Swizz Beatz Goes From Monster To Godfather

Swizz Beatz is in a zone. The 44-year-old has been hammering away at the myriad of projects on his slate, which find him traversing art, music and various industries in between. Luckily, the New York City native is well-versed in navigating from one avenue to the next, a skill that’s fostered the expansion of his brand and base a quarter-century into his career.

The veteran hitmaker—whose resume includes classics by DMX, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, and countless others—is known for his electrifying presence. Lil Wayne’s recent single “Kan’t Nobody” boasts Swizz’s blistering fingerprint as well as a cameo from the producer in the accompanying music video. True to his grind behind the scenes, Swizz is constantly moving in the visual, always looking to accentuate and complement.

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Still, even Swizz can fall victim to the toll of building a legacy, as he sounds slightly lagged via Zoom on an early Monday evening. The boardsman declares he feels “good” upon exchanging pleasantries, but admits that between prior activities and his latest press run, he’s a little worn. “Long, long day” he says of his past 24 hours in a mellow, yet measured tone. “Long night and long afternight.” The conversation at hand concerns the hit crime drama Godfather of Harlem, for which Swizz helps curate the soundtrack to key scenes as Executive Music Director. Since stepping into the role prior to the show’s first season, his contribution to the series is a direct product of his background in Hip-Hop. He’s reached out to and collaborated with bonafide stars and newcomers alike over the show’s first two seasons. Rick Ross, DMX, 21 Savage, Pusha T, French Montana, A$AP Ferg, Dave East, BIA, YG, Freddie Gibbs, and Larry June are just some of the artists whose voices are woven into Godfather of Harlem’s story about notorious drug dealer Bumpy Johnson.

Another endeavor that Swizz has been prioritizing this year is Verzuz, the platform he launched with fellow super-producer Timbaland during the global pandemic. The award-winning concert series was sold to Triller the following year, but hit a snag in 2022 amid a legal battle with the network. Those issues have since been resolved; the pair plan to continue building with a revamped approach following their extended hiatus. This year also coincides with the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, as well as the 25th anniversary of Swizz’s 1998 coming-of-age. Now a top producer in the game, Swizz Beatz partook in the Hip-Hop 50 tribute at the Grammy Awards and will help lead a “Ryde Out” tribute to DMX on April 9.

He plans to celebrate both occasions the only way he knows how: with a positive attitude and a focus on moving the crowd. VIBE spoke with Swizz about his experience working on Godfather of Harlem, Hip-Hop 50, the return of Verzuz, and more.

VIBE: You’ve been the Executive Music Producer of Godfather of Harlem since the show’s inception. How did that opportunity initially come about?

Swizz Beatz: I got a phone call from Pharrell, my brother, and he was telling me that Forest Whittaker was looking for my number. And Pharrell said, “It’s this show based on Bumpy Johnson and Harlem and I know your family’s from New York and you’re from the Bronx and I think that you could kill it. Is it okay for me to give Forest your number?” I’m like, “Of course, you can.” And Forest called me and we kicked it off and now we have season 3. It’s been an ultra honor and blessing to even be a part of it.

How has your relationship with Forest and the whole team behind the show blossomed over the years?

Well, we started season one pretty cool. We started as like [a] family and I let them come to the studio and they was in there with the artists. Forest, Chris Brancato. Paul [Eckstein], and my whole team, as well, they got to be a part of it. So we was making the music it was like one big party in the studio instead of some corporate show that was like, ‘Oh, this is Disney. We have to stay corporate’ that wasn’t the vibe. The vibe was like ‘Man, let’s have fun and let’s let the music just flow. I loved that part about it.

Being that your background is in the music industry, how would you explain the differences between producing an album and a TV series?

I think it depends on if it’s my album because I have the freedom to do what I want on my album. I have the freedom to do what I want on Godfather of Harlem, which has made the music very unique because I don’t have to stay in the box or follow no rules, you know. Although I know the storyline, I’ma naturally follow that, but I’ve had the freedom to have fun that’s been one of the main reasons why it works.

