Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Jamie Foxx, Will.i.am, and Usher, debuted "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In 2010, inspired by Kanye West's ''GOOD Fridays'' series, Swizz Beatz launched his own series of free weekly mp3s titled ''Monster Mondays''. The first song, "DJ Play that Beat" featuring Estelle, was released on October 25. Other ''Monster Monday'' tracks include features from Rakim, Pusha T, DMX, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell.

In 2011, Swizz Beatz won his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group with American rapper Jay-Z, for the song "On To The Next One". The first single from ''Haute Living'' titled ''Everyday (Coolin')'' Produced by Joe Lindsay was released through ''monstermondays.com'' on March 28, 2011. The song features Eve. During an interview with Paper Mag, Swizz Beatz reveals some of the collaborations that will make their way on ''Haute Living''. One of them is called �Skyscrapers’ featuring Kanye West and Bono.

On May 21, 2011, Swizz Beatz confirmed that Dr. Dre was working on the album with him.

On March 7, 2012, Swizz Beatz announced that he will be releasing a mixtape featuring the likes of DMX, Nas, Rick Ross, The LOX, ASAP Rocky (who will feature on the first single) amongst many others. Swizz also said he doesn't have a release date for ''Haute Living'' claiming he's a "perfectionalist" who is "taking my time to get it right". On March 22, 2012, "Street Knock" featuring ASAP Rocky was premiered on "The Angie Martinez Show". The song was produced by AraabMuzik, and will be featured on the mixtape, titled ''Limitless''.

Producing career

Swizz Beatz produced hit songs for many elite rap, hip-hop soul and R&B;, such as DMX ("Party Up (Up in Here)"), Beyoncé ("Check on It", "Ring the Alarm"), T.I. ("Bring 'Em Out"), Styles P ("Good Times"), Cassidy ("Hotel", "I'm a Hustla"), Busta Rhymes ("Touch It") and many more.

In 2003 he began to expand his label; Big Tigger, Keith Sweat, Bounty Killer and Yung Wun were all in talks to signing with Full Surface but in the end only Yung Wun was signed. Yung Wun, whom Swizz took under his wing and was executive producer of his album, ''The Dirtiest Thirstiest'' and co-produced the lead single "Tear It Up''.

In 2009, Swizz Beatz produced many popular singles including "Nasty Girl" by Ludacris featuring Plies, "Who's Real" by Jadakiss featuring OJ da Juiceman, "Million Bucks" by Maino, "Million Dollar Bill" by Whitney Houston, "I Can Transform Ya" by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and "On to the Next One" by Jay-Z .

Swizz Beatz also was named the first "Producer in Residence" at New York University. This lasted from the 2010-2011 academic year.

Other ventures

Fashion designer

In 2006 he became a partner involved in the popular clothing company Kidrobot, a creator and retailer of limited-edition art toys and clothing.

Shoe designer

On Twitter in 2010, Swizz Beatz revealed his new sneaker line with Reebok.

Painting

Swizz Beatz not only collects paintings but also paints on his own free time. He donates the money he earns from his paintings to the Children's Cancer & Blood Foundation.

Brand promoter

Since 2011, Swizz Beatz has been the official face of Lotus cars.

Personal life

In 2000, his first son by Nicole Levy, Prince Nasir was born. In 2004, he married Mashonda, together they have one child, Kasseem Dean Jr. (born 2006). In April 2008, they announced their plans to divorce after four years of marriage. In May 2008 UK singer and producer Jahna Sebastian gave birth to a daughter Nicole, whom Swizz Beatz fathered. In May 2009, Alicia Keys admitted to having a relationship with Swizz Beatz. In May 2010 Beatz confirmed he was engaged to Alicia Keys, and that she was pregnant with Beatz' fourth, and her first child. During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Keys and Swizz Beatz held a wedding celebration on the French island of Corsica on July 31, 2010. Alicia Keys gave birth to their son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, on October 14, 2010.

Discography

; Studio Albums

''One Man Band Man'' (2007)

''Haute Living'' (2012)

; Compilation albums

''Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories'' (2002)

Awards and nominations

Urban Music Awards

*2009, Best Producer (won)

Grammy Awards

*2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "On to the Next One" (won)

*2010, Best Rap Song "On to the Next One" [Nominated]

*2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Fancy" [Nominated]

References

External links

Interview, HitQuarters Jun 02

Category:1978 births Category:African American rappers Category:African American Muslims Category:African American record producers Category:American music industry executives Category:American DJs Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American painters Category:American philanthropists Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:Ruff Ryders artists Category:Rappers from New York City

ar:سÙ?يز بيتز cs:Swizz Beatz de:Swizz Beatz el:Swizz Beatz es:Swizz Beatz fr:Swizz Beatz ko:스위ì¦? 비츠 hr:Swizz Beatz it:Swizz Beatz nl:Swizz Beatz ja:スウィズã?»ã?“ã?¼ã?„ no:Swizz Beatz pap:Swizz Beatz pl:Swizz Beatz pt:Swizz Beatz ru:Swizz Beatz simple:Swizz Beatz fi:Swizz Beatz sv:Swizz Beatz tr:Swizz Beatz

