Swizz Beatz Reveals He Has Enough Songs to Release a New Posthumous DMX Album
Renowned producer Swizz Beatz has hinted at the prospect of dropping a fresh posthumous album featuring unreleased tracks from the late DMX. Speaking exclusively to HipHopDX, Swizz disclosed that there is enough material to compile a follow-up to DMX’s 2021 LP, Exodus, but emphasized that the decision to proceed is yet to be finalized.
“We have other songs. Can we make a new X album? For sure,” Swizz stated. “Will I make another X album? I don’t know. It has to feel good.”
Swizz, known for his collaborations with DMX on hits like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” shed light on the mellower tone of Exodus. He clarified that DMX, before his passing, actively shaped the direction and production of the album.
“[Exodus], he actually produced and had all of the direction. A lot of people wanted to see X go harder, stronger — they even blamed me for it. But it’s actually what he wanted to do,” Swizz explained. “He was preparing to go to the next level and do TV shows and he was preparing to graduate his brand.”
Reflecting on DMX’s musical preferences, Swizz noted, “This is the music that X really listened to that people don’t know. They think he was just listening to ‘shoot ’em up, bang, bang’ music all day. I never heard him listening to that type of music; I always heard X listening to old classics, amazing music.”
Exodus, released in May 2021, posthumously featured artists like JAY-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, The LOX, and Alicia Keys. While the possibility of a new album lingers, Swizz recently reminisced about the creation of the iconic track “Party Up (Up in Here).”
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Swizz revealed that DMX initially hesitated to record the song. “If you listen to ‘Party Up,’ he does everything against the track. Like, you could tell he didn’t want to do the song. But I forced him because we were on a deadline,” Swizz recalled. Despite DMX’s initial reluctance, the track became a massive success, peaking at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieving triple platinum status.
