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Swizz Beatz Talks New Records With Jay-Z And DMX

Plus: DJ Drama offers details on his new tape with Gucci Mane, in 'Mixtape Daily.'

Behind The Beats: Swizz Beatz, Part 1

What's good, homies? For this section, we usually go hard in the studio with one of the top producers or DJs, but this is Swizzy -- he always has a million things going down. And when the superproducer calls and gives you a couple of exclusives, why wait? Furthermore, Swizz is bigger than the studio. You can catch him in an art gallery, shooting a video in Dubai or even at [article id="1616755"]Whitney Houston's album-listening session[/article]. Homes keeps himself active in all aspects of entertainment.

"I seen something on the cover of the XXL: 'The Death of the Super-Producer?' " Swizz said. "It was on the cover. I was like, 'I hope the f--- they not talking about me.' "

Swizz's career demise seems unfathomable. Besides Houston, he's working on that new DMX album, as well as some tracks for [article id="1613283"]Jay-Z's Blueprint 3.[/article]

"I've been kicking since '98," Swizz said, "That's what I told Hova: 'We did it in '99, and we 'bout to do it in '09.' That's a blessing. I've been around.

"I'm starting to feel like a senior citizen," Swizz laughed. "I have people coming to me, saying, 'I started to listen to you when I was 9.' But I gotta remember: I started when I was, like, 16, 17. I'mma be 31 in September. Sh-- is crazy."

Swizz said he and Jay should finish up some of their new work together this weekend.

"I like the album," Swizz said of Blueprint 3. "He gotta say a lot. You know who to come through for the gutter [beats]. He just called me from London, spazzin'. Me and Jay, we're so much into the art of music, and we're great friends. This album, we happened to get into a little bit. That sh-- is super fun. We're still working."

Next Wave Of Flav

On DMX's hip-hop album: "By him not coming out on [article id="1613406"]Summer Jam[/article] gave us the freedom to do everything we're doing right now [to make the album at our own pace]," Swizzy said. "I'm about to drop this joint that was supposed to be DMX and Jada, but it's gonna be DMX and Eve. I want people to hear Eve in that hard element again. X is on his A-game. They're in trouble. Just the lineup of music I have already done, ignorant! X is gonna come back so crazy. They are both on the way."

On [article id="1583469"]DMX's gospel album[/article]: "I'mma let him do his thing later," Swizz said. "Now we gotta stay focused on what we gotta do. We gonna do the gospel later. But if we do the gospel album, it's gotta be with the official gospel people: Mary Mary, this one, that one. I want it to be something that even in the gospel realm is respected."

On the next Swizz Beatz album: "I paused up on my album sh--," he said. "I'm on a different level of expressing myself. I'd rather express musically than lyrically. But any minute, I can go in the studio and jump on some sh-- I made for somebody else and not wanna give it to them."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From the Underground

"Gucci Mane Starring as Mr. T"? What's up with that? That's what's advertised on the new Gucci and DJ Drama mixtape The Movie Part 2.

"That's Gucci Mane," Drama said. "I'm assuming it's a jewelry thing. I think Gucci is trying to go for the crown, as far as jewels. I told him he's the new Slick Rick."

The duo have been putting this tape together slowly since Gucc was released from prison several months ago.

"Drumma Boy did almost half the tape, if not more," Dram said. "Drumma has a great working relationship. Just like Drumma did most of the first tape. He's been working ever since he got out. We went through a bunch of ideas for the tape. We even toyed with the idea of it being a freestyle tape over instrumentals. But Gucci being Gucci, and the project being a 'movie,' he wanted to go in like the first one and it being almost an album-like project.

"One thing I like about this time, it being 'the movie' and it being a sequel, it's a lot of 'Also Starring.' The tape starts off with 'The Movie Intro,' " Dram said. "You have an awesome intro, then you have 'Pressure.' Real gutter beat. Willie Da Kid is on that beat. Gucci is also spitting. Then it goes into 'Burr.' I put 'Burr' at the top of the tape because people have been taking Gucci's slang. 'Burr' is his explanation of what 'burr' means. Then you have 'Beat It Up' with Trey Songz. 'Lay It Down' is another monster song with Nicki Minaj and Shawnna -- the female side of things. I think them two are the [female] front-runners. The girls gonna love that. The tape is really The Movie. It's a bigger blockbuster. Bigger budget. On the tape, I say, 'It's the Transformers. Call me Optimus Dram.' "

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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