Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz just celebrated 11 years of marriage. The hip-hop power couple is sharing their celebration with the world in a series of social media posts from their exciting 72-hour date. Keys and Beatz are one of music’s most enduring couples and have stood the test of time despite all the obstacles and drama that existed early in their union.
Let’s take a lot back at their love affair and see how they celebrated the big 11. Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have been in the music industry for decades. So it makes sense then that they would have crossed paths earlier in their careers. But, according to Keys, she was not fond of her future husband back then. Alicia, who has always been associated with being humble, regular, and around the way, says Beatz turned her off with his audacious personality and affinity for expensive cars and the lavish life. She reportedly found him “annoying” and “ostentatious.” The singer claimed Swizz Beatz wasn’t her vibe and it took her to get to know who he was outside of what people and blogs were saying. Beatz, real name Kasseem Dean, would go on to court and marry another woman.
Mashonda Tifrere and Swizz began dating in 1998 and tied the knot in 2004. Shortly after welcomed their song Kasseem Dean Jr in 2006. Beatz was indeed a wild man and managed to have two other kids by two other women while married to Mashonda. Nasir Dior was born in 2000 with Nichole Levy. Dean Sr. also has a daughter Nicole, born in May 2008, with UK-based singer Jahna Sabastian, whom he met in 2007.
By 2008, the union between Swizz Beatz and Mashonda had ended, and they were heading for divorce. The pair were separated for months before the divorce was finalized in 2010. Alicia Keys, real name Alicia Augello Cook, and Swizz Beatz would go public with their relationship the same year the divorce was finalized, causing some to believe that she had broken up Dean and Mashonda’s happy home.
Accusations of her being a homewrecker and family ruiner became omnipresent. Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys announced they were expecting their first child together in May of that year to make matters worse. Mashonda leaned into these claims and made several public statements on the matter. “My concern with [Alicia Keys] is no longer the fact that she assisted in destroying a family but that she has the audacity to make these selfish comments about love and wanting to be with someone, even after knowing their situation […] You have no idea how much pain I was caused because of this affair.”
Keys was determined to shake these accusations and make their new family work, quickly becoming the spokeswoman for blended families and stepmoms. Keys and Swizz welcomed their first child Egypt Daoud Dean in 2010, and it became super important for them to minimize the impact of all this bad press on their respective families and children.
Mashonda came forward years later and admitted that putting the children first was most important and the key to helping everyone heal.
The trio addressed things further in joint interviews stating they’d found a beautiful middle ground and that it is genuinely possible to co-parent and create a safe space for everyone to grow and be happy. They even wrote a book about it. Blend: The Secret to Co-Parenting and Creating a Balanced Family was released in 2018 and featured contributions from Alicia, Swizz Beatz and Mashonda. The R&B singer also released a song in 2016 called “Blended Family” which includes lyrics like, “Hey I might not really be your mother/That don’t mean that I don’t really love ya/ […] I think you’re beautiful/I think you’re perfect /I know how hard it gets /But I swear it’s worth it.”
The happiness seems to be overflowing now. Last year, Alicia and Swizz celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a beautiful video of them dancing in the desert. “Playing #Supercat on Mars!! Celebrating a DECADE of love!!! 🔥🔥🔥💜💜💜” she captioned the trippy visual.
This year they took it a step further with a 72-hour date. “72 hour date night photo dump,” she captioned the pictures from July 19th. The pair appear in a series of snaps somewhere tropical complete with a massive pool, a helicopter date, some glam moments, and a whole lot of smiling.
