Haute Living (album)

Untitled

Haute Living is the 3rd album by American rapper and record producer Swizz Beatz, released through Full Surface Records, Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Atlantic Records, in a joint venture with Everest Entertainment, in a unique releasing way.

Background and development

The album was first reported in late 2007, shortly after Swizz Beatz's debut album, One Man Band Man (2007) was released. Although it debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard 200, despite a positive response to its upbeat production the album received mixed criticism towards its self-indulgent themes and the lack of guest appearances.[1] In an interview with Format Magazine, Swizz Beatz stated that he was already working hard on his second studio album, at the time under the title Life After the Party.[2] However, in 2010 the album was renamed on three occasions: initially, the album was renamed King Issues,[3] but later on the same day it was renamed to The Perception of Greatness.[3] After initially turning to fans to help decide on an album title, Swizz Beatz eventually announced, whilst in a New York City recording session with Mary J. Blige, the title would be current incarnation Haute Living, as he felt "it's the perfect phrase to state what he's all about".[4] On March 18, 2011, the track "V.I.P. Chillin" leaked onto the internet under the title "Chillin'".[5] The track labelled Dr. Dre as the lead artist, leading many to speculate the song would be included on Dr. Dre's long awaited studio album Detox:[5] however, Swizz Beatz confirmed in an interview with MTV the song's real title and also confirmed that the track would be featured on Haute Living.[6] In the same interview, he confirmed Dr. Dre was working with him on the album, and that the pair were also working on tracks for Detox.[6] He also confirmed that the duo had made roughly four tracks together, although it was not confirmed which album the tracks would feature on. He also praised Dr. Dre's performance on "V.I.P. Chillin'", stating that "he's energetic - he's vibing in a way that you've never heard him before."[6] In an exclusive listening session with Rap-Up.com, Swizz Beatz premiered fourteen tracks set to appear on the album, including previously mentioned track "V.I.P. Chillin" and also several previously unheard songs, including "Dance Like a White Girl" and "Instructions", among several others.[7] He also premiered unfinished versions of several music videos made for the album, revealing that the Reebok-commissioned video for "International Party" cost $1.4 million to shoot,[7] and that the video for "You Stay on My Mind" was shot in Dubai: he also revealed that he persuaded the Sheikh to let him use the airspace for only a dollar.[7]

Guests

The guests for the album include Britney Spears, Clyde McKnight, Eve, Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, Dr. Dre, ASAP Rocky, Ryan Leslie, Bono, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Alexandra Burke, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Nas, M.I.A. and several others.

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Up In This Club"
2.	"Dj Play That Beat"	featured Estelle
3.	"That Oprah"
4.	"Where The Cash At?"
5.	"Ya'll Don't Really Know"
6.	"International Party" (video released)	featuring Alicia Keys
7.	"Bonkers"	produced by Shama Joseph
8.	"Skyscrapers"	featuring Bono and Kanye West
9.	"You Stay On My Mind" (video released)
10.	"Instructions" (video released)
11.	"It's You"	featuring Mary J. Blige
12.	"V.I.P. Chillin"	featuring Dr. Dre; produced by Gnyus
13.	"Rock'N'Roll"	featuring Lenny Kravitz, Lil Wayne & Travis Barker
14.	"Everyday (Coolin')"	featuring Eve; produced by Joe Lindsay
15.	"Show Off"	featuring Alexandra Burke; produced by Swizz Beatz
16.	"Dance Like A White Girl" (video released)
17.	"Everyday Birthday" (video released)	featuring Chris Brown & Ludacris; produced by Swizz Beatz
18.	"Street Shit"	featuring Nas
19.	"Sreet Knock"	featuring ASAP Rocky
20.	"Hands Up"	featuring Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and 2 Chainz