Artist Friendly with Joel Madden - Hit-Boy - Part 2

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by ⁠Hit-Boy⁠. Hit-Boy has been the producer behind many immortal songs, straddling the worlds of hip-hop, R&B, pop, and beyond. His career began with an early placement on Lil Wayne’s Rebirth and quickly gained momentum when he produced “Ni**as in Paris,” a defining moment from 2011’s Watch the Throne. In the newest episode, Hit-Boy joins Joel Madden for a raw and revealing conversation about legacy, therapy, fatherhood, and finally reclaiming his power after nearly two decades in the industry. From producing hits for Jay-Z, Nas, and Travis Scott to carving out his own lane as a solo artist, Hit-Boy opens up about the pain, purpose, and persistence behind the music. ------- Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠ ------- Follow Artist Friendly! IG: @artist.friendly TikTok: @artist.friendly YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly ------- Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And here is part two. You would say like the last like six months you've been going like regularly you would say. What would you say that the biggest discovery so far has been? Really the boundaries thing. I feel like that, that trickled down into a lot of parts of my life. Like the way I moved with people and just like me not investing as much time and energy into myself that I should have at certain points in my career. I'm trying to share with everybody else and put the effort.

the energy and money and resources into other people versus like I shit them off again been doing a lot of shit I'm doing right now but I also like you said that the negative thing looking like in a long run being a positive my publishing deal I was in a publishing deal for 18 years and I used to be like so distraught frustrated wanted to quit behind all this shit but then now I'm just looking at it like man God slowed me down to like go work with the Jayz's the Beyonce, the Travis Scots, the Drake's, like, to gather this information, get powerful and as talented as I can be. And now I feel like, man, it's like a fucking slingshot.

Like, I'm about to go into the stratosphere, just, just on a personal level, you know what I mean? With my art, I know my, my raps, my lyrics, my, my beats, my videos, my swag, everything is on a whole new level. So, however, you know, this is received when I do drop, you know, new music, I know it's a step in the right direction towards me just being the new person I need to be, the better version of myself. Yeah, it's evolved.

Yeah. Software update. That's right. And everything you went through, like, that's the thing is that when I look back at my career and the things I wish I would have done different, right? I can't say that if I did them different, I would be here. And where I'm at right now is where I want to be. Yeah. And to feel that way is worth.

I feel like my life just started over. That's it. When I got out my deal, you know what I mean? I feel like my life. is like, I got, you know, I got all the resources I need and the information and the, the talent level, you know, to take it to these heights that I've been trying to get to. Everybody knows you do. Wow.

Honestly, everybody knows that you have that. There's no doubt. That's not, that's the thing. You're one of those guys. People respect. Well, I appreciate it. Because that's earned. So that's, so whatever, I haven't known you that long, but I do know that people respect you.

And your name is good out there. Like, people talk about. you with respect. That's earned by living. Yeah. And that's... Output. Just the output, man, just like staying consistent. That's with this whole... But also being a decent person. Yeah, that too. You know what I mean? Sometimes I used to be feeling like, man, this shit overrated being a good nigga, you know what I mean? Going to being a good person is like, yeah, yeah. That should be overrated. But at the same time, long term... You cannot look for anything back from that. And it's not to say I was, but naturally as a human you have certain feelings and it's like kind of cold when you could give so much to somebody

and then they don't reciprocate you should be like damn that's cold but you can't you just can't expect nothing out of nobody i used to feel that way i promise you when you turn when you turn the corner in your 40s you see it like it comes back to you i can't explain it but i used to wonder like why am i always doing the right thing and it looks like that guy's winning over there and that guy's winning over there and they're all getting away with they're getting away with everything yeah for sure right and i'm not doing any of it i'm trying to just i'm trying to stay out of trouble earn my keep every day like i'm not trying to steal from nobody it's a fair trade when i'm not taking nobody beats saying i did them i'm not just like i'm just straight trying to earn what's like you know it comes

