Swizz’ ‘Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2’ EP is out now.
Swizz Beatz
Alicia Keys Soaks Up The Sun In A Colourful Bikini During Mexico Trip With Swizz Beatz
Even at age 42, Alicia Keys is still a “Girl On Fire” in our books. The R&B vocalist has had a busy month touring through Latin America, hitting up cities like Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Bogota before closing out in Mexico this weekend. Her final performance took place on Friday (May 19) in Guadalajara, but before she hit the stage, Keys made sure to enjoy the beautiful country with her family. Paparazzi cameras caught her soaking up the sun on a yacht in Cabo San Lucas earlier this week, at which time she wore a bright, groovy-printed bathing suit that perfectly hugs her curves and shows off her abs.
As Page Six notes, after jumping off the massive boat, Keys showed off her adventurous side while kayaking through the blue water. Her sons, 12-year-old Egypt and 8-year-old Genesis were also in tow, along with her husband Swizz Beatz. Though she didn’t share any photos from her day in the water on Instagram the app has seen plenty of other looks from the New Yorker as of late, many of which are just as funky as her swimsuit.
Read More: Alicia Keys Receives Virgil Abloh-Designed Mercedes-Maybach From Swizz Beatz
Alicia Keys Relaxes on a Yacht During Tour
“Chile, you are beautiful beyond words!!! I cannot BELIEVE the love I felt from you!!!” Keys captioned a photo dump of her and the producer exploring the Latin country together during a stunning sunset. Elsewhere, the “Fallin’” songstress shared a video of her popping open a bottle of bubbly while cruising through the sky in a hot air balloon.
Ahead of her final performance last night, her feed lit up yet again with a message for patrons attending the show. “Guadalajara, let’s show them how to close out a tour 
. See you TONIGHT!” the mother of two wrote.
Read More: Shemar Moore Jokes About Time When Alicia Keys Turned Him Down
More Love for Mexico
Scroll further to check out Alicia Keys’ most recent IG posts from her time down south. Which of her vacation outfits is your favourite? Let us know in the comments. For more pop culture and hip-hop news updates, tap back in with us later this weekend.
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An Animated Conversation With Scar Lip, the Spirit of the Bronx
Rick Ross vs T.I.? Swizz Beatz Says Rozay Wants Another Verzuz Battle
Rick Ross already has one VERZUZ win under his belt, but according to Swizz Beatz, he is eyeing another battle.
While speaking with Timbaland on Instagram, Swizz revealed Ross’s wish.
“Rick Ross said he wanted T.I.,” Swizz said. “Rick Ross and Tip. Battle of the south. Crown of the south. King of the south.”
He added, “T.I., talk to me. Ross you can fly your plane to the party.”
Rick Ross wants T.I. in #Verzuz battle, says Swizz Beatz
https://t.co/52WCdDsvQr pic.twitter.com/CLkDEm0Ddg
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 15, 2023
Swizz Beatz And Timbaland, the founders and original owners of the VERZUZ platform, sued Triller for $28 million after selling the platform to the social media company.
Swizz and Timbo settled the $28M lawsuit, then took to IG to claim ownership of the VERZUZ brand.
Swizz Beatz & Timbaland claim they still own 100% of Verzuz despite Triller sale
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 14, 2023
During that convo, Swizz said, “VERZUZ is still 100 percent Black-owned.” He added, “50 percent on the top of your screen and 50 percent on the bottom of your screen. In case you ain’t know. Word to Allah. Okay?” Swizz ended it by saying, “It was built for the people, and it will stay with them. And we love everybody.”
The post Rick Ross vs T.I.? Swizz Beatz Says Rozay Wants Another Verzuz Battle appeared first on The Source.
[WATCH] Swizz Beatz And Timbaland Say They Still Own 100% of Verzuz After Triller Sale
Swizz Beatz And Timbaland, the founders and original owners of the VERZUZ platform, sued Triller for $28 million after selling the platform to the social media company.
Swizz and Timbo settled the $28M lawsuit, then took to IG to claim ownership of the VERZUZ brand.
Swizz Beatz & Timbaland claim they still own 100% of Verzuz despite Triller sale
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) May 14, 2023
During that convo, Swizz said, “VERZUZ is still 100 percent Black-owned.” He added, “50 percent on the top of your screen and 50 percent on the bottom of your screen. In case you ain’t know. Word to Allah. Okay?” Swizz ended it by saying, “It was built for the people, and it will stay with them. And we love everybody.”
The post [WATCH] Swizz Beatz And Timbaland Say They Still Own 100% of Verzuz After Triller Sale appeared first on The Source.
Swizz Beatz Proposes New Jadakiss “Verzuz” Battle With A Twist
Swizz Beatz has suggested a new twist to the usual Verzuz format for Jadakiss’ next battle. With the battle series set to return later this year, Swizz talked with Timbaland about what he would like to see from the upcoming third season. Swizz proposed pitting the MC against several of his contemporaries at the same time, based on freestyles rather than hit songs. “You know what I wanna see? I wanna see everybody versus Jadakiss,” he said. Timbaland responded, “Wait a minute, so five against one? Oh, okay.”
Jim Jones recently suggested that Jadakiss should have released an album after the contest to capitalize on the moment, a suggestion the MC agreed with. However, he wanted to get his business affairs right, and the Verzuz performance gave him leverage on the label to fix some stuff. Jadakiss renegotiated his contract with Def Jam and showed the world his worth. “My numbers went up for hostings and walkthroughs, for shows, and TV cameos,” he said after the battle. “Just in general my numbers went up. It also showed Def Jam that they got to do the right thing [and] restructure my contract. It really showed the world my true worth, what I can do.”
