Hit-Boy talks Grammy producer nod, rapper aspirations

LOS ANGELES (AP):

Hit-Boy won top Grammy rap honours with some of hip hop’s biggest heavyweights – Jay-Z, Kanye West, known as Ye, and Nas – and now he is ascending into a new musical-weight class as a producer.

The southern California native is only up for two nominations, but both are major, including Album of the Year, thanks to his work on H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind. The other is his first nomination ever in the Producer of the Year, non-classical category for Nas’ King Disease II and the Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album soundtrack, which featured him on one song as a rapper.

The Grammy Awards show will air live on April 3 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on CBS and Paramount+.

Hit-Boy has garnered three Grammys from his stellar production offerings on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s … In Paris, Nipsey Hussle’s Racks in the Middle and Nas’ album King Disease, which gave the veteran rapper his first-ever Grammy last year. He’s also worked with a slew of other top-notch artistes including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige and Drake.

The 34-year-old producer recently spoke with AP about the relevance of winning a Grammy, his rapper aspirations, how Pharrell Williams’ advice helped him and whether he thinks his Producer-of-the-Year nomination was long overdue. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Does winning a Grammy still matter?

It’s a little extra stamp of all the hard work you put in. You don’t just get one of these by just playing around. You have to be at the top of the top. It’s like the NBA finals or the Super Bowl. It’s that extra piece of motivation to know you’re doing the right thing musically. The nominations alone. But winning with Nipsey, winning with Nas, I have real meaningful Grammys. Kanye West and Jay-Z. I didn’t win by just playing around. I made some records that will stand the test of time.

With so many producers out these days, how have you maintained your elite status?

I dedicate my life to this. I sacrifice family time. I sacrifice personal time to add value to what other (music artistes) are doing.

Has anything gotten easier for you after winning three Grammys?

I’m still going through obstacles daily. You think you’ve gotten to a point where you’ve done so much work and had whatever high Billboard (chart placement) or Grammys. None of that matter. It’s all about the next move. It’s really a ‘What have you done for me lately?’ You have to always keep pushing forward. Just the business alone, dealing with bad publishing deals and just bad deals in general. You really need to have a solid mind and love the music to keep going. At times, as a human being, it’s just too overwhelming. It’s too much. I’m thinking, I can’t figure this part out. It’s just a lot. But when you love the music, it always comes back together.

Where did you get that philosophy?

That came from Pharrell. He told me this in 2007. I was working with Teyana Taylor, who was signed to him at the time. I had pretty much did like a whole EP or album worth of music for her. He was hype about it. He was a fan of my production. It was mutual respect. I was able to get on the phone with him. We spoke about the struggles and bumping your head and just going through the game. You’re going to have to deal with it regardless. But if you love the music, you will always get back to the centre. That’s something I’ll never let go.

Do you care about being recognised as a rapper, too?

People ask me, “What do you enjoy more? Rapping or producing?” I like to make fire songs regardless of if I lay a verse that’s hard on a hook. As long as it’s dope, it’s inspiring me at the moment, I’m rocking with it. I’ve been rapping before I even produced. I’ve been tapped in on bars. The people that really know, know. It’s a timing thing. It’s cultivating that energy and really telling that story. I’ve got new music I feel strongly about, and it’s going to coincide with what I’m doing as a producer.

What do you want to accomplish next?

Winning a Grammy as an artiste would be a step up for me. That would be a level up. I am an artiste. That’s something I’ve been doing, before I was producing. But I’m doing a production album. It’ll be my production with different artistes. That’s another way I can win as an artiste as well. I’m just giving myself the best chances to win. That’s investing in myself at the end of the day.