Hit-Boy Thanks Jay-Z for Resolving His ‘Publishing Situation’

On a recent episode of The Shop, music producer Hit-Boy revealed a monumental shift in his professional life, sharing how Jay-Z helped him exit a long-standing publishing deal. Hit-Boy described the intervention as “life-changing.”

Hit-Boy, who is now 37, entered into a publishing deal with Universal Music Group at just 19 years old. At the time, the money offered seemed like a lot for a young person with big dreams and no financial backing.

“I’m actually still in my publishing situation,” Hit-Boy admitted during the discussion. “The contract employed such archaic terminology.”

However, this long-standing deal is finally coming to an end, and Hit-Boy credits Jay-Z and Roc Nation executive Desiree Perez for their pivotal roles in making this happen.

“Thanks to Desiree and Jay-Z, I’m now in a position where there’s an end date. Before this, I spent my whole career working without knowing when the deal would conclude. In our line of work, publishing is a huge income stream,” he explained.

As the end of his restrictive contract nears, Hit-Boy is eager to experience greater independence in his business ventures.

“It’s going to be life-changing for me. Just to have that freedom as an adult, I haven’t had the ability to do other deals or secure advances from different places like my peers have. I do well, but I know what it’s supposed to be.”

Despite the constraints of this challenging deal, Hit-Boy has enjoyed a remarkable career. He has collaborated with top-tier artists such as Nas, Drake, and Beyoncé. His impressive work earned him a nomination for Producer of the Year at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Additionally, Hit-Boy has explored rapping on his own tracks, generating buzz about what he will achieve once he’s entirely free from the old contract.

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