Ep. 228: Hit-Boy | Success, Betrayal, & The Stories Behind Hip-Hop’s Biggest Anthems

Today’s guest has rewired modern hip-hop. His fingerprints live all over the last decade

but the real story behind that success is far more human, painful, and transformative than the headlines ever show.
In this conversation, he opens up about the highs and lows of being a producer in hip-hop: the pressure, the politics, the contracts, the moments that nearly broke him, and the breakthroughs that almost didn’t happen.

He also shares the lessons shaped by fatherhood, betrayal, and real perseverance — all while creating some of the most important and culture-defining music of our time. And The Writer Is... Hitboy!

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Chapter list
0:00 TEASER
1:20 Ross’ Intro
2:02 Fatherhood and Being a Full-Time Dad
5:12 Parenting, Hoops, and What His Son Really Loves
6:29 The Humbling Reality Check: Kids Don’t Care About Your Hits
7:29 Growing Up Between Pasadena & San Bernardino
8:34 Seeing His Uncle’s Success & Wanting to Be on TV
9:35 Falling in Love With Beat Programming
10:12 Learning to Write & Rap at 13
11:23 Selling His First Beat for $20 at 16
12:24 MySpace Era: The Birth of “Hit-Boy”
13:09 First Major Betrayal: Partner Gets Signed Behind His Back
15:01 Advice to His Younger Self: Patience & Self-Belief
15:23 Building Early Industry Relationships Through MySpace
16:13 First Time Inside a Real Studio (The Underdogs)
17:39 The Underworld of LA Sessions & A Young Hit-Boy Watching Greats
18:44 First Major Placement: Jennifer Lopez
19:06 Providing for His Mom With His First Checks
19:27 Growing Up Without a Present Father
20:22 His Dad’s Return & Going on a Run Together
22:04 How Fatherhood Changed His Time, Focus & Creativity
23:27 Recording Nas: The Hidden Role People Don’t See
24:57 Getting His First Publishing Deal (And the 18-Year Lock-In)
28:02 Staying Current: “I Update My Software Every Day”
28:21 First Big Hit: Drop The World Lil Wayne & Eminem
29:47 Why He Used to Clash With Kanye
32:00 The ‘N*****s in Paris’ Moment (Language Question + Setup)
33:35 First Song With Kanye: The Christmas Track
34:12 Making Music With Kanye, Jay-Z & the Good Music Family
35:40 Hearing 'Paris' for the First Time in the Planetarium
36:32 Realizing the Song Was Going to Be a Cultural Earthquake
38:23 Big Sean, Executive Production & Sharpening His Ear
39:09 How Drake Found the ‘Trophies’ Beat
39:52 Stripping Beats Down to Let Artists Shine
40:33 When to Stop Producing: The Minimalism Lesson
41:38 Depression, Contracts & Losing the Relationship With Drake
42:57 The Pain of ‘Trophies’ Not Making Drake’s Album
43:13 What His Publishing Deal Held Him Back From
44:22 Working From a Place of Fear vs. Freedom
45:01 Working With Beyoncé (Excellence at Every Level)
46:22 The Story of ‘THIQUE’: An 8-Year-Old Beat Comes Back to Life
46:39 Why Old Beats Deserve Second Lives
47:57 The Making of Sicko Mode & Travis Scott’s Explosion
48:20 The Greatest Timing Ever: Streaming, Social Media, Travis
49:00 The Long Journey of Sicko Mode (2016 → 2018)
50:13 Are Producers Songwriters? The Eternal Debate
51:30 Nipsey Hussle: Early Sessions & Mutual Respect
53:53 Nipsey Claims the Song: “I Need This for My Project”

Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.