Accomplished and prolific hip-hop producer & rapper Hit-Boy has no lack of releases these past few years — many that are much more underground than the slew of huge hits he is most known for — but along with the release of new, self-produced track “What’s the Deal” today, Hit-Boy says he feels like he’s just getting started. “I’ve never felt more empowered as an artist…after 20 years in the game…” That’s because he just got out of an 18-year-long publishing deal, and he’s calling “What’s the Deal” his first independent release.
The song also has a video, directed by Daniil, which is full of ” fast cars, high stakes card games, iced out chains and high-end fashion.” Check it out below:
Earlier this year Hit-Boy (whose more famous collaborators include Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber & Rihanna) released a project with LaRussell called RENT PAID which followed a May 2024 album with his father Big-Hit and frequent collaborator The Alchemist (who meanwhile has Alfredo 2 coming out with Freddie Gibbs tomorrow) which came right after a 3-song EP with just Alchemist that included a song called “Morrissey.” And though Hit-Boy wasn’t involved with the Benny the Butcher mixtape that came out last week, he (like Alchemist) has been involved with some of Benny’s best material, including that track from 2023 with Stove God Cooks on Benny’s Def Jam debut, and Benny’s great 2020 album Burden of Proof. That came out around the same time Hit-Boy started releasing album after banger album with Nas (who incidentally, like the aforementioned Stove God Cooks and the very busy Tyler, the Creator, appears on the amazing new Clipse reunion album that came out two weeks ago). It’s been a fun few weeks (and years) in rap, and Hit-Boy ties into all of it.