The Next One is a nickname that has belonged to the following ice hockey players:

Eric Lindros Sidney Crosby John Tavares

The name is a play on Wayne Gretzky's nickname, "The Great One". Each of the players listed has been or is currently billed as the next Wayne Gretzky. Phil Kessel was considered to be on the list during his junior career, but his performance dropped in 2006 and he was taken off the list. To date, no player given the moniker has broken a National Hockey League record set by Gretzky. Mario Lemieux, "The Magnificent One", was the closest to breaking several of Gretzky's records, but he was never called "The Next One" by the media, because he was Gretzky's contemporary for most of his NHL career.

References

Category:History of ice hockey Category:Nicknamed groups of ice hockey players

de:The Next One it:The Next One hu:The Next One

The Next One is a nickname that has belonged to the following ice hockey players:

Eric Lindros Sidney Crosby John Tavares

The name is a play on Wayne Gretzky's nickname, "The Great One". Each of the players listed has been or is currently billed as the next Wayne Gretzky. Phil Kessel was considered to be on the list during his junior career, but his performance dropped in 2006 and he was taken off the list. To date, no player given the moniker has broken a National Hockey League record set by Gretzky. Mario Lemieux, "The Magnificent One", was the closest to breaking several of Gretzky's records, but he was never called "The Next One" by the media, because he was Gretzky's contemporary for most of his NHL career.

References

Category:History of ice hockey Category:Nicknamed groups of ice hockey players

de:The Next One it:The Next One hu:The Next One

Name	Sheek Louch
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sean Divine Jacobs
Alias
Birth date	November 09, 1976
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	1995–present
Label	D-Block Records, Ruff Ryders, Real Talk Ent., Def Jam Recordings
Associated acts	The LOX, Ghostface Killah, Wu-Tang Clan, Bun B, Jim Jones
Website	}}

Sean Divine Jacobs, November 9, 1976. better known as Sheek Louch (also known as Donnie Def Jam and "Donnie G"), is an African American rapper and member of The LOX (aka D-Block), along with Styles P and Jadakiss.

Personal life and career

At around the age of 12, he was inspired to rhyme by his friend Jason Phillips (Jadakiss). He and Jason would later form The LOX with Styles P. Mary J. Blige "discovered" the trio, and they would soon be signed to Sean Combs's Bad Boy Records. Their first album, Money, Power & Respect, was released on January 13, 1998.

Sheek and his fellow LOX members later parted ways with Bad Boy Records, and joined the Ruff Ryders group, which included DMX. Their second album, ''We Are the Streets'', was released on January 25, 2000. Meanwhile, Sheek, an aspiring entrepreneur, began working on their D-Block brand, building a studio, and looking for new talent to join their roster. He also opened a D-Block car wash and D-Block "fitteds" around the same time.

Sheek released his solo debut ''Walk Witt Me'' on Universal Records through D-Block Records. Early promotional material, such as within the liner notes of Styles P's album ''A Gangster and a Gentleman'', indicate that the album's original title was ''Walk With Me''.

He was also featured on an episode of ''World's Wildest Police Videos'', which demonstrated his notorious past.

He has worked somewhat prolifically with Ghostface Killah. They are currently working together along with other members of Wu-Tang Clan and D-Block on the Wu-Block LP, after drawing inspiration from one another while touring and recording.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Peak chart positions			RIAA certifications
		! width="30"	! width="30"	! width="30"
2003		* Released: September 16, 2003	* Label: D-Block Records/Universal Records	*Format: CD, LP, digital download	9	3	*
2005		* Released: November 8, 2005	* Label: D-Block Records/Koch Records	*Format: CD, LP, digital download	23	3	2
2008		* Released: March 18, 2008	* Label: D-Block Records/Koch Records	*Format: CD, LP, digital download	41	8	5
2009		* Released: May 19, 2009	* Label: D-Block Records/Real Talk Entertainment	*Format: CD, LP, digital download	168	?	?
2010		* Released: December 14, 2010	* Label: D-Block Records/Def Jam Recordings	*Format: CD, LP, digital download	198	2	2

Singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2003 | "Mighty D-Block (2 Guns Up)" (featuring D-Block & J-Hood) |align="center"|— |align="center"|65 |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|''Walk witt Me'' |- | "OK" |align="center"|— |align="center"|92 |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2005 | "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" (featuring Styles P) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|''After Taxes'' |- | "One Name" (featuring Carl Thomas) |align="center"|— |align="center"|71 |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2008 | "Good Love" |align="center"|— |align="center"|66 |align="center"|21 |rowspan=2|''Silverback Gorilla'' |- | "Keep Pushin'" (featuring Mike Smith) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2009 | "Time 2 Get Paid" |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|''Life on D-Block'' |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2010 | "Party After 2" (featuring Jeremih) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|''Donnie G: Don Gorilla'' |- |}

