Swizz Beatz‘s melodies have touched the hands of many great artists. DMX, JAY-Z, LL Cool J, Beyonce, and Whitney Houston just to name a few. While most of his melodies stand out and immediately bring you back to a certain point in time, “Touch It” by Busta Rhymes remains one of those unforgettable moments in the Poison producer’s discography.
During an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 program, Swizz revealed the “Touch It” beat was originally made with Eve in mind. Once E-V-E passed on it, Busta immediately conjured up his lyrical plan of action and the melody turned into a hit.
“She just wasn’t vibing on it at that particular moment, but Busta couldn’t wait to take it. ‘I’ll take it, duke. Give me it now. What are we doing?’ He started doing this dance. It was over in 2.1 seconds. I knew it was over,” he said. “I was like, ‘Should’ve got on that one, baby.’ Every time we’re together, we come up with different flows, even if you go back to “Tear the Roof Off” where he rapped to every drum pattern throughout the song. It was the first time anyone ever did that.”
Busta’s 2006 The Big Bang album hosted the original version of “Touch It.” The song spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also served as the jump-off pad for a stunning remix featuring Rah Digga, Lloyd Banks, Papoose, Mary J. Blige (a.k.a. Brook Lynn), Missy Elliott, and DMX.
Beatz and Eve’s working partnership didn’t stop after she turned down the “Touch It” beat, though. She’s rapped over the Bronx native’s “Tambourine” production, and prior to that, “Gotta Man,” “Love Is Blind,” and “Give It To You.”
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