{"id":224101,"date":"2026-01-06T20:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T20:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/224101\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T20:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T20:36:09","slug":"hit-boy-is-free-and-pushing-himself-to-the-limit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/224101\/","title":{"rendered":"Hit-Boy is free and pushing himself to the limit"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 10:08 am in Los Angeles, and Hit-Boy<\/a> is late to our interview \u2014 but for good reason. He\u2019s been in the studio for three hours putting the finishing touches on his 2026 solo album, Software Update, which has already been in several years of development. \u201cAfter today, it\u2019ll be done, for sure,\u201d he promises over video call.<\/p>\n

Hit-Boy\u2019s enthusiasm is palpable as he recounts his morning so far and explains the premise of Software Update: levelling up and creating on his own terms.<\/p>\n

\"Hit-BoyHit-Boy on the MusicTech Cover. Image: Bradley Meinz for MusicTech<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with a free mind is completely different from working from a place of like, \u2018Fuck, have I really made it yet? Am I going back to poverty? Am I gonna go back to standing in welfare lines trying to get free fucking milk and cheese?\u2019\u201d he explains. \u201cNow, I\u2019m excited to be able to work on straight art.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might seem strange to hear the three-time Grammy-winning artist talk about being in poverty. He is, after all, the producer behind Diamond-selling records such as Ni**as In Paris by Jay-Z<\/a> and Kanye West<\/a> and Sicko Mode by Travis Scott<\/a>. But the past 18 years of his career were blighted by a brutal publishing deal he signed with Universal Music Group<\/a> as an emerging producer.<\/p>\n

Hit-Boy inked his deal in 2007, accepting a cash advance of $50,000, which, he says, was a lot of money to 19-year-old Chauncey Hollis Jr.. The terms of the deal, however, were archaic in a fast-moving age of music listening technology. His royalties, for example, were collected only from CD sales, not digital streams. It was only in 2011, when Ni**as in Paris became an explosive hit in the new online era, that Hit-Boy realised just how stifling the agreement was. He\u2019s since described the agreement as a \u201cprison deal\u201d, and reveals that it pressured him to try and produce hits even bigger than Ni**as in Paris \u2014 not such an easy feat, given its immense cultural impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always thinking about how to make shit better\u2026 I\u2019m not just settling\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, the Californian producer was officially freed from the contract, with Jay-Z, his entertainment company Roc Nation, and Desiree Perez all playing a crucial role in helping him out of it. \u201cIt is kind of crazy that I gave Jay-Z his first diamond record, and he helped get me out of my slave deal. That\u2019s a beautiful exchange,\u201d Hit-Boy told Stereogum.<\/p>\n

But Hit-Boy still has some mental barriers to overcome. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing therapy every week,\u201d he shares, adding that music-making serves as an antidote to any pessimism in his career. \u201c[When] I make music and feel myself getting better [at it], that shit feels better than money; a new idea, new creativity \u2014 that\u2019s better than a million dollars in my account. I\u2019m just taking advantage of this energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Software Update is just one result of Hit-Boy\u2019s renewed motivation from leaving the publishing deal and setting up his new home studio in Beverly Hills. \u201cThis shit has become a way of life,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery day, I\u2019m going into my studio as soon as I wake up, and just digging in. \u2018How can I dig deeper and just make my shit better?\u2019 That\u2019s all I\u2019m on. And that trickles down to every other part of my life; I\u2019m back working out again, trying to eat better, cutting out certain shit, cutting out certain people. I gotta move right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hit-BoyImage: Bradley Meinz for MusicTech<\/p>\n

And how else has Hit-Boy celebrated his freedom? \u201cI threw a crazy party,\u201d he says. But even that in service of his art. While the party was unfolding, he recorded a music video for Start Dissin\u2019 with Spank Nitti James, BabyTron and AZ Chike. \u201cI always make shit make sense,\u201d Hit-Boy continues. \u201cIt\u2019s all one thing to me. It\u2019s just music. It\u2019s art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides Software Update, Hit-Boy has been focusing on two other albums: Yeast Talkin\u2019 with Californian rapper Spank Nitti James, and Goldfish with fellow producer legend The Alchemist<\/a>. Both records, out now, see him move seamlessly between beatmaker and rapper, with candid lyricism and production<\/a> that flows from classic boom-bap into heavier, trappier sounds. Both collaborators, though from different sides of hip-hop, share one thing with Hit-Boy: \u201cThey never been on no industry shit with me. They never been thirsty to be seen. None of that. They both always deliver,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Software Update was scheduled to arrive before the two collab albums, but working with The Alchemist and Spank Nitti galvanised Hit-Boy. Goldfish arrived with an entire movie, starring Hit-Boy and The Alchemist alongside Rory Culkin, Blake Anderson, Sarah McDaniel and a slew of other actors and friends. Yeast Talkin\u2019, meanwhile, was a seamless flow of consciousness from Hit-Boy and Spank Nitti with no pressurising deadlines in sight. \u201cThat\u2019s just where I was at in life,\u201d Hit-Boy says. \u201cFeeling my freedom, feeling myself, just getting it off. The energy just called for us to just drop the joints. I just go off the organic energy, what\u2019s happening in my real life and how I really feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hit-BoyImage: Bradley Meinz for MusicTech<\/p>\n