Featured singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center"|1998 | "Get at Me Dog" (DMX featuring Sheek Louch) |align="center"|39 |align="center"|19 |align="center"|6 |''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' |- |align="center"|2012 | "Mad Work" (D Block featuring Sheek Louch) |align="center"| |align="center"| |align="center"| |''Road Killa'' |- |}

References

Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:D-Block Records members Category:People from Yonkers, New York Category:Ruff Ryders artists Category:E1 Music artists Category:Rappers from New York City Category:1976 births

de:Sheek Louch es:Sheek Louch fr:Sheek Louch pl:Sheek Louch

name	The L.O.X.
background	group_or_band
origin	Yonkers, New York, United States
genre	Hip hop
years active	1994–present
label	Bad Boy Records (1995–1999)Ruff Ryders Entertainment (1999–present)D-Block Records (2003–present)
associated acts	DMX, Drag-On, Eve, The Notorious B.I.G., Mase, Black Rob, Swizz Beatz, Puff Daddy, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah
current members	JadakissStyles PSheek Louch }}

The Lox are an American hip hop group composed of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. They were originally signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records before joining Ruff Ryders Entertainment, and are now a part of their own label, D-Block Records

Early career

Jason "Jadakiss" Phillips, David Styles "Styles P", and Sean "Sheek Louch" Jacobs, began their musical careers in their hometown of Yonkers, New York. As high school students they formed a group called "The Bomb Squad" and began performing at local shows and producing their own demos. In 1994 they appeared on Main Source's "Set It Off" from the album "Fuck What You Think". While the local rap scene was being dominated by artists like Raw Rome, Lord Devon and a young DMX, the group began to gain attention for their lyrical style and ability to present tales of urban life. The group eventually changed their name to "The Warlocks" and continued developing a fan base by appearing on underground mix tapes. One of their admirers was the "Queen of Hip hop soul," fellow Yonkers native Mary J. Blige. Mary passed their demo tape on to Bad Boy CEO Sean "Puffy" Combs who signed them to a deal. At the behest of Combs, The Warlocks would later change their name to "The L.O.X" which stands for Living Off eXperience.

Mainstream career

The LOX gained national exposure in 1996 with an onside collaboration on Sean "Puffy" Combs Underground Smash "All about the Benjamins". Shortly after gaining even more exposure with their powerful multi-platinum tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. , "We'll Always love Big Poppa". The song which celebrated the life of the slain superstar, captured Biggie's essence and thrust The LOX into the media spotlight as a group to watch out for. The trio later appeared on a multitude of hits, Mase's "24 Hours to Live", Mariah Carey's "Honey", and Jennifer Lopez's "Jenny From The Block". The group's debut album Money, Power & Respect went platinum and helped establish the Lox as an important voice in Hip-Hop music.

In the summer of 1999, the celebrated Yonkers Rap trio found themselves in a fight for freedom. Disappointed with the direction of their career on Bad Boy, the group wanted to be released from their contract in order to join the newly formed Ruff Ryders/ Interscope label. The Ruff Ryders had always served as the Lox's managers and the group felt like the new label could better represent the hard-core sensibilities which they expressed in their rhymes. Bad Boy was known for its radio friendly dance hits and high priced videos, while the Lox were quickly establishing themselves as Hardcore rap artists. The identities clashed, the Lox just didn't feel comfortable in the shiny suits. "We just needed to be with a rougher label" says Sheek Louch. "A harder label that fit our image."

The LOX tried all of the legal maneuvering available to be released from their contract with Bad Boy. However, when the lawyers and conference calls didn't work, the group did what they do best. They took their story to the streets. At a New York rap concert, the defiant group sported "Let the LOX Go" T-shirts and sparked a grass roots movement to "Free the Lox." Their goal was to return Hip-Hop back to its essence as an important form of urban expression. The streets spoke up loud and clear and the Lox were finally released to a heroes welcome. "We really changed the game by doing that," says Styles concerning the contractual drama. "It might take years from now, but other people are gonna do it. We made it so they don't have to be scared to speak up."

Discography

''Money, Power & Respect'' (1998)

''We Are the Streets'' (2000)

''New L.O.X. Order'' (TBD)

References

External links

The LOX's Official Myspace Music Page

D-Block Myspace Blog Page

Category:American hip hop groups Category:Bad Boy Records artists Category:D-Block Records Category:D-Block Records members Category:East Coast hip hop groups Category:Interscope Records artists Category:New York hip hop Category:Musicians from New York Category:People from New York City Category:Ruff Ryders artists