back to you in your 40s yeah it does i promise you and also i see it that's why i keep saying the the bill the bill can also be credit like we could i really believe this i really believe that all the good that you do goes into this like cosmic bank account and it pays you out somehow whether it's good health in a long life or like children that are healthy and i don't know man like i promise you i feel it in my 40s somehow my life somehow it turned a corner where i was we're very very similar i would always do the right thing and i would be like why is that guy over there getting away with fucking murder and i'm not even blowing them up i'm never going to do that there's a code i never would do that. I feel it. I just keep my mouth shut,

trying to do what I think is right. And then in my 40s somewhere it like turned this corner where all the blessings started just coming. And the people that I saw that were lying and cheating and stealing and

hustling and doing all these things started getting their bills. And the bill is like, sometimes the bill is like death. Sometimes the bill is jail. Sometimes the bill is bankruptcy. You know? And like It's things you can't pay back. You can't pay for.

And my therapist told me a long time ago, he's like, every day if you can pay the check, pay the check in the gym, pay the check at home with your kids, pay the check at work. That way it doesn't get too big. If the guy doesn't pay the check with his health and he turns around and he's 60 and he has a heart attack, that's the bill. I remind myself that when I'm doing something that maybe is hard or maybe there's a, I could lie, I could steal, I could take a van,

I could be an asshole. Right. I could be like, you know what I mean? Right. I'm just going to pay the bill here. I'm going to do the right thing. For sure. And then I'll, I have faith.

It'll be better in the long run for, it will. For my own peace, my own sanity. You know what I mean? That's how I'll be looking at it. That's also, to me, a sign of high emotional intelligence. And I think artists, for the most part, are highly emotionally intelligent. Yeah.

The ones who get fucked up, we could probably point to a bunch of other things that fuck with that emotional intelligence. But the ones who can stay steady usually do pretty good. Are there any artists you feel like have had a huge impact on you and left you with something that you felt like was meaningful,

even if it wasn't a personal relationship? I take from every artist, you know what I mean? I love being around great artists. I love being around great songmakers and people that know how to finish records. Like I take from Dom Kennedy, from Don Kennedy to Beyonce to Jay-Z, the Kanye, it's like I take a certain thing, Nipsey Hustle, like I was able to just

just get different bits and pieces from all of them, you know what I mean? I feel like that's what it's about, like just why? You don't even got to really necessarily be told a thing. You could just watch they work ethic, watch how, you know, certain artists, they move boarding their whole rollout. They know what type of fits they're going to wear. They know just the whole, you know what I mean? That's what artistry is.

Like you got to dial in on every detail, and that's what separates the artist that's not winning from artists who is. Yeah. Yeah. Was there ever an artist you were in the room with where you were like, this is fucking magic. This feels like magic right here. Or this feels like classic.

Plenty. Plenty. But just all of time, spending time in the studio with Beyonce, Jay Z, Kanye. Like, that was just like, that was who I really was listening to.

That's who I was like studying as a teenager, playing their music and like never thought I would be around these people and getting love and they telling me I'm dope and stuff like that. But yeah, I mean, I just love making music. Like every day feels special to me every day like you know what I mean I just moved into a new studio I made two albums since I've been there it's only been like three weeks I just been like

That's when you know it's good when the energy is good it's crazy it's crazy you just hit When it's just running you just got to stay in that pocket you feel like you're new man I'm sorry I do like you just just got in I do I feel like I just got out the pen for real yeah 18 years now be so I'm ready I'm ready to take on whatever yeah it's like it's like it's I don't got an ego about what I'm doing, but I got an ultimate, like, level of confidence where it's like I know I got a lot of eyes dotted, tees crossed, and it's like, regardless of what, where, whatever lands, I know this is progress for me personally. I know I'm better than I've ever been.

I know it's like, okay, if I can get this good, I can jump up a whole other level. So it's like, let me just push from here, man. Yeah, you know, but that's experience at a, you get to an age where you have, had enough success to know who you are and what you do. When the success doesn't kill you, when the success doesn't trip you up, if you can stay in the steady of success and not succumb. Because we see that. We see all sides of it.

