Hit-Boy
Chauncey Alexander Hollis[1] (born May 21, 1987), better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. In May 2011, Hollis had signed a 2-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. With this stimulus, he produced singles such as "Niggas in Paris" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Trophies" by Drake, "Clique" by GOOD Music and the Grammy-winning "Racks in the Middle" by Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch. The song won Best Rap Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.[2] In December 2012, it was revealed he had signed a recording contract with Interscope Records, and subsequently founded his own record label imprint, Hits Since '87.[3] He has since expanded his production catalog with singles such as "Drop the World" by Lil Wayne, "Sorry" by Beyoncé, and "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott, all of which have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Hit-Boy | |
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Birth name | Chauncey Alexander Hollis |
Born | May 21, 1987 |
Origin | Fontana, California, United States |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | |
Years active | 2003–present |
Labels |
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Associated acts | |
Website | www |
Career
Hollis got his start on Myspace when he received a message from Polow Da Don stating simply "Let’s get this paper, pimp," and reached out to say he wanted to meet Hollis and discuss signing him professionally.[4] He has produced for big-name artists such as Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, 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 Polow Da Don's Zone 4 (record label), an imprint of Interscope Records. He began his work with Kanye West when he produced his GOOD Friday track, "Christmas in Harlem",[5] Big Sean, Pusha T, Musiq Soulchild and Cyhi Da Prynce. On May 2, 2011[6] he signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music Label, produced the single "Niggas in Paris", on the collaborative "Watch the Throne" album created by Kanye West and Jay-Z, and produced the singles "Goldie" 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'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 Kid Cudi. 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 Interscope Records, 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."[7] On January 23, 2013, it was announced that his record label Hits Since '87, is now an imprint of Interscope Records.[8]
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.[9]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
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US | US R&B/HH |
US Rap | ||
We the Plug (with HS87) |
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— | 27 | 15 |
Courtesy of Half-A-Mil (with Dom Kennedy) |
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- | - | - |
Family Not a Group (with SOB X RBE) |
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- | - | - |
Mixtapes
Title | Album details |
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A Hit-Boy Christmas |
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Love Notes[13] |
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HITstory[14] |
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All I've Ever Dreamed Of (with HS87) |
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Zoomin |
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Half-A-Mil |
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Tony Fontana |
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Guest appearances
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Entourage" | 2012 | Cyhi the Prynce | Ivy League Club |
"All Good"[15] | D-Why | Don't Flatter Yourself | |
"The Long Way"[16] | Audio Push | N/A | |
"Them Niggas"[17] | Inland Empire | ||
"The Right One" | Wale | Folarin | |
"Do Me Now"[18] | 2013 | K. Roosevelt | RoseGold |
"Scream & Shout" (Hit-Boy Remix)[19] | will.i.am, Britney Spears, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Wayne, Diddy | #willpower | |
"Joy"[20] | Ryan McDermott | Ryan vs. the Sandman: The Tale of the Sleepwalkers | |
"Feel It"[21] | Deezo, Problem | Ten10Eighty7 | |
"Funeral Season"[22] | Statik Selektah, Styles P, Bun B | Extended Play | |
"What Ya Used To"[23] | Rockie Fresh | Self Made Vol. 3 | |
"Circle" | Casey Veggies, Rockie Fresh | Fresh Veggies | |
"Money ($ * / ...)" | 2014 | Mariah Carey, Fabolous | Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse |
"Boomerang"[24] | 2015 | Sevyn Streeter | Shoulda Been There, Pt. 1 |
"I Mean It" | PJ | Walking Around Pools |
Awards and nominations
BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards were established in 2006 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate hip-hop performers, producers and music video directors.
Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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2014 | Himself (Grindin My Whole Life) | Producer of the Year | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Award is an award presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. Hit-Boy received two awards from seven nominations.[25]
Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | "Niggas in Paris" | Best Rap Song | Won |
2014 | Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | Album of the Year | Nominated |
2015 | Beyoncé | Nominated | |
2017 | Lemonade | Nominated | |
2019 | "Sicko Mode" | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
2020 | Racks in the Middle | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
Best Rap Performance | Won |
References
- https://repertoire.bmi.com/Catalog.aspx?detail=writerid&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25&keyid=1039234&subid=0
- "Nipsey Hussle Wins Best Rap Performance". GRAMMY.com. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
- "Hit-Boy Confirms Signing with Kanye West". Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- Gordon, Jeremy. "How Hit-Boy Went From Myspace to Kanye West's Speed-Dial". Bullettmedia.com. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- "Hit-Boy talks signing to G.O.O.D Music".
- "Producer Hit-Boy Joins Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music Label". Retrieved May 9, 2011.
- Donaldson, Erich (2012-12-21). "Hit-Boy and L.E.P. Bogus Boys Sign to Interscope". Complex. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-01-23). "Hit-Boy Announces Signing To Interscope Records | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- MTV News Staff (2013-01-07). "HIT-BOY PARTS WAYS WITH KANYE WEST'S G.O.O.D. MUSIC". MTV. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- Frydenlund, Zach. "Hit-Boy's 25 Favorite Albums". article. complex.com. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- "9 Popular Music Producers Who Use FL Studio". Hiphopmakers. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- "Fruity Loops- From kids toy to Producer Choice". Concrete. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- "Hit-Boy - Love Notes (HS87)". DaMixhub. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- "Hit Boy - HITstory (G.O.O.D. Music, HS87)". DaMixhub. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- "D-Why - All Good (Feat. Hit-Boy)". Rap Dose. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- "New Music: Audio Push x Hit-Boy "The Long Way"". Rap Radar. 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- "New Music: Audio Push x Hit-Boy "Them Niggas"". Rap Radar. 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- "K. Roosevelt f. Hit-Boy - Do Me Now | New Hip Hop Music & All The New Rap Songs 2011". HipHop DX. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- "will.i.am f. Diddy, Lil Wayne, Britney Spears, Hit-Boy & Waka Flocka Flame "Scream & Shout Remix". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- Sawyer, Jonathan. "Ryan McDermott featuring Hit-Boy – Joy". Hypetrak. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- "New Music: Deezo Ft. Problem x Hit-Boy "Feel It"". Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- Paine, Jake (May 17, 2013). "Statik Selektah "Extended Play" Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- "iTunes - Music - Self Made, Vol. 3 by MMG". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- "Amazon - Music - Shoulda Been There Pt. 1 by Sevyn Streeter". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
- "Hit-Boy". GRAMMY.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved January 30, 2020.