Swizz Beatz: Young Creatives Can't Forget the 'Business' in Art Business
*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.
Catching you up on entertainment headlines with Queen Elizabeth II missing the Platinum Jubilee church service after experiencing discomfort during yesterday’s celebration, Harry and Meghan Markle made their first return to Britain after quitting their royal duties, the Animation Guild looking to unionize production and IT workers at popular shows like the "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy," Post Malone dropping his new album “Twelve Carat Toothache’, and more.
Margie Haber is one of Hollywood's top acting coaches. She has worked with Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, and Tiffany Haddish to name a few. Besides being an acting coach, she's also an author. Haber joined Cheddar News to talk about her second book, 'F*ck Your Comfort Zone.'
Hannah Schwab, Global Co-Chair of Gender Expansive Council at JPMorgan Chase, joins ChedHER to discuss the goal of the Gender Expansive Council and what kind of resources organizations can offer to support the LGBT+ community.
On this episode of ChedHER: Tiffany Johnson, CEO of Built for Launch, discusses the Black Founders Ecom Pledge that provides tools and resources for Black founders to build, launch, and scale a successful e-commerce business; Alexa von Tobel, Founder and Managing Partner of Inspired Capital, and Leoni Runge, Founder of Zaya, breaks down the state of maternal care and support for female founders in venture capital; Hannah Schwab, Global Co-Chair of Gender Expansive Council at JPMorgan Chase, explains the goal of the Gender Expansive Council and what kind of resources organizations can offer to support the LGBT+ community.
Alexa von Tobel, Founder and Managing Partner of Inspired Capital, and Leoni Runge, Founder of Zaya, join ChedHER to discuss the state of maternal care and support for female founders in venture capital.
Tiffany Johnson, CEO of Built for Launch, joins ChedHER to discuss the Black Founders Ecom Pledge that provides tools and resources for Black founders to build, launch, and scale a successful e-commerce business.
Today is National Doughnut Day! Cheddar News celebrated with Steven Klein, the owner of Dough Doughnuts in New York City, who joined us with some delicious samples from hibiscus flavored to ube cheesecake. "It's a fun fest that people love doughnuts, and it's a way of celebrating doughnuts that people just want to try, and they want to try with their friends, their offices, their parties, their groups," said Klein. "So we get inundated in all our stores with lines of people coming to buy multiple doughnuts to celebrate the day."
While the United States struggles with mass shootings, other countries have had success with gun regulations - often after their own mass shootings. On this Gun Awareness Day, Cheddar's Shannon LaNier reports on steps some other countries have taken to stop gun violence.
President Biden implores Congress to take a stand against gun violence and LeBron James's billionaire status. Here is everything you Need2Know for Friday, June 3, 2022.
Cheddar News Wrap anchors Ken Buffa and Hena Doba celebrate the conclusion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night by going head-to-head in our very own contest.