But we've seen people succumb to the pressure or whatever it is. There's usually something else when you look behind the curtain. There's usually some kind of like sometimes it's mental health or it's drugs or other people. There's a lot of versions of succumbing. And there's a lot you have to fight against. But when you can be a guy who is replicating success over decades is when you start to, like, when we look at Quincy Jones, right, as like one of the greatest of all time across decades. Because he sustained being himself.

He never was anyone else. He was always himself. And I always, like, admired what I saw when I saw Quincy. in any room or anywhere. Going from genre to genre, different type of artists, like different vibes. Like that's where it's at, man.

And he was a joyful guy, but he was also a serious guy. Yeah. He was himself. Yeah. I think there's something about the experience of having success and then trusting yourself

and knowing who you are and replicating it. And it's not that you can predict exactly when it'll come. Yeah. But you can predict it'll come if you do this. right you know when you hear a good record

straight up and it's like you know if you really dialed in you're gonna be studying the culture you're gonna see what else is out there you're gonna be able to not to say to compare but like you know compare like be able to like really dig your foot in and be like I see what's going on out here like this sound I got as unique like you know this song I got coming with this artist or my own song is like stands out from anything

anybody talking about right now or beat wise tempo wise like it's ways to pinpoint it out when you dial out in. It's also interesting too because if like I always think about I love sports. I love watching you know I see great athletes and I'm like that must be fucking cool to be that guy. Like I love LeBron. I love Otani. I love like the greats across all the sports across the decades. I love to see people win. Yeah. And then you see how they win and you see I don't know. It's like watching it. I get a lot from it. Yeah. For sure. And um but then I wonder how it feels when you can't play anymore yeah right like at like 40 most that's all about to say yeah you think you think about it and you

be like damn that's kind of early but then you like don't realize these motherfuckers play ball every single day since they were 10 you know i mean it's like that's a lot of strain on the body so by 40 it's like so it's like by 40 or 45 maybe if you're lucky like you're really late but then i think about what we do it's a game we can play for the rest of our life they're very lucky that we get to compete at a high level and to be fair what i found in my experience is i had my early artist success in the first like you know from like 2000 to 2012 or whatever was like what i would call the first phase of like my career where i had the success that everyone knows me for but the real success i've had on like another level has been in my older age and i was

say like in my mid 30s was when I actually started to get understand the game and understand what game I was actually playing. That's actually really important. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. I feel like you're there. That's where you're at. For sure. That's just like, I'm, it's clicking. I'm a new guy, man. I'm ready, bro. I'm so ready for like whatever. I got a lot more in me. That's like the best part. Like I got so much more music that I know, you know, it's like I'm like trying to make sure every beat is just getting better every verse everything i'm doing every song written just like trying to just be more detailed and just push for that level yeah as far as your time goes how much time do you spend on your own music as an artist and then how much time do you spend on other artist music like how do you

find the balance of like what goes to other people when they want you to produce or what goes to your art and you as an artist most of the beats that i'll rap on like it'd be like the like when I know it's right is when I'm like still making a beat and I'm already getting the verse while I'm making the beat or the hook or idea of flow cadence once I'm once I know that I'm like and I'm about to hop on this and sometimes I do a song and then the artists have come through and I play them to beat anyway and just see if they come up with some shit and sometimes it work out like that but most of my beats like that I really like know I'm a rap on I just be making it and I'm vibing as soon as I'm making a joint before it's even done yeah but I mean I'm just

I'm trying to just like, yeah, make the illish shit for myself and whoever, like. Yeah. Yeah. You feel like this era, you're more focused on your, your music? At this particular time, yeah, but I'm open to whatever, you know what I mean? I'm just in, I'm in beast mode. I'm in like, got so, I'm just beat after beat, joint after joint. Like, it's there.

