Hit-Boy
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr.[1] (born May 21, 1987), better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he had signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. With this stimulus, he produced singles such as "Niggas in Paris" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Trophies" by Drake, "Clique" by GOOD Music, and "Racks in the Middle" by Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch. "Racks in the Middle" won Best Rap Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.[2]
Hit-Boy | |
|---|---|
Hit-Boy, 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. |
| Born | May 21, 1987 |
| Origin | Fontana, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | hit-boy |
In December 2012, Hit-Boy signed a recording contract with Interscope Records and subsequently founded his own record label imprint, Hits Since '87.[3] He has since expanded his production catalog with singles such as "Drop the World" by Lil Wayne, "Sorry" by Beyoncé, and "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott, all of which have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Career
Hollis got his start on Myspace when he received a message from Polow Da Don stating simply "Let's get this paper, pimp", and reached out to say he wanted to meet Hollis and discuss signing him professionally.[4] He has produced for big-name artists such as Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Selena Gomez and several others. The California native is one of the founding members of the collective brand Surf Club (along with fellow beat makers Chase N.Cashe, BCarr, and Chili Chill). Surf Club has become a team to host a number of artists as well as songwriters and other producers. Surf Club originated in southern California. They got their start in the industry in 2007, after linking with Polow Da Don's Zone 4, an imprint of Interscope Records. He began his work with Kanye West when he produced his GOOD Friday track, "Christmas in Harlem",[5] Big Sean, Pusha T, Musiq Soulchild and Cyhi Da Prynce. On May 2, 2011,[6] he signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music Label, produced the single "Niggas in Paris", on the collaborative "Watch the Throne" album created by Kanye West and Jay-Z, and produced the singles "Goldie" and "1 Train" for ASAP Rocky.
On June 7, 2012, Hollis released his first official song in which he raps, the promotional single "Jay-Z Interview", which was produced by Bink!. Later in July 2012, Hollis was featured rapping on CyHi The Prynce's mixtape Ivy League Club, on the song "Entourage". Hollis then released the self-produced track "Old School Caddy", which features fellow GOOD Music member Kid Cudi. These two tracks appeared on his first full-length project, a mixtape titled HITstory, which was released for free download on his official website. On December 23, 2012, Hollis secured a recording contract with Interscope Records, under the record label Blueprint Group, along with the L.E.P. Bogus Boys. Soon after, he tweeted: "2012 has been great to me and my fam. Feeling more blessed than ever. Excited to see what God has planned for 2013. TU."[7] On January 23, 2013, it was announced that his record label Hits Since '87, is now an imprint of Interscope Records.[8]
On June 29, 2013, he announced that he is no longer signed to GOOD Music, but still on good terms with everybody in the label.[9]
In 2016, Hit-Boy and Local Los Angeles rapper Dom Kennedy came together to work on a joint mixtape named Half-A-Mil EP, subsequently adopting the name (dropping the EP) as an alias for the duo. Half-A-Mil EP was released on December 11, 2016.[10] The mixtape consisted of five songs, with "100 Rounds" being the lead single off the mixtape. Following the release of their first mixtape, the pair decided to put out another mixtape a few months after their previous mixtape. Half-A-Mil 2 EP released on February 24, 2017.[11] The mixtape contained six songs with one guest feature from B.Carr. The duo would take a break and would not release music under the Half-A-Mil name. After some time, the frequent collaborators released Half-A-Mil 3 EP, continuing the mixtape series and being the last one in the saga. Half-A-Mil 3 EP was August 8, 2017.[12] The mixtape only had two feature from 24hrs on "Don't run" and Quentin Miller on the tracks "Might as Well" and "In The Hills". Also, the duo released a music video for both songs on September 7, 2017.[13] After releasing all three mixtapes, the pair finally released their first commercial album, Courtesy of Half-a-Mil, on November 29, 2017.[14] The album contains 14 tracks and numerous features such as Larry June, TYuS, B.Carr, Jay 305, and Ty Dolla Sign. The Tandem would go on to take a hiatus and not release any new music. Nearly two and half years later, the group would release their second studio. "Also Known As" was released on July 31, 2020.[15] The album consists of 11 tracks and features from 03 Greedo, 24hrs, and Nas. In 2020 and 2021, he produced the Nas albums King's Disease, King's Disease 2, King's Disease III and Magic
