Swizz Beatz

With whizzing, NYE synths and hard, quick beats, Swizz knows how to create tension in his productions. The style lends a dizzying, almost circular propulsion to club tracks "It's Me B*tches" and "Money in the Bank." Though no one is going to confuse the producer with a great rapper -- his lyrics are trite and his flow limited -- he does have a magnetic personality that seethes from nearly every track. The album seems too short, and when Swizz tries to get serious (see "Part of the Plan"), it even drags, but most tracks hit their mark.

Like seemingly every other hip-hop and R&B producer with a half-dozen big-time credits,
Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean has decided to grab the mike. On his first solo album, Swizz,
who has made beats for Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Beyoncé, raps with gruff, proficient
braggadocio -- in other words, not exactly enough to carry an entire album. But despite
some duff rhymes and a token piece of social conscience called "The Funeral,"... More >