For our July 2025 cover story, we spoke to legendary producer Swizz Beatz about his exciting new jewellery collection with Ara Vartanian, his iconic career and what the future holds.
As part of the interview, Swizz opened up about his memories of his friend and mentor, the rapper DMX, who died in 2021.
“X was just authentic. Even as a multi-millionaire, you wouldn’t know. He would write in abandoned buildings to get the essence. He wasn’t into a lot of fancy cars and fancy jewellery,” Swizz recalled.
He continued: “He was just always in the essence of music and Hip Hop and staying true to how he started. He wasn’t blinded by the glitz and fake industry which separated him from most. He just taught me how to keep my boots on the ground and stay real.”
You can read the full interview in print and can order a copy of the magazine here.
Elsewhere in the interview, Swizz talked about the return of Verzuz – Swizz and Timbaland’s hit pandemic show that saw famous musicians battling with one other.
“It’s been a lot of work, a long process to build something and rebuild it again,” Swizz said of the show’s return.
“The easiest thing [would be to] leave as is. When we started, those were the early days and now, we own [the show] a hundred percent again and we know what to do differently. Most people would have given up on it, but me and Timbaland were like, ‘let’s keep it going no matter what people think’.
“At the end of the day, it’s easy for everyone to sit on the sideline and give up, but it takes true warriors to keep fighting and show people that it’s never too late no matter what the situation is.”
When asked about how different the show would be to the original, Swizz explained: “…[The new iteration of the show will] not be too different. Because we don’t want to go so far from the essence. We plan on giving people something amazing, but we also plan on showcasing new talent as well.”
Back in May, it was announced exclusively via Something About Rocks that Swizz had teamed up with Brazilian jeweller Ara Vartanian to launch a new collection.
Described as “an exploration of structure, boldness and shared creative language”, the collection – called ARA x MR DEAN – features brooches, cufflinks, necklaces, chain bracelets and two-finger rings.
The collection is designed “for daily wear, not just formal occasions” with the pieces “reflecting a modern approach to men’s jewellery.”
Like this? Read: You can check out all the top looks from 2024 here and see what our predictions for the top looks of the night were here.
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