DMX has teamed up with Bono from legendary rock band U2 on a song for his new album.
Hip Hop fans have waited almost a decade for new DMX material, but that wait is almost over. In recent weeks, details have emerged of DMX’s first album in nine years. Fans can expect features from Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys and Usher. However, among the many star-studded features was a rock legend that will complement DMX’s rough style.
Speaking on the Drink Champs podcast with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, DMX revealed the features of the long-awaited project. One of the features came as a surprise, a song titled “Skyscrapers”, with U2 frontman Bono. On this song that pairs two great artists from the genres of Rock and Hip Hop, DMX describes it as a “Miami feel.” “It’s crazy,” DMX said about the track, speaking on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s Drink Champs podcast. “It got like a Miami feel to it. I feel like I want to shoot the video here.”
The logistics of Bono and DMX linking up for the song came as a result of rapper and producer Swizz Beats. Interestingly, Swiss Beatz features as executive producer for the record which at the moment has yet to be named. Swizz Beats previously told MTV he met Bono through record executive Jimmy Iovine, who owns Interscope Records. “Bono, he’s a music lover. I’m a music lover. We knew each other for a while,” Swizz said.
Furthermore, music fans will know that the feature with DMX isn’t Bono’s first appearance on a rap record. In 2010, Bono along with bandmate The Edge collaborated with Jay Z and Rihanna for a tune titled “Stranded”. He also famously stated in 2017 that current rock music sounded girly and saluted Hip Hop for it’s right of expression. He said: “Hip Hop is the only place for young male anger at the moment and that’s not good. When I was 16, I had a lot of anger in me. You need to find a place for it and for guitars, whether it is with a drum machine. The moment something becomes preserved, it is over.”