The pot of gold is sitting that right artist is going to pull up and it's going to be, it's going to be what it's supposed to be. Yeah. Yeah. So you're getting out of your publishing. deal right you're excited about that man am i how long has it been since january 2007 wow so july 2025 has it been particularly hard to get out of yeah for sure i went and hired all type of high level lawyers over my career high level managers all these powerful people and you know it was

kind of like a thing where it was a cop-up situation so one party would point the finger at the other party and then it would just keep going back and forth where it's like well this person you know, has you stuck or this person has to agree on this certain thing. And it just was a lot of back and forth, you know what I mean? But then 2021 I was managed by Rock Nation and Jay-Z and Desiret Perez stepped in and went and got me an end date in 2021. I was like still pissed at that point because I thought like, man, I already did 14 years and I'm apart all these big records. Let me out now. Yeah. This is the best we could do. You will be out 2025, but you're going to have to do these last four years and it ended up being an 18-year deal.

But thank God, because I really probably had, I had no end date, no matter how much success I had. Yeah, thank God. Yeah. Let me call it out because it's not fair and it's wrong. Yeah. Okay. You are gracious and you also understand the business you have to live in. You take your lumps, right?

Like I feel the same way. Listen, I work with every major label. I work with every lawyer. I am a fair guy. Also, I'll take my lumps. You got me. Like, it's okay. Like it feels to me like you handle.

Turning that negative into the positive. Right. You know, now at this point, I'm looking at it like, damn. Like, I really, I'm getting all my reparations. I'm getting like where I'm supposed to be. But I had to be held in that box to really cultivate my talent and get myself mentally and musically where I should be at. Well, that's how a winner looks at a tough situation because that's how I look at it as well.

I used to be pissed. I did plenty of interviews. I went on Joe Button podcast, all the type of shit. Like talking about this shit pissed, sad, whatever. But, you know, looking back now, it's like, man, that shit was all part of a part of the story and a part of the growth and just, like, helped me get to this point, man. And part of what makes you a better person

because you also understand, like, what it feels like to have someone do wrong. Yeah. And you have really no power in it other than what you do after. And I think that, you know, this new, I actually think this new area you're entering is going to pay. you back a thousand times. I think like the fact, you know what I mean? For sure. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's really, really. I get what you saying for show. Like I feel the same. But I still

want to call it out. Situations like that happen every day. And some artists never get out, man. They just never, they never figure it out. And that's the other side of this business. That's tough. Yeah. Yeah. You know, because when we're kids, we're excited. To be honest with you, at the time when I was 18, 19, I would have signed anything. I was impoverished. 50 bands. I got 50K at 19 from my deal. That was, I mean, it was on Section 8, bro.

Like, of course I'm about to take the 50. Like, you know what I mean? But I didn't understand that I needed to have an end date. I needed to have an exit strategy. Like, I didn't, I didn't think about that. You know what I mean? So that is what it is. I actually think, though, if it doesn't kill us and it doesn't make us bitter,

miserable people. It makes us better guys who understand when someone else is suffering from or or when someone else is going through that. And I actually also think it makes us better business guys because we're actually not out there doing the same thing to people. We're actually trying to help people build smart careers. I want to be the guy that you meet on the other side of 40. You go, man, I'm glad I met that guy. When I came in the game, I was 18 and I met that guy. And he was one of the only ones who told me the truth. That was solid. You know what I mean?

And like that's always been my goal whenever I started any of these businesses we have. Like that was actually our, it was as simple as that. We were like, can we be the guys we wish we would have met? Yeah. And like, could we live with that? So that we have a good name. I think that's what made us that way.

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not are people who they're not you know I mean you just naturally

get so much insight so much you're on the phone with lawyers you

learn about shit you learn why the deal is bad and all this. Like, yeah, you're getting this as part of education, for sure. Yeah, there is a version of the music business where we make good deals and there's a fair trade.

