*By Chloe Aiello*
Even for Kasseem Dean ー a.k.a accomplished producer, rapper, and art enthusiast "Swizz Beatz" ー the hustle never stops.
And after more than two decades in the music industry, Dean's best advice for young creatives is to never forget the "business" part of the art industry.
"Understand the business that you're in. We devote so much time to the creative that we miss out on the business. So it's the music business, fashion business, art business ー and a lot of creatives miss the business part and they waste their time," Dean told Cheddar on Thursday.
The music mogul released "Poison" earlier this month. The studio album, his second, is his first release since since 2007, and features collaborations with Nas, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar, among other industry heavyweights.
Dean may be thriving, but he experienced struggles during his early days in the business ー and he more than understands how unforgiving it can be, especially in the age of streaming platforms like Spotify ($SPOT), [which famously pays artists very little to stream their music.](https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/01/16/streaming-music-services-pay-2018/).
"There is no perfect way" to achieve success in the music industry, Dean said, whether an artist is signed to a major label and on Spotify, or independent and on YouTube. It's about the business plan ー and monetizing everything from merchandise to touring.
"That's why I left the music industry for so long, to diversify my portfolio and get into designing cars, watches, fashion ー just different things so I don't have that much pressure on me when I'm doing music. It's a thing that's fun," he added.
Beyond the music industry, Dean has a passion for the arts.
Along with Keys, he founded The Dean Collection, an organization that aims to support aspiring artists and democratize art, often through grants and "No Commission" art fairs, which return all proceeds to the artists. [The Dean Collection's next event](https://dean-collection.com/#mainRoom) is scheduled for Dec. 6 and 7 during Miami Art Week.
From the end of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to the beginning of a new zombie apocalypse, here's what's going on in entertainment.
One person was killed and multiple people were sent to local hospitals after a boat capsized Monday during a tour of an underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, officials said.
There was plenty of uncertainty in the run-up to this year’s Tony Awards, which at one point seemed unlikely to happen at all because of the ongoing Hollywood writer’s strike.
Classical music concerts have been popular since the age of Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart, but you've probably never thought about attending one in a cemetery. Our own Chloe Aiello spoke with Andrew Ousley, founder of Death of Classical, to learn more about a concert series held in the catacombs of the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
You may not know her name, but you've probably seen her face. Madhulika Sharma has graced Vogue India and ELLE Magazine and modeled for popular brands such as Reformation and Skims. Cheddar's own Hena Doba spoke with Sharma to discuss her globe-spanning modeling career, her education in fashion history, and working alongside Kim Kardashian.
The intimate, funny-sad musical “Kimberly Akimbo” nudged aside more splashier rivals on Sunday to win the best new musical crown at the Tony Awards on a night when Broadway flexed its muscle in the face of Hollywood writers’ strike and fully embraced trans-rights with history-making winners.
The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by different avatars on a huge screen above the altar, led the more than 300 people through 40 minutes of prayer, music, sermons and blessings.
New York's Assembly and Senate passed a bill to create a commission that would consider reparations for slavery.
New Orleans' Big Freedia, who many heard on Beyonce's new hit "Break My Soul," talks about upcoming business ventures and music projects, including a new show called Big Freedia Means Business on Fuse TV.
Cheddar's own Chloe Aiello tries out some unusual pickle flavors with Eddie Andre, head of brand at Grillo's Pickles.
