Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (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 Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's GOOD Music production branch. With this stimulus, he produced singles such as " Niggas in Paris" by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

, "

Trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

" by

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, " Clique" by GOOD Music, and " Racks in the Middle" by

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

featuring Roddy Ricch. "Racks in the Middle" won

Best Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which p ...

at the

2020 Grammy Awards The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. Ali ...

. In December 2012, Hit-Boy signed a recording contract with

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

and subsequently founded his own record label imprint, Hits Since '87. He has since expanded his production catalog with singles such as "

Drop the World "Drop the World" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, featuring fellow American rapper Eminem. It was the third single released from Lil Wayne's seventh studio album, ''Rebirth'' (2010). The song was released on iTunes on December 28, 2009. Lil ...

" by

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, " Sorry" by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

, and " Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott, all of which have been certified platinum or higher by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Career

Hollis got his start on Myspace when he received a message from

Polow Da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...

stating simply "Let's get this paper, pimp", and reached out to say he wanted to meet Hollis and discuss signing him professionally. He has produced for big-name artists such as

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

, 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

's Zone 4, an imprint of

. He began his work with Kanye West when he produced his GOOD Friday track, "Christmas in Harlem",

, Pusha T, Musiq Soulchild and

Cyhi Da Prynce Cydel Charles Young (born September 15, 1984), known professionally as CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper and singer. In 2009, Young signed his first major-label contract with Konvict Muzik, with the backing of Def Jam Recordings. In 2010, h ...

. On May 2, 2011, he signed to

's GOOD Music Label, produced the single " Niggas in Paris", on the collaborative "

Watch the Throne ''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the re ...

" album created by

and

, and produced the singles "

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in th ...

" 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 Cydel Charles Young (born September 15, 1984), known professionally as CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper and singer. In 2009, Young signed his first major-label contract with Konvict Muzik, with the backing of Def Jam Recordings. In 2010, h ...

'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

. 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

, 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." On January 23, 2013, it was announced that his record label Hits Since '87, is now an imprint of

. 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. 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. 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. 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 Jasun Wardlaw (April 6, 1973 – October 22, 2003) better known by his stage name Half a Mill, was a Brooklyn-based American rapper. Career Half a Mill was considered an underground rapper in the early 1990s. His mainstream breakthrough cam ...

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. The mixtape only had two feature from 24hrs on "Don't run" and

Quentin Miller WDNG Crshrs (pronounced Wedding Crashers) are an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia consisting of Quentin Miller, and Thaddeus "TheCoolisMac" Callaway. In 2015, they released the mixtapes, ''UTDinfini ...

on the tracks "Might as Well" and "In The Hills". Also, the duo released a music video for both songs on September 7, 2017. After releasing all three mixtapes, the pair finally released their first commercial album, Courtesy of Half-a-Mil, on November 29, 2017. The album contains 14 tracks and numerous features such as

Larry June Larry Eugene Hendricks III (born April 8, 1991) is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. He is known for his EPs ''Larry'' and ''Orange Season'' and has toured with musicians such as Cousin Stizz, Berner, Curren$y, and Post Malone. ...

, 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. The album consists of 11 tracks and features from

03 Greedo Jason Jamal Jackson (born July 26, 1987), known professionally as 03 Greedo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and producer from the Watts neighborhood of the county of Los Angeles, California. He began to gain recognition for his ''Purpl ...

, 24hrs, and

. In 2020 and 2021, he produced the

albums

King's Disease ''King's Disease'' is the thirteenth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on August 21, 2020, through Mass Appeal Records and marketed by Universal Music Group. It succeeds his twelfth studio album, ''Nasir'', released two years p ...

King's Disease 2 ''King's Disease II'' is the thirteenth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on August 6, 2021, through Mass Appeal Records and marketed by The Orchard. Serving as a sequel to his 2020 album ''King's Disease'', it features guest ap ...

King's Disease III ''King's Disease III'' is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on November 11, 2022 through Mass Appeal Records. The album is the third entry in Nas' ''King's Disease'' series of albums, and acts as a sequel to his 2 ...

and

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

Production style

Hit-Boy uses

FL Studio FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is avail ...

and custom music plug-ins to make his beats.

Personal life

Hit-Boy is the nephew of Rodney Benford, from the R&B group

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

. He grew up in

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regional h ...

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Mixtapes

Guest appearances and production credit

Awards and nominations

BET Hip Hop Awards

The BET Hip Hop Awards were established in 2006 by the

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

network to celebrate hip-hop performers, producers and

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

directors.

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s

The Grammy Award is an award presented by

The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

to recognize achievement in the mainly English-language

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

. Hit-Boy received three awards from eleven nominations.

References

External links

Official website

Hit-Boy discography

Complete Surf Club discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hit-Boy 1987 births Living people African-American male rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American rhythm and blues keyboardists Grammy Award winners for rap music People from Fontana, California Rappers from California Songwriters from California West Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers Record producers from California 21st-century American male musicians African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people American male songwriters FL Studio users