And like in success, we can share in the success. And then also there are new terms and new deals. Like when, you know, when everybody's made their money back times 100, it's time to make a new deal. You know what I mean? For sure. Man, it's crazy, though, because that even like, like it's beyond just the music business is people in general like vetting out all these people

you know what I mean like motherfuckers are crazy out here because the music business can can be like life it can be like what happens in the world and so you have to be aware you have to be I don't ever want to be a paranoid person I'm not yeah but I want to be someone who trust my instincts and it can see something coming yeah you know I mean I think yeah I feel like the times I didn't trust my instincts is like when stuff ended up in a bad place yeah when you got talked into something yeah even with my my creation of music i'm just trusting my instincts like i'm not the most technical like i started on like a tech program fl studio i didn't start like playing keys or a guitar and then like i started with programming so i got very good at that and it's like yeah but you do it your way

i'm not classically trained i don't really play a guitar i play a little guitar but not a lot my brother plays you've seen him play um i don't play keys in my mind i could i i always think like i'm barely a singer but i get in there and i just do what i do and i started trusting that yeah yeah that's it got to trust them instincts man that's that's how you at the end of the day you could live with like whatever happens yeah okay so the publishing deals over i can say it's over then it's over so now you're in a new you're in a whole new era basically free man Free man walking. Yeah.

What's the next like five years look like? Five years. Definitely like having facilities, man, and just like helping the next generation, you know what I mean? Starting a foundation called the next hits. So the next hits, the next hit songs, the next hit boys, like, you know what I mean?

Just like helping, you know, really whoever is interested in this. But like kids that, you know, don't have their parents or underserved communities and stuff like that. Just trying to give back. that way and you know just being the greatest artist i can man like making films making you know tv shows like just art all across the board that's what i'm on like just trying to be the illest artist i can that's worthwhile yeah that's good i'm feeling good how old's your son my son five okay yeah that's gonna keep you busy too no for sure yeah i mean yeah just watching him just become

like is he musical man he already made his first song we did a video and everything he did it when he was three for his fourth birthday. Then we shot the video at his fourth birthday party. But I'm like, I just let him get on the mic and he literally was like having his own cadence and saying little stuff that was cool to him. It blew my mind because I'm like, damn, like he'd been in all these sessions with me and Big Sean, me and Nas, me and Dom Kennedy. He's just subconsciously learning how to write. Yeah, that's crazy. Learning how to write songs. And it's like, wow. You know what? You know what? It's like, I brought this up before in another conversation I had, but like I always, think about Floyd Mayweather, right? He grew up in the boxing gym. His whole life. And he's the

greatest boxer. Like, Floyd is, I love Floyd Mayweather. Yeah, no, for sure. I don't know why I just fucking love him. He just is so good at something. And he's aspirational. Like, and actually, the only people hating on Florida are just jealous. Floyd greets people with love. Like, he wants people to be great. Like, that's my perspective of, like, again, I'm like an athlete. I love, look, I wasn't an athlete and I always kind of dreamed of like, what does that feel like to be like that great athlete? And I admire athletes. But Floyd grew up in the gym, but then also dedicated his life to it and became the

greatest, right? And I always wonder about like, think about your son. He's growing up around all this greatness. Yeah. Watching people do something at a high level, just soaking it up whether he wants to or not. Yeah. He's just there. It's exciting to think about like, if he chooses that path,

what he could do with that knowledge and that wisdom of like just a lifetime man i didn't like record my first song so i was like 14 15 he got a 10 year head start on me already so he already in that position it's crazy we was at the studio the other day and all i got this basketball court in the studio and it's kind of like high and he's you know five year old so he got to throw it up to like hope to make it in so yeah i made a bunch of shots and then we was about to leave and he was like no I need to make one more and he basically like would not let me leave in my team leave until he made that last shot and he was like crying he was going through all these emotions frustrated I kept calming him down and tell him just focus he finally made the shot and he just like

