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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images via ABCAs the producer of numerous hits including “Ring the Alarm” and “Check on It” for Beyonce, and “Fancy” for Drake, Swizz Beatz knows how to create popular songs. But surprisingly, he didn’t want any potential number one songs on his upcoming solo album, Poison.
“I took all the hits off my record, meaning anything that felt too big that the rest of the record wouldn’t live,” he tells Pitchfork.com.
The follow-up to his 2007 debut solo album, One Man Band Man, features plenty of star power, including Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Lil Wayne, Pusha-T, and 2 Chainz. However, Beatz decided to cut three superstars from the album because he felt their tracks would become what he didn’t want: hits.
Unbelievably, a song with Kanye West and Bono from U2, and another one featuring Bruno Mars, were cut from the album. Beatz explains he may place those tracks on his next album, but not on Poison.
“This particular record I wanted to occupy the ground floor,” Beatz says, “which I came from, polish that, and then let people come with me to the middle of the building or the penthouse or the roof, and then just start everything over again.”
The 39-year-old artist/producer explains that the album title is a reflection of the current state of the world.
“Everything is poison,” Beatz says. “You look at the times we live in, you look at everything, and in order to get past that, you have to address that. You can’t just skip over it.”
Beatz has not yet announced a release date for Poison.
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