Celebrated exclusive vinyl brand 12on12 embark on their exciting new chapter with Swizz Beatz, who not only becomes their latest curator following acclaimed collaborations with Travis Scott x Saint Laurent and RUN-D.M.C, but the entrepreneur, legendary producer, and leading industry mogul come on board as their new business partner.
Acquiring a strategic stake in the high-end luxury brand, Swizz continues to build on 12on12’s reputation for unique vinylworks and bespoke collectors’ editions by compiling his own exclusive 12″ vinyl only compilation featuring photography from his private collection (The Dean Collection), as the unique work of art for the record.
Living at the intersection of Music, art, and pop culture, 12on12 provides a unique canvas for cultural icons to curate the soundtracks to their lives. Swizz Beatz’s 12on12 is a limited edition deluxe premium double gatefold package that is hand-numbered to a run of 1000 copies featuring a meticulously selected tracklist celebrating Swizz’s love and passion for Jazz across its four sides.
Swizz’s selections are all intentional, taking the listener on a journey from iconic recordings of jazz standards including Miles Davies’ “Round Midnight” and Kenny Dorham’s “Alone Together” through to a reworking of The Weeknd’s hit single “Call Out My Name” by a group of today’s leading jazz musicians – the New Masters featuring Immanuel Wilkins.
The piece of art selected for the cover image “Untitled (Grandassas in Car)” was shot in 1968 during a Garvey Day Celebration in New York by Kwame Brathwaite, who has a long history with Jazz having started his career as a co-founder of the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) before going on to photograph superstars like Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, and jazz greats like Miles Davies and John Coltrane.
Swizz Beatz says, “Jazz has always been magic to our ears. I feel like it should get more attention! This is the first step to pay homage to the great craft & art. Photography is also one of the best expressions of art and should be shown more often. Art & Music are brothers and sisters, so I thought it was a great match. I’m a big fan of Kwame and I also love I’m able to share pieces from my collection through Music!”