I was like I was a real super proud dad moment like damn I like the perseverance in him he did not I was like yo let's just come back tomorrow you can make the shot tomorrow he like nah I need to make it right now and he did it I'm like damn that that was like super proud moment it's also a moment that it like seared in his brain yeah stay in stay in stay in yeah and then also like you gave him the option too you were like i'm not here telling you to do this he had to decide yeah and then he decided and then he did it there's something about that with life like as a lesson in life we all needed that somewhere for someone to give us the choice to decide to stick to something and then we

got that result. We actually did make the shot. I think that's like pretty profound, man. For sure, and everybody clapped after he made the shot. I know that made him feel great, man. Yeah. Just instilling confidence and just that perseverance, you know. But sometimes when I see that stuff, like, that's pretty profound, man. When I think about it, like maybe someone out there listening to this, sometimes like what we watch our kids do in these small moments that like anybody could write off is actually profound. pieces of wisdom. That we didn't really...

Like you knew what you were doing without articulating it or knowing what you were doing. You knew your instinct as a father was. There's a lesson here and my son wants to learn it and he decided this is the time he wants to learn it. It's something like, if I stick with this, will I get it?

And I'm actually even going to give him an out. I'm going to say we can come back tomorrow. And he just said, no, I want to make it. So then he stays and he makes it and then he makes the shot. if we like slow that down and put it in a book you could put it as like this is a lesson of perseverance and sticking with my man it was a reminder for me like man don't ever give up bro you know what no matter what it's like a little bit obviously i've always thought that but like

that was just another reiteration of like damn like this little dude didn't even give up on something as simple as this and even he was sitting here listening to you through it emotionally but even me sitting here listening to you and I'm like probably 10 years or however much older than you and I have teenagers so they're 10 years ahead of your kid. If we were trading notes as fathers, like, hey, what are you doing there? What are you doing there? Actually, what we should be doing in all areas of our life is trading notes with other people that are successful to see if there's things we can refine to be better, right? That's how I think. If we were sitting there as fathers and I'm listening and I go, oh, there's a dad with good instincts. I wonder where I'm not,

not doing that or I am doing it. Am I doing that enough? Am I listening to my instincts in a moment where maybe I'm just rushing through and I'm like, let's go, we got to go instead of listening to my kid. Because they're actually all instinct. They're only here to learn. So at five, he's gathering information and seeing what part fits where. So what we write off as him trying to get the gratification of one more basket is wrong. We're actually watching someone figure out how life works. And his dad is there to try and back that up with information. And in that moment, because you decided to stay and not rush everyone out, because you want to get home, you're tired, you worked all day, right? Because that's real. You stopped and you listened.

Yeah. And then you participated in the conversation. Exactly. And you said, well, we can leave or you could stay. Keep trying. Or you can quit. It's your decision. And you kind of want to, wanted to see. I wonder what he'll decide here. I'm just saying, I know I'm harping on this whole situation, but like I learn a lot from watching other people and how they do things, whether it's career or family. I'm like actually taking the time to have that experience with your kid, like some people can blow it off or whatever and say I'm over analyzing it. But I actually think that like there's a through line in your instincts in life. Part of your success is work. Part of your success is talent. The other part is instincts. Go right or go left. Right could be death.

Left could be a hit song or meeting an artist that changes your life. It's interesting. Like if we just listen to yes and no, something like, I don't think I should go down that like dark alley right there. I think I should go down this. That's an interesting street of it. But like following how you feel in all these different moments, including fatherhood is like interesting. I don't know. I feel it. Weird. For sure. No, that. That was a moment for me, man. Like, I definitely didn't take it late. I was just like, damn.

Like, I was just proud as hell. Like, damn. You probably do that with him every day, though, somehow, some way. Yeah, for a little micro. He wrote me a Father's Day card at school. And then I guess whatever the first thing the kids said, they went with it and wrote it down. So he was like, so my dad is 89 years old. And I was like, I'm 38.

