This Teenager Produced A Track For Kendrick Lamar And Used Those Earnings To Invest In A Sports Drink Brand

Most teenagers are not deciding how to invest seven figures in music royalties. Egypt Dean is.

The son of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz has made his first public investment in Ballislife Drink Inc., the company behind the sports hydration beverage Ballislife HYDRO. But the money behind the deal did not come directly from his celebrity parents. It came from a music production credit the 15-year-old earned when he was just five years old.

Dean co-produced “untitled 07 | 2014–2016,” commonly known as “Track 7,” from Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 album untitled unmastered. Royalties from that single credit continued accumulating for nearly a decade, eventually giving him the capital to make the investment.

“Those royalties from producing for Kendrick have been building up since I was five years old,” Dean told Foodbeast exclusively. “At that age, I obviously wasn’t thinking, ‘investment money,’ but as I got older and watched it grow, I knew I wanted to put it behind something I truly believed in.”

Rather than treating the royalties as spending money, Dean said he began viewing them as a way to establish his own financial future.

“I didn’t want it to just be money that was spent and forgotten about,” he said. “I wanted it to actually mean something, to go toward building something real for my future. That’s why I’ve always seen it as something to build with, not something to burn through.”

Dean credits part of that perspective to watching his father, music producer and entrepreneur Swizz Beatz, build businesses and evaluate opportunities beyond music.

“A lot of that mindset comes from watching my dad,” he said. “Seeing what he’s built on the business side and how he thinks about opportunity has really shaped how I look at things.”

That mindset led Dean to Ballislife HYDRO, a wellness-focused sports hydration beverage positioned for the next generation of athletes. The company combines a performance-focused formula with the audience and cultural reach of Ballislife, the basketball media brand known for digital content, live events, and grassroots basketball coverage.

The company is also backed by a group of NBA equity partners and reaches athletes and basketball fans through content, events, partnerships, and community initiatives.

For Dean, who trains and competes as a basketball player, the connection between the product and the sport made the opportunity feel personal.

“I’ve always been passionate about basketball and creating my own path, so when Ballislife HYDRO came along, it felt like the right fit,” he said. “It’s basketball, it’s culture, and it’s a hydration drink built for athletes like me.”

Dean said the investment marks the first time he has publicly put both his money and his name behind a company.

“I’ve thought about business and ownership for a while, but Ballislife HYDRO is the first opportunity that felt worth stepping out and putting my name behind,” he said. “I wanted my first move to be intentional, not just the first thing that came along.”

He added that the company’s focus on basketball, wellness, and younger athletes made it a natural starting point.

“I felt strongly that it was the right starting point because it’s connected to everything I care about: basketball, wellness, and building something for the next generation of athletes.”

The investment also marks the beginning of a broader relationship between Dean and Ballislife. Beyond providing capital, he may participate in future marketing collaborations, retail expansion efforts, and other brand initiatives.

“Most teenagers spend money. Egypt chose to invest it,” said Benjamin Varon Schubert, co-founder and CEO of Ballislife Drink. “What impressed us wasn’t his age—it was the conviction behind the decision. He discovered the brand as an athlete, believed in the mission, and chose to put his own capital behind what we’re building. That’s the kind of long-term thinking you rarely see at any age.”

Dean is also continuing to pursue basketball and has begun attracting attention as a young prospect. But his investment suggests he is already thinking beyond what happens on the court.

A production credit earned at age five gave him the capital. What he chose to do with it may say even more about the path he’s building now.