Forbes Magazine just dropped a feature on Swizz Beatz detailing his earning potential from music and collaborative efforts with cell phone providers and clothing manufacturer Tommy Hilfiger. It’s amazing to obtain a small glimpse into the scale of Swizz’s personal economy.
Last year he rode his royalty-spewing catalog of the 400 songs he’s produced up to No. 17 on Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings list with an estimated $12 million in pretax earnings. Like many rappers, he splurges on flashy cars (a Lamborghini Murciélago, a Mercedes SLR McLaren and a Cadillac Escalade, to name a few), but his finest possession is an art collection that includes original paintings by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. He can afford a few more. His earnings for 2008 will probably top $17 million.
Read the complete article for more.
When you’re willing to just steal other people’s beats, I can see how much easier it’d be to build an empire-sized back catalog. Myself, I’ve got a little under 300 beats to my name, but if I include all the preset beats on my DR. 202 and my keyboards, I’ve probably got more like 1000 of them. Swizz Beatz is an inspiration to businessmen everywhere, but he’s a piss poor example for producers who believe in music as art.
Dude, are you kidding me? True artists don’t go around obssessing over “making art”. Art is just something that comes out of them, like a normal function of their being. I don’t like 50 cent, and I don’t think he is a great lyricist, but I’ll be damned if I will discredit his music as being from being art. Who the fuck am I to say that? I just don’t liike it. Plus man, have you made a hip hop classic? I don’t care where you are, if you turn on “Rough Riders Anthem” in the club, the place will go bannanas, and that shit is from years ago.. Hip Hop comes from, and is meant for every day people, not internet critics and analysts who go around talking about “making art”.
@Justin
I hear ya, Swizz has been caught out there on a couple of occasions, but is there any difference between using stock keyboard demos and sampling? I would argue that they are virtually the same thing.
Also, I personally can’t be certain on Swizz’s intentions when he sits down to make a record… he’s made song I loved along with songs I’ve hated.
Swiss This:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgs8LScCWDY