Will Kanye Producer Hit-Boy Rap On Cruel Summer?

'I've laid verses down, but you never know,' the 'N---as in Paris' producer tells MTV News of G.O.O.D. Music compilation album.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf

Hit-Boy
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Hit-Boy didn't wake up one day and decide that he wanted to start rapping. The multiplatinum producer was actually rhyming way before he started crafting tracks for the likes of Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber.

Now, since everyone seems to enjoy his bars, the California native figures he'll keep at it and, if he's lucky, maybe even land a vocal spot on Kanye and G.O.O.D. Music's upcoming Cruel Summer album.

"We'll see. I've laid verses down, but you never know," Hit-Boy told MTV News about the compilation album. "I'm just making music with them, so stuff will end up where it is supposed to."

To say Hit-Boy is just making music with Yeezy's crew of spitters is an understatement. Before he released his debut rap track "Jay-Z Interview," Hit was behind some pretty memorable records. Last year, he came up with the track for the Throne's "N---as in Paris" and Pusha T's "My God." More recently, he produced Kanye's "Cold." It's a safe bet he will land even more tracks on the label's compilation, even if he doesn't get any bars.

Hit-Boy's career trajectory follows the path of Kanye, whom he cites as his main inspiration. Yeezy, too, used his production as a Trojan horse when breaking into the industry. After cementing himself as a bona fide hitmaker, 'Ye broke through as a lyricist with his first single "Through the Wire" in 2003. "That was the first person I played my music for, the person that I've always looked up to: Kanye," Hit said. "He definitely gives me pointers, but he's a fan, he likes the music."

West isn't the only multiplatinum fan: Hit-Boy also got a blessing from Jay-Z, the man he named his latest single after. If he hadn't, things could have gotten awkward. "I had the opportunity to play the video for Jay-Z before it came out, and he loved it, so that was dope," he said.

Interestingly enough, Hit-Boy didn't produce "Jay-Z Interview." He told MTV News that he wasn't against rhyming over his own production, but when it came to his first single, veteran producer Bink had a beat that was more fitting for his mood. "It was crazy, because I had the title for 'Jay-Z Interview' long before I even wrote the song. I just couldn't get the right beat," Hit-Boy admitted.

Now that he has the right beat, Hit-Boy the rapper has finally arrived — and in a big way too. "It's always been love. For it to be out now, for the fans to actually get a chance to comment on it and let me know what they feel, it's a really dope thing," he said.

What do you think of Hit-Boy as an MC? Let us know in the comments!

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