Production style
Hit-Boy uses FL Studio and custom music plug-ins to make his beats.[16][17]
Personal life
Hit-Boy is the nephew of Rodney Benford, from the R&B group Troop.[18] He grew up in Fontana, California.[19]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B/HH | US Rap | ||
| We the Plug (with HS87) |
| 27 | 15 |
| Courtesy of Half-A-Mil (with Dom Kennedy) |
| — | — |
| Family Not a Group (with SOB X RBE) |
| — | — |
| Bulletproof Soul (with Pacman da Gunman)[20] |
| — | — |
| Hitgirl (with Dreezy)[21] |
| — | — |
EPs
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [22] | ||
| What You Expect (with Big Sean) |
| 76 |
Mixtapes
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| A Hit-Boy Christmas |
|
| Love Notes[24] |
|
| HITstory[25] |
|
| All I've Ever Dreamed Of (with HS87) |
|
| Zoomin |
|
| Half-A-Mil |
|
| Tony Fontana |
|
Guest appearances and production credit
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Entourage" | 2012 | Cyhi the Prynce | Ivy League Club |
| "All Good"[26] | D-Why | Don't Flatter Yourself | |
| "The Long Way"[27] | Audio Push | — | |
| "Them Niggas"[28] | Inland Empire | ||
| "The Right One" | Wale | Folarin | |
| "Do Me Now"[29] | 2013 | K. Roosevelt | RoseGold |
| "Scream & Shout" (Hit-Boy Remix)[30] | will.i.am, Britney Spears, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne, Diddy | #willpower | |
| "Joy"[31] | Ryan McDermott | Ryan vs. the Sandman: The Tale of the Sleepwalkers | |
| "Feel It"[32] | Deezo, Problem | Ten10Eighty7 | |
| "Funeral Season"[33] | Statik Selektah, Styles P, Bun B | Extended Play | |
| "What Ya Used To"[citation needed] | Rockie Fresh | Self Made Vol. 3 | |
| "Circle" | Casey Veggies, Rockie Fresh | Fresh Veggies | |
| "Goldie"[34] | ASAP Rocky | Long. Live. ASAP | |
| "1Train"[35] | |||
| "Money ($ * / ...)" | 2014 | Mariah Carey, Fabolous | Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse |
| "Feeling Myself"[36] | Nicki Minaj | The Pinkprint | |
| "Boomerang"[37] | 2015 | Sevyn Streeter | Shoulda Been There, Pt. 1 |
| "I Mean It" | PJ | Walking Around Pools | |
| "Wonderful"[38] | Casey Veggies | Live & Grow | |
| "way back"[39] | 2016 | Travis Scott | Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight |
| "Other Shit"[40] | 2017 | Playboi Carti | Playboi Carti |
| "HOUSES ON THE HILL (album)"[41] | 2018 | 24hrs | HOUSES ON THE HILL |
| "Catch the Sun (from "Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack)"[42] | 2019 | Lil Baby | Queen & Slim |
| "Royalty"[43] | Nas | The Lost Tapes 2 | |
| "4 Thangs (feat. Big Sean & Hit-Boy)"[44] | 2020 | Freddie Gibbs, Big Sean & Hit-Boy | 4 Thangs - Single |
| "Bouncin"[45] | Kyle | Bouncin - Single | |
| "Fear Of God"[46] | Conway the Machine | From King to a God | |
| "DIRT ON MY NAME"[47] | Vic Mensa | V Tape | |
| "King's Disease"[48] | Nas | King's Disease | |
| "Don Life (feat. Lil Wayne)"[49] | Big Sean | Detroit 2 | |
| "Temptations (feat. Kid Cudi)"[50] | Ty Dolla Sign | Featuring Ty Dolla Sign | |
| "Composure" | 2021 | Nas | King's Disease II |
| "Lil League (feat. Quavo & Hit-Boy)"[51] | BlueBucksClan | ClanVirus 2 | |
| "What You Need"[52] | Don Toliver | Life of a Don | |
| "In My Feelings"[53] | Tee Grizzley | Built for Whatever | |
| "Evictions"[54] | |||
| "What We On (feat. Big Sean)"[55] | |||
| "Freshman 10 (Freestyle)"[56] | Big Sean | Finally Famous | |
| "Griots of the Crenshaw District (feat. Hit-Boy, Kamasi Washington and Robert Glasper)"[57] | Terrace Martin feat. Hit-Boy, Kamasi Washington & Robert Glasper | Drones | |
| "Judas and the Black Messiah Soundtrack"[58] | Hit-Boy | Judas and the Black Messiah | |
| "King's Disease II"[59] | Nas | King's Disease II | |
| "Magic"[60] | Nas | Magic | |
| "Corsa"[61] | 2022 | Hit-Boy and Dom Kennedy | Corsa - Single |
| "Scholar"[62] | Hit-Boy, 24hrs and Devin Morrison | Scholar - Single | |
| "Maniac"[63] | YG and Hit-Boy | I Got Issues | |
| "Wild Chapters"[64] | Conway the Machine, T.I. & Novel | God Don't Make Mistakes | |
| "A Father's Prayer"[65] | The Game | Drillmatic - Heart vs. Mind | |
| "Stupid (feat. Big Sean)"[66] | |||
| "The Black Slim Shady"[67] | |||
| "How Far I Came (feat. Roddy Ricch)"[68] | |||
| "Change the Game (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)"[69] | |||
| "Eazy (feat. Kanye West)"[70] | |||
| "THIQUE"[71] | Beyoncé | Renaissance | |
| "Sole Producer and Music Curator for EA Sports Madden 23"[72] | Hit-Boy | Madden 23 Official Soundtrack | |
| "Space Ghost Coast to Coast (Hit Boy Remix)"[73] | Glass Animals | Space Ghost Coast To Coast (Hit Boy Remix) | |
| "This Bitch Matters"[74] | Doechii | she / her / black bitch | |
| "Fireproof"[75] | Hit-Boy | Fireproof - Single | |
| "Jersey In The Rafters (feat. The Game)"[76] | Snoop Dogg | BODR | |
| "Checkmate"[77] | Cordae & Hit-Boy | Checkmate - Single | |
| "Tony Fontana III (feat. Currensy)"[78] | Hit-Boy | Tony Fontana III - Single | |
| "Gunehgar"[79] | DIVINE | Gunehgar |
Awards and nominations
BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards were established in 2006 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate hip-hop performers, producers and music video directors.
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Himself (Grindin My Whole Life) | Producer of the Year | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Award is an award presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. Hit-Boy received three awards from eleven nominations.[80]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Niggas in Paris" | Best Rap Song | Won |
| 2014 | Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2015 | Beyoncé | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Lemonade | Nominated | |
| 2019 | "Sicko Mode" | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| 2020 | Racks in the Middle | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| Best Rap Performance | Won | ||
| 2021 | King's Disease | Best Rap Album | Won |
| Deep Reverence | Best Rap Performance | Nominated | |
| 2022 | King's Disease II | Best Rap Album | Nominated |
| Hit-Boy | Producer of the Year, Non-Classical | Nominated |
References
- ^ . repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2000.
- ^ "Nipsey Hussle Wins Best Rap Performance". GRAMMY.com. January 26, 2020. from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ "Hit-Boy Confirms Signing with Kanye West". May 12, 2011. from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- ^ Gordon, Jeremy. "How Hit-Boy Went From Myspace to Kanye West's Speed-Dial". Bullettmedia.com. from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "Hit-Boy talks signing to G.O.O.D Music".
- ^ "Producer Hit-Boy Joins Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music Label". from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
- ^ Donaldson, Erich (December 21, 2012). "Hit-Boy and L.E.P. Bogus Boys Sign to Interscope". Complex. from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (January 23, 2013). . HipHop DX. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "Hit-Boy Parts Ways With Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music". MTV. January 7, 2013. from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ "Stream Dom Kennedy And Hit-Boy's Joint EP, Half-A-Mil". The FADER. from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ "Half-A-Mil 2 EP Mixtape by Dom Kennedy x Hit-Boy". www.datpiff.com. from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ "Dom Kennedy & Hit-Boy Join Forces For "Half-A-Mil 3" EP". HipHopDX. August 7, 2017. from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Half-A-Mil - In The Hills/Might As Well, from the original on August 11, 2021, retrieved April 12, 2021
- ^ India, Lindsey (November 30, 2017). "Stream Dom Kennedy and Hit-Boy's 'Courtesy of Half-A-Mil' Album - XXL". XXL Mag. from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ "Hit-Boy & Dom Kennedy Return As Half-A-Mil For "Also Known As" » Hype Off Life". Hype Off Life. August 5, 2020. from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ "9 Popular Music Producers Who Use FL Studio". Hiphopmakers. from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ . Concrete. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ Frydenlund, Zach. "Hit-Boy's 25 Favorite Albums". article. complex.com. from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "For Hit-Boy, Quality is Everything". Complex.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ "Pacman da Gunman & Hit-Boy - Bulletproof Soul". Apple Music. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Dreezy & Hit-Boy - Hitgirl". Apple Music. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ @billboardcharts (November 8, 2021). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (2/3)..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 9, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Big Sean & Hit-Boy - What You Expect - EP". Apple Music. October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "Hit-Boy - Love Notes (HS87)". DaMixhub. from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Hit Boy - HITstory (G.O.O.D. Music, HS87)". DaMixhub. from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "D-Why - All Good (Feat. Hit-Boy)". Rap Dose. from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "New Music: Audio Push x Hit-Boy "The Long Way"". Rap Radar. September 11, 2012. from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "New Music: Audio Push x Hit-Boy "Them Niggas"". Rap Radar. November 5, 2012. from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "K. Roosevelt f. Hit-Boy - Do Me Now | New Hip Hop Music & All The New Rap Songs 2011". HipHop DX. January 11, 2013. from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "will.i.am f. Diddy, Lil Wayne, Britney Spears, Hit-Boy & Waka Flocka Flame "Scream & Shout Remix". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. January 25, 2013. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ^ Sawyer, Jonathan. "Ryan McDermott featuring Hit-Boy – Joy". Hypetrak. from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ . Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Paine, Jake (May 17, 2013). . HipHop DX. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- ^ "Goldie - A$AP Rocky". spotify.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "1Train - A$AP Rocky". genius.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "Feeling Myself - Nicki Minaj". spotify.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ "Amazon - Music - Shoulda Been There Pt. 1 by Sevyn Streeter". Amazon.com. from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ "Wonderful - Casey Veggies". genius.com. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ "way back - Travis Scott". spotify.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ^ "Other Shit". spotify.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "HOUSES ON THE HILL". spotify.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ "Catch the Sun". music.apple.com. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ "Royalty (feat. RaVaughn)". spotify.com. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ "Freddie Gibbs Drops Celebratory "4 Thangs" Visual Featuring Big Sean and Hit-Boy". hypebeast.com. November 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Bouncin (Single)". spotify.com. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ "Conway The Machine's New Track "Fear of God" Enlists Dej Loaf". hypebeast.com. August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ "Vic Mensa Comes Out Swinging On "Dirt On My Name"". hotnewhiphop.com. August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "King's Disease - Nas". music.apple.com. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "Don Life (feat. Lil Wayne)". music.apple.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Temptations (feat. Kid Cudi)". spotify.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Lil League (feat. Quavo & Hit-Boy)". spotify.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "What You Need - Single by Don Toliver". music.apple.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "In My Feelings (feat. Quavo & Young Dolph)". spotify.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Evictions - Tee Grizzley". spotify.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "What We On (feat. Big Sean)". spotify.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ "Listen to Big Sean's "Freshman 10 (Freestyle)" Off 'Finally Famous' 10th Anniversary Edition". complex.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "Griots of the Crenshaw District (feat. Hit-Boy, Kamasi Washington & Robert Glasper)". music.apple.com. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Hit-Boy Executive Produces The Soundtrack For "Judas and the Black Messiah"". homegrownradio.net. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "King's Disease II from Nas". music.apple.com. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ "Nas & Hit-Boy 'Magic' Ups the Ante Following A Stellar 2-Album Run". hiphopdx.com. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Hit-Boy And Dom Kennedy Keep It On The West Coast In "Corsa" Music Video". vibe.com. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ "Hit-Boy teams up with 24Hrs and Devin Morrison for new "Scholar" single". revolt.tv. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "YG Drops 'Maniac' With Hit-Boy, Shares Tracklist For New Album 'I Got Issues'". udiscovermusic.com. September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "Wild Chapters - Conway the Machine, T.I. & Novel". music.apple.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
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- ^ "ALBUM: THE GAME 'DRILLMATIC: MIND VS. HEART'". rapradar.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ "ALBUM: THE GAME 'DRILLMATIC: MIND VS. HEART'". rapradar.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ "ALBUM: THE GAME 'DRILLMATIC: MIND VS. HEART'". rapradar.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ "ALBUM: THE GAME 'DRILLMATIC: MIND VS. HEART'". rapradar.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ "ALBUM: THE GAME 'DRILLMATIC: MIND VS. HEART'". rapradar.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
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- ^ "Madden NFL 23 Soundtrack Available Now". ea.com. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Space Ghost Coast To Coast (Hit Boy Remix)". open.spotify.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "This Bitch Matters - Doechii". open.spotify.com. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
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- ^ "VIDEO: HIT-BOY FT. CURREN$Y "TONY FONTANA III"". rapradar.com. October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "Video: DIVINE "Gunehgar"". rapradar.com. September 16, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Hit-Boy". GRAMMY.com. The Recording Academy. from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Hit-Boy discography
- Complete Surf Club discography