Egypt Dean has taken the royalties he earned from a Kendrick Lamar song placement and invested them into a sports drink company.
Ballislife Inc. announced on Tuesday (June 23) that Dean, the 15-year-old son of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, has reportedly made a seven-figure strategic investment in Ballislife HYDRO, per Business Insider. The product is a wellness-focused sports hydration beverage developed as a joint venture between Ballislife Inc. and Varon USA.
Ballislife Hydration comes in 3 flavors, Fruit Punch Fusion, White Peach Iced Tea and Raspberry Lemonade, and is available for purchase in 6 and 12 packs on the company’s website.
The capital accrued by Dean’s royalties has been earned by the high school basketball player since he was 5 years old, when he produced the beat that became "untitled 07 | 2014-2016" on Kendrick’s 2016 album, Untitled Unmastered. Cardo, Yung Exclusive and Frank Dukes co-produced the track, which debuted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 27.
On a 2023 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, Dean’s father recalled a studio session with Kendrick, which the now-teenager was present for.
“He and Kendrick were talking for, like, 40 minutes,” Swizz said. “I went over and said to Kendrick, ‘Is he bothering you? Should I move him? Are you enjoying yourself?’ He said, ‘No, Swizz, I had writer’s block and what Egypt is telling me is helping me deal with something. I was like, ‘Man, he’s five years old.’ To this day, I still don’t know what he was helping him deal with. I let it happen.”
While pursuing a career in music like his parents wasn’t in the cards for Dean, the high school athlete plays combo guard for La Jolla Country Day School in California. The teen encountered Ballislife HYDRO at the brand's All-American Camp last summer and shared it with his Instagram following before establishing a partnership with the brand.
"As someone who loves the game and spends many hours training and competing, I connected immediately with what Ballislife Hydro is building," Dean stated. "This was an opportunity to invest in something I genuinely believe in, a brand that's connected to the game and built for athletes like me."
