From “N***as in Paris” with Kanye and Jay-Z to King’s Disease with Nas -- Inside the Mind of One of Hip-Hop’s Greatest Producers
Hit-Boy -- born Chauncey Hollis -- is one of the most consistently brilliant hip-hop producers of his generation. He made “N***as in Paris” with Jay-Z and Kanye West, produced the Grammy-winning King’s Disease series with Nas, and has built one of the most enviable catalogues in the genre with records for Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Big Sean, and dozens of others. He has been winning at the highest level of hip-hop for over a decade, and he has done it by being in rooms with the greatest artists alive and consistently delivering.
In this conversation with Elmo, Hit-Boy opens up about how he actually works -- the process behind his most iconic records, what it was like to build a creative relationship with Nas deep enough to make three albums together, and what he has learned about producing at the highest level of hip-hop from years of doing exactly that.
“The beat has to make the rapper feel like they can say something they’ve never said before. That’s the whole job.”
The full story of making one of hip-hop’s most iconic records -- what the session was like, what Jay and Kanye were doing in that room, and how a track that became a cultural landmark actually got built. His account of what it felt like to be in the creative center of Watch the Throne, and what that record taught him about working at the very highest level.
How Hit-Boy built a creative relationship with Nas deep enough to produce King’s Disease, King’s Disease II, and Magic -- three albums that gave Nas some of the best critical reception of his career. His account of what it takes to earn a legend’s trust, what Nas is like in the studio, and what the process of making those records revealed about both of them as artists.
His specific and detailed account of how he actually constructs a record -- the process, the instincts, the technical decisions, and the specific things he is listening for when he sits down to make something. Not the generic version but the actual mechanics of how one of hip-hop’s most prolific and successful producers approaches a blank canvas.
What it’s like to be in a creative session with Kendrick Lamar -- the level of intentionality, the standards, the specific way Kendrick approaches a record and what that demands from the people around him. His account of what it takes to hold your own in that room and what Kendrick has taught him about what it means to take music seriously.
How Hit-Boy has navigated the business side of being one of hip-hop’s most in-demand producers -- the deals, the credits, the relationships, and the long game of building a career in a genre where the next beat is always the audition. His practical perspective on what it takes to stay at the top for a decade and what most producers get wrong about longevity.
His account of where he wants to take his career from here -- the artists he wants to work with, the records he wants to make, and the creative goals that keep him motivated after everything he has already accomplished. His honest answer about what is still missing from his catalogue and why it matters to him.
The “N***as in Paris” story: the specific account of what happened in that session -- who was in the room, what the creative energy was like, and how a beat became one of the defining records of the era. His account of the moment he knew it was something extraordinary and what it has meant for his career since.
On earning Nas’s trust: his specific account of how the King’s Disease relationship developed -- the conversations they had, the creative risks they took together, and the specific things Nas said and did that revealed the depth of his investment in the project. One of the most revealing accounts of a producer-artist creative partnership you will find.
His process on the boards: a specific, technical window into how Hit-Boy actually builds -- the sounds, the drums, the structure, and the specific instincts he has developed over years of making beats for the greatest rappers alive. The most practically useful part of this conversation for anyone who makes music.
On staying relevant: his honest answer to how he has stayed at the top of hip-hop production for over a decade when most producers cycle in and out of relevance much faster -- what he does to stay hungry, what he does to stay current, and what he simply refuses to compromise on.