Instead of “The One Man Band Man,” it’s about time we started calling Swizz Beatz the “One Man Brand Man.” From Reebok to Louis Vuitton, multiple brands have been associated with the Bronx native the last decade or so. Like he does so often, Swizz continued to connect art, music and fashion last night (July 12) while celebrating a new multi-year partnership with Bally at the Public Hotel in New York City.
After DJ Kid Capri melted the place with a great party vibe of spinning, Swizz, dressed in a fly blue tux with an elegant floral pattern, took to the stage with 2 Chainz to talk to the audience that crowded the venue.
“Welcome to the new era in creativity and fashion. Make some noise for the culture tonight,” Swizz said to the crowd, which included the likes of Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri, and Mack Wilds. “I took my time to walk around the whole club and say ‘what’s up to everybody. It’s very rare you see this type of room in a high fashion situation. We’re doing this for the artists, with the artists, for the people.”
Swizz also mentioned that his highly touted “No Commission” art gatherings have generated four million dollars during the last handful of shows – money that was given to the artists.
According to reports, Swizz will curate a line of clothing and sneakers for Bally as well as for-sale art that will be displayed in Bally stores.
“We are making history with each one of you here tonight,” Bally CEO Frederic de Narp said to the crowd, adding that he and the company were elated to “make the connection of Bally with the music and the culture.” He called their aligning with Swizz an “amazing collaboration and friendship.”
Insider Access | No Commission: Art Performs
Swizz applauded the CEO and said de Narp’s peers need to follow suit.
“We need more CEOs that let the creatives be creative,” Swizz said before pointedly repeating his statement multiple times. “… If you gonna hire a creative let them be creative. Bally is on to the next level. With all the diversity in this room, everybody is invited to our muthafuckin show.”
And a show it was. Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh came onstage minutes later, and after Doug said he wanted to take it back to 1985, the duo went through a myriad of classics like “The Show” and “La Di Da Di.” A$AP Rocky took it back to 2015 when he and his A$AP Ferg took the stage a little later, rocking the crowd with songs like “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” and “Shabba Ranks.”