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Swizz Beatz Has Some Major Praise for Kanye West's Waves Album

He claims "it’s one of the best albums I heard him produce in a while."

For better or worse Kanye West’s forthcoming album (currently titled Waves) is one of hip hop’s most anticipated for 2016. From name changes (which stirred beef) to handwritten tracklist postings to pushbacks and delays, February 11 will cause discussion throughout the music world like any ‘Ye album does.

Swizz Beatz was one of the producers who made the album’s linear notes and in recently speaking with Billboard he called Waves – which he was able to hear in full – one of Yeezy’s best works in a while.

“I had the pleasure of working on a few tracks for the album,” he explained when asked about his involvement. “It’s one of the best albums I heard him produce in a while. It’s a sound that I think is very enjoyable. The sonics and the things that people are gonna hear – I think they should connect to it, like close their eyes [away] from all of the B.S. and think about the music when you listen to the album ‘cause it’s a lotta noise outta there.”

Also during the interview, Swizz detailed his involvement in the art community and recalled how he became interested in art and collecting it years later.

“I grew up in the South Bronx. Art was around me from birth,” he said. “Seeing those graffiti on the trains and the handball courts, I didn’t pay any attention to them. I just looked at the colors like, ‘Oh, okay that’s nice how they painted it. How they do that?’ Keep it moving but I was building a database internally, visually not even knowing, just like sonically with music, going to the back park and looking at the DJs but not paying attention.”

Kanye West’s Waves album (formerly known as SWISH) will be his seventh solo studio LP and his first since 2013’s YEEZUS. The album is slated to feature 10 tracks and artist appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, Post Malone, and Vic Mensa, among others.

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(Photos from left: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for H&M, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images) 

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