Hit-Boy announced that he is free from a restrictive publishing deal he’s been locked into since the age of 18. On Thursday, Hit-Boy shared a carousel of photos on Instagram, accompanied by a statement in which he reflected on his journey, starting with his early admiration for Jay-Z and how working with him culminated in a full-circle moment of life-changing support.
Hit first mentioned Jay helping him out with the publishing deal during his appearance on The Shop last year. “I signed when I was 19 years old and I’m 37, so I’ve been in the deal a long time with Universal Publishing… The way it was set up was just ancient terminology in the contracts,” the California-born artist said at the time, per Vibe.
“The first CD I ever bought with my own money was The Blueprint by Jay-Z when I was 13 years old,” the Grammy Award-winning producer wrote on Instagram this week before thanking Jay for his help in getting out of the aforementioned deal. “The first song ever released that I produced for Jay was ‘n**gas in paris.’ I remember getting a text from Hov after the song dropped and was going crazy, and he said,’ If you get me another’ n**gas in paris’ I’ll get you a plane,’ jokingly.”
He continued, “But today I can say he got me something more valuable than a plane or anything tangible. He helped secure my freedom from an 18-year publishing deal I was stuck in, and I can’t thank him enough for pushing that thru. Much appreciation to Desiree Perez for also making this happen — the love and respect on my end runs deep and I appreciate all the help frr.”
Hit added that he is now a “free man” and compared the publishing deal to being stuck in an 18-year sentence. Most importantly, Hit stated he has a chance to “start over with more knowledge than I ever had.
“My best has yet to be seen. God is Great! WHAT’S THE DEAL?!,” Hit-Boy closed out the caption. In addition to the Instagram post, Hit-Boy released a new song titled “What’s The Deal” that also came with a music video. Check it out below.
