For his feature on Jay-Z's 'Blueprint 3,' super-producer Swizz Beatz worked to set himself apart from other big name producers on the album, offering the standout party track 'On to the Next One.' The Bronx, NY-born beat master wanted to give Jay a unique record because he knew the hip-hop mogul was on a time crunch. We caught up with Swizzy at this year's MTV Music Awards, where he talked about music, and his collaborations with girlfriend Alicia Keys."It was a last minute thing," Swizz told The BoomBox of the song for Jay. "I didn't play him a hundred beats because this album is so important for him and it's so important for hip-hop. I waited [until] the last minute. I felt, the vibe's he had with the album. I said 'I know he doesn't have any Transformer (sounding) s---." The song intertwines a multitude of instruments providing a perfect assistance to Jay's rap style.
In order to gain inspiration Swizz routinely goes out and buys (yes he actually goes to the store instead of downloading ) music. "I buy everything," he said going over the newly released hip-hop records. "That's how I listen to my music. I bought the 'Blueprint 3', I bought everybody's stuff from the store... Raekwon's album [Only Built 4 Cuban Links Pt. II]...all of that."
On the personal side of things, Swizz has garnered several headlines for his budding romance with singer Alicia Keys. The couple got together in the midst of his divorce from wife of four years, Mashonda. Choosing to air her family's personal business, Mashonda stated that Swizz's relationship with Keys caused their split. Although he denies infidelity, Swizz played coy when talking about love for his new lady. "Love is a beautiful thing," he said. "My love is being spread with family and friends."
The lovebirds recently came together to work on the song 'Million Dollar Bill' off Whitney Houston's latest album. "Congratulations to Whitney [for] the number one album in the country. We did it! She made it through the storm and people should support that. She's one of us."
Swizz is prepping his forthcoming release 'Life After the Party.'