That largely captures Hit-Boy\u2019s workflow: He avoids putting any pressure on studio sessions, forcing creativity on specific days, or imposing any kind of routine. He\u2019ll share ideas and progress online with his collaborators, and pull up to the studio when the feeling is right for both of them. \u201cThere\u2019s no best way, it\u2019s all whatever makes sense. Whenever we get time to make something happen, we just figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The producer has worked with icons such as Beyonc\u00e9<\/a>, Drake<\/a> and Nas<\/a>, but the creative relationships that matter most to Hit-Boy right now are more down-to-earth. When asked what makes his connection with his recent collaborators so special, Hit-Boy\u2019s answer is straightforward: \u201cJust being a real homie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Alchemist has always been solid with me, giving me advice, giving me techniques I could use, all type of shit\u2026He\u2019s just a cool dude. I\u2019ve been thinking \u2014 it\u2019s crazy \u2014 I got Diamond records with certain artists, got Grammys with people that won\u2019t even text me back. If we got a Diamond record and Grammys and shit, why the fuck we not working more? Why can\u2019t I reach you? That shit is weird. I just feel like I got real ones, and Alch has always been solid with me. I don\u2019t want to work with nobody who I can\u2019t get in touch with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything in my real life, I just use it as fuel\u201d<\/p>\n

Though he\u2019s revered for his collaborative work, Hit-Boy aims to make a statement of independence and self-reliance with Software Update. \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna see 10 producers on every beat on my album,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m really doing the music; I\u2019m writing my lyrics, making all the beats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dedication to perfecting this album runs deep. Hit-Boy\u2019s not just churning out hundreds of beats and picking 12 that work together, but is locking down an idea and refining it relentlessly until it meets his standard. This meticulous habit was inspired by a Kanye West documentary that he saw, in which West says that he\u2019ll work on tracks until they\u2019re perfect. For Hit-Boy, that can mean playing back tracks endlessly, to the frustration of others who are in the studio with him \u2014 but that continues until he no longer feels his \u201ccritical ear\u201d is in the studio, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be up at 1 am sometimes playing mixes and being like, \u2018Okay, I can fix this. I can make this better,\u2019\u201d Hit-Boy says. \u201cI\u2019m always thinking about how to make shit better, especially with this Software Update mindset. I\u2019m not just settling. I\u2019m pushing myself to the fucking limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hit-BoyImage: Bradley Meinz for MusicTech<\/p>\n

Part of his new \u2018levelling up\u2019 mindset has involved a shift in his studio setup. Hit-Boy splits his creative time between his Beverly Hills home setup and his studio in North Hollywood; neither is jam-packed with gear, the producer preferring a minimal setup with his essential tools. \u201cAs long as I have Pro Tools<\/a> and FL Studio<\/a>, everything else will get figured out,\u201d he says, adding that a trusty pair of KRK<\/a> monitors<\/a> are crucial to his home setup.<\/p>\n

Producers reading this may remember Hit-Boy\u2019s appearance in a ubiquitous 2019 commercial for Output<\/a>\u2019s Arcade plugin<\/a> in which he famously claimed: \u201cIf I had this when I was maybe 20, I\u2019d probably be a billionaire by now.\u201d He laughs when we mention it today, but doubles down on the power of plugins and programming. Recently, he\u2019s started experimenting with AI<\/a>\u2013powered plugins, too, including a voice changer, which can be heard on the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m literally dialling in my exact melodies, my exact words, and just changing the voice,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s been fun. I changed my voice to a female voice a couple of times on the album, and people have been like, \u2018Yo, who is that girl singing?\u2019 That\u2019s me! I just utilise it as an instrument.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hit-BoyImage: Bradley Meinz for MusicTech<\/p>\n

The laptop-driven Beverly Hills setup also lets Hit-Boy balance production with fatherhood: he can drop his five-year-old son off at school and be back making beats by 8:30 am. The school run is rarely soundtracked by Hit-Boy music, however \u2014 it\u2019s mostly K-Pop Demon Hunters and Henry Danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do I gotta do to make him want to get in the car and play my music?!\u201d says Hit-Boy, laughing in mock exasperation. \u201cBut he\u2019s everything. He\u2019s pushing me every day. I played the whole album, and it got to a song I hadn\u2019t played in a while, but he remembered. He was like, \u2018Oh, you haven\u2019t played this song in a while; I still like it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing that comes up frequently in our conversation is just how much inspiration Hit-Boy finds in everyday life. Despite an upbringing marked by struggle, with his father, Big Hit, serving multiple sentences in prison as Hit-Boy grew up, and with the 18-year publishing deal always looming, Hit-Boy has still kept optimistic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get inspired by every single thing in life, bro. My crib in Beverly Hills is surrounded by greenery and palm trees, and crazy scenery in the middle of the mountains. So even being in my studio, it\u2019s just a different perspective. I\u2019m enjoying just listening back to my verses in the headphones<\/a>, looking at the trees \u2014 that shit is inspiring. My son is inspiring to me. Everything in my real life, I just use it as fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just go off the organic energy, what\u2019s happening in my real life and how I really feel\u201d<\/p>\n

With Software Update dropping in early 2026, Hit-Boy\u2019s sights are set firmly on \u201cgreatness\u201d, he says. What does that look like in practice? \u201cThe whole Billboard Top 10 produced by Hit-Boy\u2026 One day I feel like that shit could happen, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looks to the late Quincy Jones<\/a> as an icon for greatness in music production, citing his untiring commitment to the craft up until his death at age 90.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just going til I can\u2019t think of shit anymore. I don\u2019t know how that\u2019s gonna happen; I get inspired every day. I feel like I only just started making beats.\u201d<\/p>\n

And at 38 years old, Hit-Boy isn\u2019t late at all. He has all the time in the world \u2014 and he plans to use it well.<\/p>\n

Hit-Boy\u2019s Software Update is on the way<\/p>\n

Words: Sam Willings
Photography: Bradley Meinz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s 10:08 am in Los Angeles, and Hit-Boy is late to our interview \u2014 but for good reason.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224102,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[122870,122871,146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-224101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-artist-producer-dj","tag-digital-covers","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}