During a recent livestream listening party via Zoom, Swizz Beatz gave a select group of DJs and music industry peers a sneak peek at DMX’s upcoming posthumous album Exodus, which Swizz also produced. Complex reports that attendees of the listening party have revealed some its possible guest appearances via social media posts. Some we knew already, such as Griselda Records’ crew of gritty rappers, or could have guessed, like The LOX, DMX’s longtime Ruff Ryders labelmates, and most frequent collaborators. Unfortunately, a planned Pop Smoke collab was nixed.
However, there were also some surprises, including yet another reunion between former foes Jay-Z and Nas, who are beginning to make a habit of appearing together on some of their most vaunted peers’ projects. Most recently, the two King Of New York competitors teamed up to issue a non-apology on DJ Khaled’s “Sorry Not Sorry,” and listeners from Swizz’s Zoom preview expressed enthusiastic reactions toward the track — the first to feature all three artists. It’s also the first collaboration between Jay and X since Jay fell out with both DMX and Nas in the late-’90s/early-2000s. The track reunites Nas and X for the first time since “Grand Finale”; they also worked together on “Life Is What You Make It” and the Hype Williams feature debut Belly.
DMX x JAY Z x NAS
TRACK IS CRAZY
SWIZZ PLAYING THE NEW DMX ALBUM pic.twitter.com/dIiH3sBjxQ— Uncle G (@DjG2uk) May 14, 2021
It’s track #2 on the album. https://t.co/doS5WVqizs
— TonyHanesDaDome (@EnterDaDome) May 14, 2021
Jay-Z previously collaborated with DMX on Blackout,” “It’s Murda,” and “Money, Cash, Hoes,” in the late-’90s, which sent both rappers ascending to the top of the hip-hop charts. With all three reportedly combining on a track for the first time, anticipation for Exodus will likely be higher than ever.
Exodus is due 5/28 on Def Jam.