With his aunt Chivon Dean, and uncles Dee, and Waah Dean involved with the Ruff Ryders label, he began to produce tracks at the age of 16. He sold his first beat at 17 which became DMX's hit single Ruff Ryders Anthem. He started working with Ruff Ryders, Roc-A-Fella Records, Elektra Records, Epic Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Bad Boy Entertainment and his career blew up from there. But it wasn't until his first solo album, 2002's Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories, that he started to get notices for his production style and interesting ideas. He released two singles "Guilty" and "Bigger Business" and both had music videos.[
Swizz Beatz has his own record label called Full Surface which was helped developed by Cassidy and is currently working on albums by Cassidy, Jay-Z, 2 Much, 50 Cent, Drag-On, Papoose, Busta Rhymes, Ruff Ryders, Michael Jackson, Eve, T.I., Lil Wayne, Bow Wow, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Eminem, Lil Jon and Ludacris. He is also set to be recording the new album for his close friend DMX which is confirmed to be titled Walk with Me Now and You'll Fly with Me Later. It was also confirmed he will be working with Jennifer Lopez for the first time on her new album.
Swizz Beatz released his first proper solo album titled One Man Band Man on August 21, 2007, selling 45,000 records in its first week of release including songs such as "It's Me Bitches", "Money in the Bank".
On October 19, 2007, as an extension to his first solo project, Swizz Beatz launched a contest called Music Video 2.0 and The Source Magazine Presents "Share the Studio." The contest and allows unsigned/indie music artists the opportunity to compete on the Music Video 2.0 website for the chance to open for Swizz Beatz at a NYC event.
Swizz Beatz also did an interview with MTV about his next album stating he just leaked a record called "Hard Knocks" with Drag-On. It's the first offering from Beatz's upcoming follow-up to One Man Band Man.
“ Everybody is expecting 'It's Me Bitches' or 'Money in the Bank', I just want to use my opportunity to get a little more serious in the artist department, as a performer and lyricist. Not giving a f--- about radio and all that. I just want to give hip-hop something that's not on the radio. A lot of the songs I got can blend in on the radio, but 'School of Hard Knocks' don't blend in with nothing on the radio. I'm already in full mode. What they want me to do? Let's get it. I'm busting shots early — bong, bong!
The title is between Life After the Party and Remember Hip-Hop," he continued. "I'm in between them. I don't even have a date on my joint. I'm just feeling out the scene.
”
Part Of The Plan
Swizz Beatz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can
The time was the late 80's
Every block had a stray dog with rabies
Feens threw away their crack babies
Arguing with my brother
To see who pick the mouse up
Walk by open up the oven door to heat the house up
Everyday, police would swarm
Coming home from school
Your brains on your uniform
I wish I could fly away like a unicorn
I'm from the ghetto
And everyday a human born
So who cares if I'm stretched out on the scene
Surrounded by homicide forensic team
Yellow tape... (mmm)
Haters glad that I'm dead
Pedestrians walking by
And they just shaking their heads saying...
Trying hard to speak and
Fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can
What's hot, what's not
What should, what shouldn't be
Come on ya...
Who to say what couldn't be
Look at me...
I'm nicest not the ices
Sometimes I wake up and ask God
Who life this is
I look at these eyes
I'm only in this body
If you only could understand
The vision that I carry
White actors will be like
Puff Daddy when he interned
Men play with fire
Men get burned
To talk about this
The only thing I earned
I can rap talking about killing you like this
Or putting a whole in your head the size of that
But that would be cheating myself
And I can't do that... (Man)
Trying hard to speak and
Fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can
Man...
It all ends up on a back street
In abandoned buildings
Where the crack heads meet
All you hear is (coughs & sniffing)
And lighters flicking
Busy smoking
Baby dead
Rat poison in the kitchen
They so high
Walking by thinking she sleep
Don't even put her in the crib
Just cover her with a sheet
This is me in the building
17 with the bundles
and a gun up on me
And I shoot any n- run up on me
And for 2 years my momma looking for me
Crying running up on other kids
Thinking it's me
By now I ain't got no heart
N- I'm a gang member
Suited up and ready to start
Trying hard to speak and
Fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can
The first verse of Swizz Beatz's "Part Of The Plan" talks about the frustration that comes with trying to fix something that is broken. The singer is struggling and feeling distracted and unable to communicate properly ("Trying hard to speak and/Fighting with my weak hand/Driven to distraction/So part of the plan"). The second verse takes a dark turn, painting a vivid picture of life in the ghetto during the late 80s. The singer describes seeing stray dogs with rabies, crack babies, and the police swarming the area. He wishes he could escape the violence and poverty, but he is trapped. The final verse talks about the desperation that comes with being caught up in gang violence and selling drugs. The singer admits to being a gang member and being armed, and his mother is searching for him.
