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Swizz Beatz on the Lost Nas–Frank Ocean Collaboration, Virgos, and His Confusing Car

Swizz Beatz attends Moet Rose Lounge Presents Nas' Life Is Good at Bagatelle on July 17, 2012 in New York City.
Swizz Beatz. Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Other people besides Frank Ocean have an album out today! For example, Nas, whose Life Is Good has been generating its own buzz since he unveiled the album art — a picture of him posing with his ex-wife Kelis’s wedding dress. There was also excitement over a track featuring Ocean, which could have been on the album if only Hit-Boy hadn’t “lost the drive while traveling.†But was a technical mishap really to blame for “No Such Thing As White Jesus†going missing? Because it sort of sounds like a “my text must not have sent†explanation. We threw the question out to Swizz Beatz at a Moët-sponsored dinner party for the album last night, and he mostly confirmed our suspicions: “Me and Nas had a little bit of a communication about [the song],†he said, “but it seemed like something that was just never finished, that’s all.†As for why he and Nas work so well together, he credits their shared sign: “[We’re] Virgo brothers,†he tells us. “I’m September 13 and he’s the 14 or something like that.†(And, yes, they have actual conversations about astrology.) Perhaps it’s because of his sign, then, that Swizz arrived in a custom car (Virgos: very particular). “This is a Lotus that I designed,†he said. “It’s the Swizz edition. I’m trying to figure out why the lights keep going off and on.†Maybe because people are getting too close to it? “I know, I know — I didn’t program that sensor on the car,†he joked. Also, you’re parked on a cobblestone pathway: There’s going to be foot traffic.

Swizz Beatz on the Lost Nas–Frank Ocean Song