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Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy sits down with Vlad and Elliott Wilson for an in-depth conversation about success, music industry politics, financial independence, and the lessons he's learned producing for some of hip-hop's biggest artists.
Hit-Boy discusses the meaning behind his project Success Is a Dirty Word, explaining how achieving success can complicate relationships with friends and family. He opens up about investing significant money into his father's music career while dealing with the emotional and financial strain that came with trying to help someone close to him.
The conversation explores Hit-Boy's creative evolution and his legendary run with Nas, which produced six albums and roughly 80 songs in just three years. He reflects on being permanently associated with massive records like "N****s in Paris" while explaining why his catalog extends far beyond the hits he's best known for, including R&B and other styles of production.
Hit-Boy also gets candid about the business side of the music industry, detailing a restrictive production and publishing situation that limited his financial freedom despite producing diamond-level records. He discusses the difficulty of developing new artists compared to working with established stars like Kanye West and Jay-Z, as well as how streaming transformed the economics of the industry.
Later, Vlad and Hit-Boy discuss building wealth outside of entertainment. Vlad explains his long-term investments in companies like Amazon, Google, and Tesla, while Hit-Boy reveals his interest in expanding into film and television scoring, where he believes the business can be cleaner than traditional music royalties.
The conversation concludes with a discussion about wealth managers, investing, ownership, and why making money is only one part of achieving lasting financial independence.
