Before he could drink legally swizz beatz smashed the game armed with nothing but a Casio. Millions of records later, the DJ formerly known as K-Swiss still prefers the background.

Story Adam Matthews | Photography Nathaniel Welch

it’s june 16th, the day before Cassidy will turn himself into Philadelphia police to face charges in the slaying of 22-year-old Desmond Hawkins. But spending a couple of hours with his mentor Swizz Beatz in Monza, Swizz’ midtown Manhattan office/studio, it’s hard to tell that his biggest artist is a fugitive. “We got a little situation going on that we got to handle,

some last-minute shit,” Swizz explains to his assistant. “‘Cause he’s got to deal with this jail business, this little situation, man. I’m trying to keep him out.” Then he turns to the journalist, who has spent the last hour interviewing him. “I don’t want to put his business out there but the album’s called I’m a Hustla,” he says, laughing nervously.

Moments later, Cassidy appears. His trademark cockiness is gone; replaced with weariness. Even his handshake feels heavy. His manager, Terrence “TD” Dean, accompanies Cassidy. TD also happens to be Swizz’s father, which means at this most crucial time it is his son whose counsel he seeks. For three hours, sequestered in one of the studio’s soundproof rooms, they discuss his situation. The next day, Cassidy surrenders.

It might seem peculiar that the man in charge in this crisis is a 26-year-old, or stranger still that through it all, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean is, as he likes to say, “cool as a fan.” But then again, Swizz Beatz isn’t your average 26-year-old. In the decade or so since he emerged as the prodigious architect of Ruff Ryder’s frenetic sample-free sound, the kid has grown up and is giving orders his way— quietly. He owns two luxury car dealerships, a club in Arizona, has his own sneaker deal with Pro-Keds (“I’m putting instruments on a CD [with the] shoes: drums, kicks, snares, so people can start their careers.”), a label deal for his Full Surface imprint with Clive Davis’ J Records, has just bought Wu-Tang’s old 36 Chambers studio and Madonna’s house upstate. He’s also a visual artist: famous pop artist Peter Max is preparing him for his own show with a collection that includes work by Basquiat and Dali. To most people that would be enough, but when your musical tastes range from Buckshot to Fela Kuti, you have to keep setting the bar higher. For a guy who got his start by being in the right place at the right time, Swizz Beatz has shown a remarkable ability for being in the right place and even more remarkable ability to capitalize on these opportunities.

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