During a recent appearance on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s Drink Champs podcast, legendary New York rapper DMX revealed an unexpected collaboration set for his upcoming album. He surprised the hosts with news of a joint track titled “Skyscrapers” that features U2 lead singer Bono.
According to the Yonkers MC, his longtime collaborator Swizz Beatz brought the unlikely pair together. “It’s crazy,” DMX said about the track. “It got like a Miami feel to it. I feel like I want to shoot the video here.” He went on to compliment Bono’s vocals on the bridge.
As Vulture points out, Swizz Beatz and Bono have been “best friends” for years. “Bono, he’s a music lover,” the Ruff Ryders producer and rapper said in 2010. “I’m a music lover. We knew each other for a while through [Interscope chairman] Jimmy Iovine.”
The upcoming track isn’t Bono’s first foray into hip-hop. In 2010, he and U2 guitarist The Edge teamed up with Jay-Z and Rihanna on the Swizz Beatz-produced “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)”. The song appeared on the Hope for Haiti Now charity album and peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
DMX told the podcast hosts that he has just two songs to finish before his upcoming project is complete. His other collaborators on the album include the late Pop Smoke, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Usher, and members of the Griselda crew including Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Benny the Butcher.
The currently unnamed effort is DMX’s proper follow-up to 2012’s Undisputed. Seven Arts Music released an unauthorized album titled Redemption of the Beast in 2015.
Check out the full podcast episode below.
