Since the early 2010s, the name Hit-Boy has been synonymous with mainstream hip-hop. However, another similarly named rap instrumentalist feels like he has the upper hand in that regard.
On Wednesday (March 8), Rory Farrell of the Rory & Mal podcast posted a video of producer Hit-Boy reciting a verse he wrote in the studio. Throughout this verse, he sends subtle jabs at fellow beat-makers like Metro Boomin, Southside, Mustard, and most importantly, Hitmaka.
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“Look, I’m usually homeboys with producers I’m compared to,” he rapped. “But on this one, I wanna say I’m stretched out, extra legroom / I don’t really know dude he seem like a cool cat / But I never once heard Metro Boomin do boom bap / I never heard a Southside beat without an 808 in it / HB in drunk-driver mode, I swerve in every lane with it / I fuck with Mustard, he can make that ratchet shit with his eyes closed / But now I’m starting to wonder can that n***a chop soul? / I just seen Yung Berg spoke on the wave, I should do him like Trick Trick and snatch Hit out his name / I had decoded the game, I had the coldest of days / I’m like Bieber on his cruise, how you got no credits without co-producers?”
Check out the clip below.
Although he is primarily a producer, Hit-Boy has begun releasing songs as a rapper recently, evident in his January single with Offset, titled “2 LIVE.” Insinuating that he is the most versatile of all the mainstream hip-hop producers currently, Hit-Boy’s most aggressive bar directed at Hitmaka came as a response.
In an interview with Hot 97, Hitmaka claimed he has more radio presence than Hit-Boy. At the 4:30 mark of his chat with Ebro Darden of the Hot 97 radio show, Hitmaka flexed his mainstream appeal compared to Hit-Boy’s.
“See, but I’m on the radio; Hit-Boy’s not on the radio,” he said. “Nah, I love Hit-Boy. Hit-Boy’s a legendary producer, he’s been doing it way longer than me, he’s a great guy. But I’m keeping it a B, though… if you play the soundtrack to your life for the last four or five years on radio, I know it’s gotta be frustrating for him because my name is so similar, my brother.”
Check out the clip below.
Under Farrell’s post of Hit-Boy’s diss verse, Hitmaka doubled down on his stance in a comment, while also calling Hit-Boy a subpar lyricist. “This is nasty and punchlines from over a decade ago still won’t be on radio I expect more from u king,” he wrote.
Both are staples in the modern landscape of hip-hop, so it’s ironic that these two stars are at odds. Over the last decade, smash hits like Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE,” Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “N****s in Paris” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle” were all crafted by the fingers of Hit-Boy. Adversely, bangers like Big Sean’s “Bounce Back,” French Montana and Drake’s “No Stylist” and Lil Wayne’s “John” can be attributed to Hitmaka. Now, it’s up to the fans to decide who is more deserving of having “hit” in their name.
Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage