Atlanta, GA, is forever ingrained in Swizz Beatz’s heart, especially considering it is the birthplace of his initial hit, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.”
Drive with Swizz Beatz
Starting Nov. 16, 2023, viewers can follow along with the father-son duo on their journey to six cities to experience each respective car culture, including Atlanta.
Significance Of Atlanta Tour Stop
For Swizz Beatz, this tour stop was special for reasons that extend beyond a shared love for automobiles. When he was a teenager, he secured his start in the music industry as a producer, landing gigs at the Atrium.
“Atlanta was very pivotal in my life, coming from the Bronx with going through different challenges just based on the geography of where I lived,” Swizz Beatz told AFROTECH. “Then moving to Atlanta as sort of an escape, as a second chance, I just adapted different things musically from Atlanta.”
What’s more, Atlanta served as the point of inspiration for his breakthrough in the music industry with the single “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” featuring DMX.
“Going to the pep rallies and hearing chants and seeing the community together, I didn’t witness that in the Bronx,” he explained. “We was more in the streets, but Atlanta had like this sweet community where people came together at the games, and that inspired me to make ‘Stop drop’ with the ‘Oh no.’ Like with all of the different chants. So all of that came from living in Atlanta.”
Navigating The Music Business
Making his imprint earlier on also led to some challenges as it pertains to navigating the business. He hints that’s because achievement in music and steady cash flow can give a person the illusion that they are more educated than they actually are. But he had more to learn, so he registered for classes at Harvard Business School, investing $100,000 in the process, Billboard reports.
“I came into to this business super young at 17, and your talent can make you feel like you’re more educated than you are,” Swizz Beatz explained. “A hit record can make you feel extra smart. Millions of dollars can make you feel extra, extra smart. They you realize that you’re not as smart as you think. Once those things weigh its cost and then you like happen to make real big boy decisions, that is the reason why I went back to school in my late thirties for three years to set up my next 10 to 20, because education is a serious part. I was facing all type of challenges in the business world because of the lack of information that I had on the educational side.”
Today, he is proving to be on the right track after officially graduating from the Harvard program in 2017. He reportedly has a net worth of $150 million, which encompasses his successful music career and collaborations with artists such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Kanye West. In addition to his music endeavors, Swizz Beatz has secured partnerships with Reebok, Aston Martin, and Monster Energy Drinks, as AFROTECH previously reported. He also has ventured into the fashion industry and notably achieved success through the creation of Verzuz alongside Timbaland,” which reportedly earned the pair over $28 million when sold to Triller.
Swizz Beatz is also known for collecting cars extensively. However, he now has ownership of nine, each with considerable worth, per The Messenger. So, his latest series with Hulu’s Onyx Collective makes perfect sense.
Like Father, Like Son
Nasir, who is equally as excited about the show’s upcoming premiere, revealed to AFROTECH his dad played a role in his introduction to cars and music.
“I remember specifically we’d be driving in upstate New York, and he had this car called the Spyker. And it was such a legendary moment in my life because, first of all, you don’t really see a Spyker like that. They’re very rare,” Nasir explained. “They’re very fast and the design and the lines, it was just like such a good piece of art. That’s what I love about cars. Now that I understand them more it’s that they are actual art pieces. When it comes to music, I mean he is music. So, being around that there’s no way not to be inspired.”
