Ever since the crazy success of Jay Z and Kanye West's "Niggas In Paris," producer Hit-Boy has been a hot commodity when it comes to beats, leading to collaborations with just about every big player in the rap game. In a new interview with Life + Times Hit-Boy talks about his future goals for his career, his admiration for Scott Storch, as well as what it's like to work with the likes of Hov and Drake.
Check out excerpts from his interview below.
L+T: Well – and this is a compliment – you really don’t have a signature sound…
HB: Yeah, and that’s awesome. That’s been my plan since Day One. One of my favorite producers ever, Scott Storch, his movement was one of the realest to me because when he was out he was doing different songs for different people. He broke Beyoncé, he broke Chris Brown, he brought Christina Aguilera back by doing multiple songs on these people’s albums. As soon as I get my shot – which I haven’t gotten yet – to really put somebody’s whole shit together, then people are gonna see what I’m made of. So until then, I’m gonna continue on my path, working with myself and working with Audio Push, K. Roosevelt, my artists and push those boundaries until we get noticed. I’m gonna change the game.
L+T: For those that don’t know, how did you first meet JAY Z?
HB: Kanye. Well first I met Kanye through Pharrell back in 2007. Then I was re-introduced to him by [Kanye’s] cousin Ricky Anderson back in 2010 when I did “Christmas In Harlem.” So yeah, I met Jay through Ye [laughs].
L+T: So how many times have you been asked to make another “Niggas In Paris” beat?
HB: Man, every single session, basically [laughs]. It’s to be expected because there’s a whole energy to it, like just the song and just the beat. There’s a whole movement behind it. People lost their fuckin’ minds when they hear that song, so people want to recapture that feeling. I’m able to do that. So I’m working with a lot of different people now, and I’m able to do what I really wanna do. Every time I do that, I win. I progress. The stuff I’m working on now I’m super excited about because I feel like I had a real hand in it. I feel like it’s gonna be my best stuff yet.
L+T: How about Drake? What’s he like in the studio?
HB: Drake is super chill, he’s cool. He knows exactly what he wants. He’s 100% the pickiest artist, like as far as when it comes to beats [laughs]. I’ve never met an artist who is so in tune with what his voice is going to sound right over, so you play him the shit you think is the best beat of all time, and he’ll be like, “That’s not really it. That’s not what I’m looking for.” Sometimes it’s frustrating, but hey man, his projects are awesome and I know the ideas we have in the pipeline – wherever they end up – they’re amazing. The world needs to hear them.