Swizz Beatz Discusses Verzuz Critics, Meeting Alicia Keys, and More in New “Uncensored” [Video]

BY: Walker

Published 3 years ago

Swizz Beatz is the latest celebrity to sit down for TV One’s Uncensored and give an unfiltered look into his life.

via: Revolt

Swizz, born Kasseem Dean, will discuss his life story in the autobiographical show and delve into both his business endeavors and his relationship with his pop star wife Alicia Keys.

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TV One released two teaser videos, ahead of the episode, allowing fans to catch a glimpse at what’s in store. In one clip, Swizz speaks about the criticism he and Verzuz co-founder Timbaland faced when news broke the two had sold the platform to Triller.

“Anytime they hearing of a Black creative doing business, the immediate thing they want to say is you sold out. I feel that we sold in, right? It’s like the creatives can’t never really make the business moves the right way,” Swizz said. “But the business people that take advantage of the creatives can make any move and it’s the right way. There has to be a point where this turns into a business although it’s for the love, and although it’s Black owned, and although the company is sold to a company that might not sound Black owned, but it’s still Black owned. Me and Tim is as Black as it gets. By having that ownership and maintaining it so much, we built up the equity we didn’t have to raise capital, so we didn’t dilute the company, which means that we went into Triller as a pure asset. We didn’t have to answer to anyone else on our decisions.”

“Then, we also had enough power in our brand to bring 43 artists with us,” Swizz continued. “Me and Tim, out of our personal shares and our own personal money, not from Triller, said let’s give the artists a little piece, a little taste of the action because we always build up these companies but we’re never there for the IPOs. We’re never there for none of those things. I just felt like it was a great move because what we gon’ do own 100% of nothing? I’m tired of us owning 100% of nothing…We can do business, we can be creatives, we can be of color and we can do good business.”

In a second teaser, Swizz admits he first met his current wife, Alicia Keys, when they were teenagers. “I’ve known her since I was about 15,” Swizz recalled. “I was in Truman High School. Her best friend, at the time, she used to rap and she was in my class. She used to always tell me, ‘Yo, you gotta meet my friend Ally,’ she’s like, ‘with you doing your DJ thing and her doing her piano thing, maybe ya’ll could come together and do something.’ I was like ‘alright cool, let’s do it.’ Months passed by and when I came out of school one day where I used to go get the bus they was standing there…”

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“She was harder than me,” Swizz continued. “She had on a purple North Face, she had on Timbs, she had a skully on. She looked hard. She wasn’t trying to look pretty. She was trying to be gritty. And it was kind of a little standoffish. I asked for her number and I didnt get it at that time, but I think I came back stronger.”

Tune in Sunday (Sept. 26) at 10 p.m. ET to watch the full episode. Check out the clips below:

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Swizz has an interesting story, so this should be a good watch.

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