How has your overall approach evolved in the curation of the music over the seasons?

Well, I discovered in season two that I can make better music if I made the music a character in the show. So now, when you see Bumpy, the music is where he’s thinking in his head. So “Get money, hustle, repeat,’ when the show first starts in season three, that’s what Bumpy [is thinking] He’s got to get money, hustle, repeat because he lost everything in season two, so that’s why I did the Jadakiss record just made sense. The stick-up scene is happening and all he’s thinking about is getting his money and getting back to where he used to be, by any means necessary. So what you’re hearing is just what he’s thinking in his head.

Right. Are there any other people that you lean on, as far as picking out the music for the show?

Yeah, I have an amazing team. I’ve got Grady Spivey. We’ve got Avery Chambliss. We’ve got Snags. I have a pretty amazing team that we throw ideas at in the studio sessions. You’ve gotta keep the energy, you know. You’ve got to keep the energy there.

Who were some of the artists that you had fun with that particularly stand out for season three?

All of them, I mean, I have fun with all of the artists. Whether it’s Saint JHN, BIA, it’s so many amazing artists. It’s going to be crazy. I don’t want to spoil it because I want people to see the scenes and then be like “Okay, got it.”

What would you say is next for Swizz?

I’m just getting back into my zone music-wise. I’ve got a lot of music coming out, a lot of different genres of sounds. I’m just at a point where I just want to have fun with it again and just give people what they want, especially coming off Hip-Hop’s 50th and spilling that energy in the room. I was like “Man, I want to create some more space for us to be on those stages even more.”

Are there any projects you could speak on or artists you’re working with?

I’ve got a Hip-Hop 50 collaboration with Mass Appeal and Nas. It’s like an EP that’s coming out that I did with them. RZA did one, I did one. They picked a bunch of producers to do it. So I’m happy to do that soon.

You already did that or you’re working on it?

Yeah, we’re mixing now.

Is there an underlying competition to do your thing, being that it’s gonna be other producers and representing Hip-Hop 50?

I can’t compete with the RZA. I just feel like everybody’s just got their lane and just have fun. I’m not treating it like a Verzuz (laughs).

Right. Speaking of Verzuz, anything coming up that we can expect?

Big, big, big announcements. The world know if they haven’t heard nothing from Verzuz for this long that, sh*t, something’s cooking. That’s a smart person [that’s] thinking that something is cooking. It’s been fun. We just.. Me and Tim wanted to reevaluate. We started in the basement and it went global, worldwide and sometimes you’ve got to pull it in and give the 2.0 version because you know what people want, you know, what you could have done different. You know, it’s like starting in a Mom & Pop’s store. Now, it’s like a major thing, so we’ve got to make it an even more major thing. So that’s what we’ve been doing, but when people see the announcements and the lineups, it’s gonna all make sense. And people are being patient with us. They’ve got other things going on (laughs).

Hip-Hop 50 is a big celebration this year and 2023 also marks the 25th anniversary of 1998, which was a big year for you, DMX and the Ruff Ryders. So what does this Hip-Hop 50 mean for you? And are there any big plans on that front?

Like I said, being there and really seeing that and feeling that, it made me want to make more music. So I think that I just want to contribute more music this year, in respect of it and give people more music. It’s a great reason to give more music because of the anniversary. And like you said, it’s the 25th [anniversary of 1998]. It’s like ‘You know what let’s put [ it out]. You know, this thing is still young. 50, that’s young. That’s young as hell right? So it hasn’t even started yet, technically. Most people get successful at 50. You know, when you look at most billionaires or millionaires, it happens at 50. The Warren Buffetts and the this and that, they didn’t really get their fortunes until 50. And that’s what started their life and started them being known and be able to run the world like how they’re doing. So I feel like we’re just now getting to it. So, now, what we do from this point is on us.

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