November 17, 2025
Serato Four-Point… Less?
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Friday, July 24, 2015
Hit-Boy on ‘Pensado’s Place’
Pensado’s Place is on a roll. Following their episode with DJ Mustard two weeks ago, the show is back with another heavyweight hip-hop producer, Hit-Boy.
A California native, Hit-Boy is best-known for co-producing Kanye West and Jay Z’s “N#ggas in Paris,” Kanye West, Jay Z, and Big Sean’s “Clique,” and Lil Wayne and Eminem’s “Drop the World,” all of which have been certified platinum or higher. He also co-produced Beyonce’s “Flawless,” Drake’s “Trophies,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle,” among others.
Aside from all the production knowledge, one of the best things about Pensado’s Place is that it shows the personal side of producers and their journeys. The conversations are also almost always inspirational and Hit-Boy’s is no exception.
Watch Hit-Boy’s half-hour interview below.
Topics covered:
Starting out on Myspace and with Polow da Don ~ 10:46
Maintaining relationships ~ 14:19
How “N#ggas in Paris” came about ~ 16:49
Handling success at a young age ~ 18:00
Helping his father ~ 18:47
Getting started with new songs ~ 21:22
Embracing imperfections and mistakes ~ 22:10
Using Kontakt and Maschine ~ 22:54
Choosing kicks, snares, and other sounds ~ 23:58
His influences ~ 25:40
What it takes to make a hit these days ~ 26:45
Working with Travis Scott ~ 27:39
Overcoming writer’s block ~ 29:15
Balancing being an artist and a producer ~ 30:23
Producing “Goldie” for A$AP Rocky ~ 31:10
Not being worried about making hits ~ 31:50
The pickiest artist he’s ever worked with ~ 32:31
Related: DJ Mustard Talks All Things Production
