{"id":254806,"date":"2026-04-10T09:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=254806"},"modified":"2026-04-10T09:05:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:05:17","slug":"hit-boy-on-working-with-travis-scott-and-drake-to-jay-z-beyonce-and-more-superstars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/hit-boy-on-working-with-travis-scott-and-drake-to-jay-z-beyonce-and-more-superstars\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Producers don\u2019t get the recognition and respect that we deserve a lot of the time. We\u2019re literally half of the song.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

MBW\u2019s World\u2019s Greatest Producers series sees us interview \u2013 and celebrate \u2013 some of the outstanding talents working in studios across the decades.\u00a0This time out, we meet Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., aka\u00a0Hit-Boy, who has worked with hip-hop\u2019s biggest superstars, from\u00a0Travis Scott<\/a>\u00a0and Drake, to Jay Z & Kanye West, Beyonc\u00e9,\u00a0<\/i>Lil Wayne & Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Nas and more<\/strong>.\u00a0World\u2019s Greatest Producers is supported by\u00a0Kollective Neighbouring Rights<\/a>, the neighbouring rights agent that empowers and equips clients with knowledge to fully maximise their earnings.<\/p>\n

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If you call yourself Hit-Boy, you\u2019d better not miss.<\/p>\n

And, thankfully, that has not been a problem of late for Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr, now much better known by his ubiquitous producer name.<\/p>\n

Hit-Boy has rewritten rap\u2019s coding multiple times. And, while hip-hop innovation and chart success don\u2019t always go hand-in-hand, he has also been on a generational run as a hitmaker.<\/p>\n

From Travis Scott & Drake\u2019s Sicko Mode<\/i> to Jay Z & Kanye West\u2019s Ni**as In Paris<\/i> via Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Texas Hold \u2018Em<\/i>, Lil Wayne & Eminem\u2019s Drop The World<\/i>, Kendrick Lamar\u2019s Backseat Freestyle<\/i>, multiple classic Nas albums and songs by everyone from Ariana Grande to Doechii, Hit-Boy has always been nominative determinism in excelsis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably manifested that run with the name alone,\u201d he chuckles. \u201cI\u2019m always excited to do this shit, especially when I\u2019m truly inspired. Every time I throw, I\u2019m like, \u2018Damn, I\u2019ve got new codes\u2019. I feel like a new artist every day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the new version of me, the free version. I\u2019m thinking way clearer now.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And, indeed, as well as his stellar production work, Hit-Boy\u2019s next target is to conquer the rap world as an artist in his own right.<\/p>\n

Young Chauncey actually started as a rapper growing up in Fontana, California, following in the footsteps of his uncle Rodney Benford (who had a successful music career in R&B group Troop) and father Big Hit (whose rap career was derailed by a lengthy jail term, then revived when he cut multiple projects with his son on release, although Hit Senior is now sadly back in jail).<\/p>\n

Pretty soon, however, Hit-Boy \u201ctook so much liking to the beats\u201d that he moved into production. After putting his work on MySpace, he was signed up by producer Polow Da Don, relocated to Atlanta and then moved to work in-house at Kanye West\u2019s G.O.O.D Music, on his way to his current status as hip-hop\u2019s hitmaker-in-chief.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, he\u2019s spreading his own artistic wings. After stepping back from social media for the first half of 2025, he\u2019s now everywhere: releasing both his collaborative high-concept Goldfish<\/i> project with fellow super-producer The Alchemist (\u201cWe\u2019ve been tapped in with each other for years, and we eventually knew we had to do a full-length together\u201d) and the Yeast Talkin\u2019 album with his long-time musical foil, Spank Nitti James (\u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot of collaborations together, so it was only right that we united for a full tape\u201d).<\/p>\n

His much-touted solo album proper, SFTWRE UPDTE<\/i>, is imminent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese projects showcase a different side of my artistry, as I continue to embrace my new creative freedom,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is going to be the new version of me, the free version. I\u2019m thinking way clearer right now, there\u2019s so much that can be done still. Let\u2019s get it started!\u201d<\/p>\n

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