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

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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
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.
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