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

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