Alicia Keys Talks Making Blended Family Work By Bonding With Swizz Beatz's Ex- Wife

BY Erika Marie 8.4K Views
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Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz
The producer has two children with Keys, one with his ex-wife, and two more by two other women.

Grammy Award-winning singer Alicia Keys is one of the most unproblematic artists in the industry. She's a proponent of peaceful, positive energy and she hopes to inspire others to go after their dreams and become one with themselves, as she's demonstrated during her time as a coach on The Voice. Even as there were negative headlines years ago regarding her relationship with her husband Swizz Beatz and his ex-wife Mashonda Tifrere, Keys kept her head down and kept pushing forward.

"Man, becoming a wife and a mother, specifically a mother, really taught me so much," Keys told Essence magazine for her June 2019 cover feature. "I remember clearly wanting to remove the negative energy around me quickly, and prior to that, I didn’t feel so drawn to do that for myself. But doing it for this new soul made sense to me." She added, "Swizz is a very spontaneous spirit and soul. I think he gave me a lot of that intel, too."

Keys and Beatz have two children together, Egypt and Genesis, however, the producer has three other children: a son named Kaseem with Mashonda, a son named Prince Nasir with a woman named Nicole Levy, and a daughter named Nicole with British singer Jahna Sabastian. "We are a beautiful blended family. I’m super proud of all of us. I think one of the things that we talk about a lot is just we’re so quick to find the negative in everything," the singer said. "We’re so quick to just latch on to it and hold on to it and never let it go, and it’s a really beautiful thing to see the opposite side of that and to witness it in a genuine way and experience it. I think we just don’t get to see enough of it, and there’s plenty of it."

"Because, you know, obviously relationships take work,” she says of her bond with Mashonda. "All relationships do. You know what I mean? And when you want it, and you want to do the work, you can. So it’s a beautiful thing, and I’m definitely, definitely proud of where we are and where we’re going, you know? Our kids are dope."

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.