Jadakiss Doesn’t Do “Microwave Music”
Jadakiss has said that he definitely should have dropped something after the Verzuz battle, but he cannot do “microwave music.” He has a bunch of songs on the hard drive, but he did not feel that he could just put out anything. He said, “I still feel like I’m gypping the people if I just put out anything. You know, I like to cook my meals.”
Diddy has announced that he will face off against Jermaine Dupri in Verzuz at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on September 8, although the battle has yet to be officially confirmed by Swizz Beatz or Timbaland. Jadakiss’ next Verzuz battle with the twist suggested by Swizz Beatz will be something to watch out for, given his MVP-worthy performance in the previous battle. What do you think about the twist that Swizz Beatz suggested? Let us know in the comments!
Today In Hip Hop History: DMX’s Debut Album ‘It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot’ Turns 25 Years Old!
On this day in Hip Hop history DMX released his debut album It‘s Dark and Hell Is Hot. This is DMX’s most popular project to date, with Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood serving as a close second. Within the first week of its release selling 251,000 copies debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The LP went on to become certified quadruple platinum on December 18th, 2000.
This project came during a turbulent time in Hip Hop. The genre was coming off of the loss of two titans, Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., and was facing a change in what was hot. With the rise of high energy production melded with dark and oft-violent lyricism coming from camps like No Limit, Cash Money, and Three 6 Mafia, DMX’s sound allowed him to find his place perfectly within the current trend while add his own twist.
DMX’s melancholic realism spoke to the generation. This project was able to simultaneously turn the party up and cause its listeners to think introspectively about the concept of good and evil and existence as a whole. This album touched on the struggle and pain that came being DMX. As most rappers would glamorize the finer side of the industry life, DMX reveals through this debut that even early on in his career he had been wrestling with the demons that come with wealth and fame.
The stand out hit of the album, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”, has been deemed as a classic squad anthem. Produced by Swizz Beatz, the single peaked at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #79 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Following this album, DMX went on to release six other studio albums and rise to be one of the most popular and influential artists of the early 2000s. Shortly following the release of this album DMX made his film debut in the hit film Belly with fellow New York rapper, Nas.
The post Today In Hip Hop History: DMX’s Debut Album ‘It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot’ Turns 25 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.
[WATCH] Swizz Beatz Thinks Alicia Keys Doesn’t Like His Recent Gift: ‘It’s Still At The Dealership’
During a recent interview with Angie Martinez, Swizz Beatz revealed he doesn’t think his wife likes the $500,000 limited edition Virgil Abloh-inspired Maybach he purchased her as a gift. The producer added that his legendary siner wife never even picked the car up from the dealership.
“I don’t think she liked the goddam car,” he said, before Martinez pointed out that the singer did not seem like the “flashy” type either, so perhaps he has a point.
While Alicia likes to drive and collects cars, he says the gift is “still at the dealership” most likely due to the reaction social media has had on her gifts in the past. He also thinks that seeing the attention the car has received made her a little standoff-ish.
“I know she was already thinking like ‘are they gonna be on me if I bring the kids to school in this? Are people gonna know how I’m movin’?’ like [I’m sure] she start[ed] thinking like that way with it. She’s [was just] being very polite.”
The new car, which was unveiled at a car show last December, is a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class S680 model and was designed by Abloh before his November 2021 death in partnership with Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz’s chief design officer.
Watch the video below.
The post [WATCH] Swizz Beatz Thinks Alicia Keys Doesn’t Like His Recent Gift: ‘It’s Still At The Dealership’ appeared first on The Source.
Swizz Beatz Remebers DMX On “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” Anniversary
On the 25th anniversary of “Ruff Ryders Anthem,” Swizz Beatz took to social media to remember his dear friend, DMX. The renowned producer talked about how the success of the iconic song propelled his career forward. According to him, it set him on the path that led to where he is now. In doing so, he also paid tribute to the late rapper. The track “Ruff Ryders Anthem” was the third single from DMX’s album It’s Dark & Hell is Hot. When it was released, it only reached No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, after DMX’s death in April 2021, it hit a new peak at No. 16. Swizz Beatz has frequently expressed his love and admiration for his late friend in the past.
Swizz Beatz has been vocal about his grief over DMX’s passing. He has frequently shared tributes to the late rapper on social media. Furthermore, he has posted photos and videos of them together, shared personal anecdotes, and expressed his admiration and respect. Swizz Beatz and DMX had a long history together, with Swizz producing many of DMX’s hit songs and being one of his closest collaborators. It’s clear that DMX’s death has deeply affected Swizz, as well as many others in the music industry and beyond.
DMX Came To Swizz In A Dream
In an interview with The Breakfast Club on April 26, Swizz Beatz discussed a vivid dream he had. In it he says felt the spirit of his late friend and rap legend, DMX. Before revealing his supernatural experience, Swizz said that he felt like DMX wasn’t even gone. “Man, honestly, it don’t even feel like he’s gone,” he said. “It just feels like he’s away, somewhere chillin’. And then the anniversary will come around… and I’m like, ‘Whoa.’”
Swizz went on to describe his dream about the late rapper. “But the thing that make me feel easy about it is he came to me,” he continued. “I seen him in my dream. He came to me. And this was, like, super quick too. And he let me know he was good. I’m the person that be like, ‘He ain’t come to see you, what you talkin’ about?’ I seen him. I felt him.” What do you think about Swizz Beatz tribute to the late DMX? Let us know in the comments!
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