Swizz Beatz Inks New Album Deal, Lines Up All-Star Features
The honeymoon is over for Swizz Beatz. After tying the knot with Alicia Keys and vacationing in the Mediterranean, the producer-rapper is getting back to business with a new album and record deal.
The Grammy-winning hitmaker, who was previously signed as an artist to Universal Motown, has inked a new deal with Everest Entertainment and Atlantic/Warner Records to release his second, as-yet-untitled solo album. The set, due this fall, is expected to feature A-List talent including Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Coldplay, John Legend, Drake, and T.I.
If you’re not familiar with Everest, that’s because the company is mainly known for producing films such as Sony Pictures Classics’ Mother and Child, directed by Rodrigo Garcia, and Fox Searchlight’s upcoming comedy Win Win. This marks Everest’s first foray into the music business.
“I couldn’t ask to be in a better place right now,” Swizz said in a statement. “Both Everest and the Atlantic/Warner team have been great and I’m looking forward to sharing this project with true fans of good music.”
With the new record, the 32-year-old Bronx native is setting out to make music that will leave a lasting impression. “2010 I feel is my graduation year and so I want to graduate my brand, my image, my music, my sound, my audience, my reach—everything, so my album is going to reflect that,” he told Rap-Up TV. “I traveled to different countries and collected sounds and am bringing it back to the culture. Nobody’s really raising the bar. In music, there’s things that artists are just getting by with. I feel like we need to bring something more tangible to the table so it’s not a bubblegum factory where the fans are chewing up the latest flavor and spitting it out.”
Photo by Cassidy Maldonado for Rap-Up