Line by Line Meaning
Trying hard to speak and
Struggling to express myself clearly
Fighting with my weak hand
Struggling with my limitations
Driven to distraction
Losing focus and becoming easily sidetracked
So part of the plan
This is how it was supposed to go
When something is broken
When things aren't working as they should
And you try to fix it
Attempting to make things better
Trying to repair it
Working to restore what was lost
Any way you can
Using every resource available to you
The time was the late 80's
This happened in the late 1980s
Every block had a stray dog with rabies
Stray dogs were a common sight in the area
Feens threw away their crack babies
Drug addicts abandoned their babies in the streets
Arguing with my brother
Disagreeing with my sibling
To see who pick the mouse up
To decide who would take care of a problem
Walk by open up the oven door to heat the house up
Using the oven to warm up the home
Everyday, police would swarm
Police presence was a daily occurrence
Coming home from school
Returning from school
Your brains on your uniform
Violence was a common occurrence
I wish I could fly away like a unicorn
Desiring to escape the difficult reality
I'm from the ghetto
I come from a disadvantaged neighborhood
And everyday a human born
New life begins each day
So who cares if I'm stretched out on the scene
Nobody would care if I died
Surrounded by homicide forensic team
Investigators are examining the crime scene
Yellow tape... (mmm)
Police tape has cordoned off the area
Haters glad that I'm dead
People who didn't like me are happy that I'm gone
Pedestrians walking by
People walking past the scene
And they just shaking their heads saying...
Expressing their disapproval or sadness
What's hot, what's not
What's popular or not
What should, what shouldn't be
What is acceptable or not
Come on ya...
Let's be real
Who to say what couldn't be
Who's to say what's impossible
Look at me...
Pay attention to me
I'm nicest not the ices
I'm kind but not materialistic
Sometimes I wake up and ask God
Occasionally, I question God
Who life this is
Who is in control of my life
I look at these eyes
Reflecting on my own life
I'm only in this body
I am only living in this physical form
If you only could understand
If only you could comprehend my thoughts
The vision that I carry
The dreams and aspirations I hold
White actors will be like
Reflecting on race relations
Puff Daddy when he interned
When Puff Daddy was starting out
Men play with fire
Playing with danger or taking risks
Men get burned
Suffering the consequences of their actions
To talk about this
To speak out about these issues
The only thing I earned
The only thing I deserve
I can rap talking about killing you like this
I can rap about violence and hurting others
Or putting a whole in your head the size of that
Threatening physical harm
But that would be cheating myself
That would be dishonest
And I can't do that... (Man)
I cannot be fake
It all ends up on a back street
Things always devolve into chaos
In abandoned buildings
Empty structures left unused
Where the crack heads meet
Where addicted individuals congregate
All you hear is (coughs & sniffing)
The sounds of addiction are pervasive
And lighters flicking
Drug paraphernalia is visible
Busy smoking
Addiction is all-consuming
Baby dead
A tragic outcome
Rat poison in the kitchen
Substances that are harmful are readily available
They so high
Addiction has taken hold
Walking by thinking she sleep
Assuming someone is unconscious
Don't even put her in the crib
Disregarding basic safety
Just cover her with a sheet
Without proper care or protection
This is me in the building
This is my life story
17 with the bundles
Dealing drugs at a young age
and a gun up on me
Carrying a weapon for protection
And I shoot any n- run up on me
Willing to use violence if necessary
And for 2 years my momma looking for me
Being estranged from family
Crying running up on other kids
Desperately searching for me
Thinking it's me
Mistaking others for me
By now I ain't got no heart
Experiencing emotional numbness
N- I'm a gang member
Being part of a violent group
Suited up and ready to start
Prepared for anything that may come
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY JOHN MARTIN, GUY RUPERT BERRYMAN, JONATHAN MARK BUCKLAND, KASSEEM DEAN, SHANDEL GREEN, WILLIAM CHAMPION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind