Swizz Beatz has finally told the world where his stage name came from — though true sneakerheads may already know.
The Ruff Ryders super-producer sat down on the Complex show Full Size Run on Thursday (November 16), where he revealed that he was a sneakerhead as a teenager, and it was his love for a certain brand that inspired his nickname.
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“Growing up in the Bronx, sneakers always mattered,” he said. “My name [comes] from K-Swiss. I used to wear K-Swiss. That’s how I got my name.”
He continued: “Other people gave me the name because I always used to wear the K-Swiss sneakers with different shoestrings. But then, when K-Swiss stopped being hot, people kept calling me K-Swiss. […] I got tired of people calling me K-Swiss. But I didn’t run away from the whole thing. So I kept ‘Swiss,’ but I spelled it S-W-I-Z-Z.”
Check out the interview below.
Swizz Beatz has come a long way from his teenage sneakerhead days. Last month, he confirmed that he and Timbaland have regained control of the Verzuz brand.
The 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards were broadcast on October 10. During the program, both producers were honored with the Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award. During their acceptance speech, they announced that their joint effort would be back in action.
“Me and my brother created something special, and it ain’t over,” Timbo said. “Black-owned Verzuz, me and Swizz Beatz. I’m glad to share this with my brother.”
The Ruff Ryders veteran then added: “Like Tim said, we own Verzuz again. We got quiet for a minute, but we’re gonna come back strong and show you what it is. That wasn’t just something for the pandemic; that’s something for the world.”
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Swizz Beatz and Timbaland merged Verzuz in a lucrative deal with Triller, with which they became large shareholders in 2021. However, trouble arose when the pair filed a $28million lawsuit against the company in August 2022.
The two Hip Hop titans claimed that the video-sharing social networking service failed to hold up the financial end of the bargain. Court documents obtained regarding the matter state that Triller defaulted on its agreement after just two payments. The duo later settled after the initial default, but alleged that the company continued to make one installment and then failed to pay the remaining balance.
