Swizz Beatz spearheaded the goal of making sure DMX had a homegoing that matched his iconic career, but he couldn’t accomplish this task alone. So, Swizz tapped another super producer-turned-mogul, Kanye West, to help make his vision come to life.
Swizz revealed during X’s service that Kanye West designed the stage and manned the production which centered around West’s Sunday Service choir. In a recent interview with Hot 97, Swizz stated that West was solely motivated by his love for DMX to contribute to his homegoing.
“It was a very genuine act of love and support from ‘Ye. There wasn’t much talking or negotiating,” he said around the interview’s 13-minute mark. “X Showed up to his Sunday Service and was a big fan of it and I knew this was something X would want to do. And Kanye more than happy to facilitate his expertise. … It was last minute. That’s why it wasn’t televised when people got in there because the stage was still being built.”
Swizz Beatz and DMX had a relationship that’s hard to replicate. When describing the beginning of their connection, Swizz decided to recall a story the rapper told in his book, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
“The relationship with DMX started with me stealing a radio off a bus that he dared me to do,” Swizz said, laughing. “We was in Yonkers walking… He was like ‘You cool, but do you got any heart?’ … We was walking and he was like ‘Bet you won’t take that radio off that bus.’ … I think I was like 16. And that radio because the radio that he wrote a lot of the classics y’all heard.”
These classics won’t be the last fans hear from DMX. Swizz once again went on record calling X’s posthumous album a masterpiece and revealed its May 28 release date to Hot 97.
