Swizz Beats on new DMX album: "He deserved it to be big"

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Swizz Beats has spoken about DMX’s eighth studio album.

In an interview with the Guardian, the American producer and rapper – who also previously worked with DMX on tracks including ‘Party Up (Up in Here)’ and ‘Ruff Ryders’ Anthem’ – revealed details about the making of ‘Exodus’.

“He deserved it to be big, and he accepted it to be big,” the album’s executive producer said. “That’s the thing: you can have a big plan for someone but if they don’t have that plan for themselves, it’s just you having a plan. The key with this is that he was ready.”

Released on May 28th – nine years after its 2012 predecessor ‘Undisputed’ – ‘Exodus’ is DMX’s eighth and final studio album. The New York rapper died in April following a heart attack.

Born Kasseem Daoud Dean, Swizz Beats also spoke about DMX’s charitable nature. “I know there’s a lot of negative stories, but DMX was a humanitarian,” he said. “He was a hero for the people. He would give clothes off his back to homeless people and walk home in his boxers. He would pull over the car and talk to a homeless person, or a mother that looked like she needed help with something.”

“He was doing this every day. It wasn’t for press or social media. The way you’d find out what DMX was doing was through other people posting it, never him. He never posted any of these good deeds at all or talked about them. I feel like that’s what people should know: DMX was a giver.”

Featuring the likes of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Alicia Keys, ‘Exodus’ marks DMX’s first work in 18 years for the legendary Def Jam imprint, which previously carried some of his most acclaimed releases including the 1988 debut ‘It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot’ and 1999’s ‘And Then There Was X’. ‘Exodus’ also includes additional features from U2’s Bono and rapper Nas, as well as Usher and DMX’s son, Exodus Simmons.