And he was like, well, I was close because of the 8 and the 38. And it's like, that was funny. And then he said, my dad always tells me he loves. loves me and that's like it was funny that's sweet but at the end of the day for that already to be embedded in him or for him to like you know that he internalizes that like he like knows that that's a real thing so i've i felt like damn i'm doing i'm doing my thing i'm doing what i'm doing that's what every dad wants to hear is that our kids know we love them i don't know man that's a weird one right because i didn't really get a lot of that i didn't get a lot of hugs you know and and so

i have a weird thing i always talk to my wife about it she's great she's she's she's She's supportive about it. I've still had to learn how to like, I have to ask her. I was like, do you think I tell them that I love them enough? Or do you think I hug them enough? And,

uh, because it's weird because I didn't have a lot of it. So, um, you could be awkward for show. Yeah, yeah. And you got to get past that because your kids love you no matter what.

And they all they want is love. Anytime I get a chance, I'm hugging on my son. Tell them I love him, man. I'm just like, I really see myself. Like,

it's like I'm literally getting the, raise myself again. Just with a way better foundation, way more resources and just like making the time makes sense. Like, you know, most people don't be having a kid in the studio. But I do. You know what I mean? Like, that's just, that's the path I chose like to really.

It's almost like old school a little bit. Like if we were on a farm, we'd all be around the farm. We'd be doing stuff around the farm. Exactly. This is your farm. This is it. This is what, this is the family business. Yeah.

This is the shop. I think it's great. Are you friends with the game? I feel good game. Yeah, that's the homie. Yeah. I worked on his, I worked in a couple game albums,

which, yeah. We've been friends a long time. Yeah, I haven't talked to him in a long, a long time. Like, for, I call, we talked on the phone like a, probably like nine months ago or a year ago. We caught up after a long time.

Challenge a dude, man. Yeah, he is. Crazy rapper. Yeah. He's getting there and get it done, man. He's doing 10 songs. long as a night still. I always liked him.

I knew you guys have worked together. So I always liked him. We had a very special friendship because I think we were experiencing success at the same time maybe. And I think it was head spinning for both of us. And he was in like gangster rap and I was in like rock.

So we always thought each other's worlds were interesting. And we always had a really good time together. Like it felt like it just felt like kids. Mutual respect for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

game like he did an album with my dad like i produced the album like we did an album in one day and then we dropped it like we did it like what thursday or friday and it was out by like monday yeah i saw that and we just winning like we just did that shit that shit was dope so you have one record coming out or two records coming out man i got four records coming out so four records five i don't know i mean no i'm yeah i'm dropping two solo projects to end this year and i'm dropping another album like mixtape with my home boy spank nitty he from the i e from him is super dope rapper creative and and uh yeah then me and alchemist man we got some some some great stuff lined up man i'm excited about it that's great that's gonna be great yeah i'm just i'm just locked in i'm creating every day

and just excited that i can feel my growth i can feel like myself getting better and more dialed into my artistry and my music my beats like everything is just it's just breathing right now you know what i mean yeah i feel like you're at a place where I've been, and you've got to realize it, every now and then we need a reset, right? But it's not starting over because the hardest thing you did you've already done. The hardest thing you will ever do, you've already done. It's getting from there to here, but you're here. Getting from here to here is a lot easier. So I think that you're in this really exciting place. I can feel it where like the next 10 years of hit boy is going to be the best 10 years

of hit boy. Because of everything you know, everything you've been through, everything you've experienced, all the work you're doing not only in the studio, but in the gym, in therapy, in life, in figuring out what it even fucking means to be hit boy is the real work, right? Yeah. The music is just going to be a great byproduct of like you getting everything you deserve out of life the time with your son yeah i'm excited for you man man let's get it i appreciate it man for show and then we're gonna make some music yeah for sure we're gonna produce a good charlotte single i'm ready bro shit let's ready maybe a whole album that's where we're talking that's where that's what you're saying that's where it's at yeah let's do it you got a ear for rock man i mean i just love i just love i just love music yeah man

Yeah, you do. Dope shit. It don't matter what genre it is. If it got a good feeling to it, some good chords, drums, whatever it may be. I'm into it. I'm rocking. Yeah. Good is good.

Yeah. I'm excited for you, man. Thanks for coming on. For sure. Appreciate you having. Cool. Thank you for listening to Artist Friendly. We really appreciate it.

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