Hit-Boy on 50 Years of Hip-Hop: 'I Just Hope to Be Looked at as a Great' (Exclusive)

The legendary producer discusses the genre's milestone anniversary, the music that shaped his ear, and his latest work on Travis Scott's 'Utopia'

Hit-Boy has one piece of advice for producers looking to make their mark: “Prioritize everything.”

The superstar beatmaker, 36, is known just as much for his 15+ years of hits — from “Sicko Mode” to “N—- in Paris” — as his latest Grammy-awarded five-album run with rap legend Nas.

But regardless of how long he’s been making an impact in hip-hop, or how his approach to creating changes over the years, the decorated producer still feels like he’s brand new to it all.

“I just still feel like a new producer every time I show up to the studio,” Hit tells PEOPLE. “I feel like it's my first day working. Then my season mentality kicks in after a while, but I'm just in there trying to figure it out and I feel like that's what keeps it fresh for me.”

“I'm just every day trying to not think like, ‘Oh, I'm Hit-Boy. I've done this. Let me make some beats that sound like this.’ I am going to just make some s—.”

To celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Hit caught up with PEOPLE about lessons from Pharrell, growing up on NWA, his latest work with Nas, and recent contributions to Travis Scott’s Utopia.

Hit-Boy is one of the over 30 game-changing artists sharing their stories as part of PEOPLE’s celebration of hip-hop’s milestone 50th anniversary. For more on the anniversary, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

What does 50 years of hip-hop mean to you?

I mean, just that longevity. We all know the early days of seeming a little too raunchy for the public and then trying to shut people's campaigns down like NWA, and whatever other artists were speaking on social things. And just to see it keep going and just become pretty much one of the most influential genres. That's just ill, you know what I mean? And it just keeps evolving and keeps getting embedded in the culture.

Related: Chance the Rapper Talks 50 Years of Hip-Hop: 'Without Rap, I Wouldn't Be Able to Be Chance the Rapper' (Exclusive)

And then even when you look at past anniversaries, is it different now that you've been part of it for 15, 20 years?

Even if I was just a fan, it still would just be dope, you know what I mean? Which I am a fan first, still. I feel like that's where my, I guess you could say with my production style, it's a gift and a curse because I remain a fan, so I just kind of make every sound. So it's not easy to pinpoint anything that I've done, even with the Nas albums, just having five albums with him, but you can't really say the beat sounds the same and stuff like that. So it's just exciting to be a part of it, but II always remain a fan, so it was just dope period.

I'm curious as to if you can recall the first album or record that made you feel like this was something you wanted to do for a living, that first started shaping your palette?

Man, I would say NWA's second album. I probably was 4 or 5 years old, but I just remember my people playing it and it being a topic of conversation, how vulgar the lyrics were and how crazy the beats were, and s--- like that. So I just always remember that, riding in my uncle's car and NWA's second album playing with just those crazy break beats and crazy vulgar language. It just was a dope moment.

And what did that mean to 5-year-old you?

I don't know what it meant, but I just felt that feeling. I guess it put that feeling in me, like this is something special. I didn't know how to describe it at the time or what I was even really hearing, but it just felt like, I guess watching a movie. The same as a movie.

Related: Salt-N-Pepa on 50 Years of Hip-Hop: 'We Brought Fun, Fashion and Femininity' (Exclusive)

How did being a hip-hop fan in that era shape you as a person?

Man, I'm glad I was born in the time I was born, and to be able to experience the growth of hip-hop and just see it evolve man, and just have some of that realness in me, you know what I mean? Kids these days, they are more just online. We were really outside, hearing the songs, and it just was a different format back in the day. So I'm glad I got to experience that.

And at what point in your life would you say you realized that your production skills that you were working on were a gift that set you apart in the beginning?

I just would attract so much talent, you know what I mean? Always my whole career, talent always found its way around me and I just found my way around talent. Yeah, I don't know, it's just been a gift.

And what, to you, makes a great producer?

Somebody who could really hear the artist out, listen, don't have an ego about it. Just try to get the best song regardless of what the credits say, what your ego tells you it needs to be. It's like, we just going to get down to the realness of it and just make it the best product possible.

And how do you feel that role or job of a producer has changed over the years, if it has?

I'm definitely just a little more locked into communication on a human level. You've got to be able to talk to people and understand what they're trying to get across and understand a lot of concepts at one time. I could be working on four or five albums and it's like, I got to keep track of this mentally, you know what I mean? And just sort and compartmentalize things to make it make sense.

Who were some of the first producers who you could put a face to as a young kid ?

Definitely being from the West Coast: Dr. Dre, DJ Kool, Battlecat. They're probably some of the top dudes that I was really listening to and looking at as those super West Coast producers.

Related: Ludacris on 50 Years of Hip-Hop: 'I Stayed True to Myself and Who I Am' (Exclusive)

Do you ever go into a project and think about them?

Yeah, you want to achieve that level of greatness. And I definitely have times where I'm mixing an album and I'll go back and play Chronic 2001 and play old Snoop albums and just try to make sure I'm giving off a certain feeling. The feeling that I got from hearing their s---.

How would you compare at least the early years of Hit-Boy when you first came onto the scene to maybe the mid 2010s, to the era of Hit-Boy that we're seeing now? Are you more project focused now? Do you think you're more selective with the work that you do?

Yeah, for sure. But I'm still open. I'll work on whoever that's really trying to connect with me and really build something. But that's what it's more so about now. Before it was like, "Man, let me just hustle, or whoever. I'm going to just take whatever session." And now it's more so, "Let me get in with an artist that really respects what I do, and understand what it is I do." We're in an era where it's crazy. The producer, as important as we are, becoming in some facets is still a uphill battle. Because I just seen a clip of a producer who was on Gunna's album and he had to sit outside the studio with a placard with his name on it saying, "Hey, I'll produce it for you." You know what I mean? It's like, "Damn, that's where we've come to where the artists don't even care to know the producer's name, let alone care about their sound." It's just a deep game, man. But that's just where we at, man.

Do you think being around for as long as you have is something that makes you more inclined to help out smaller producers?

Yeah, for sure. I always got that mentality like I just came in the game so I understand what it's like trying to get it together and trying to create opportunities.

And what would you say is the best piece of advice that another producer has given you throughout your career?

Man, I would say Pharrell back in 2007, man. He used to just tell me, "This game is going to be a lot of ups and downs with the money situations, with just the entertainment business, period." He was like, "Man, just keep the love for the music, man. As long as you got that, it's going to get you right back to where you need to be." You know what I mean? "Don't focus on the money, don't focus on none of the exterior s---. Just love the music, and everything you need or want, it's going to come to you eventually."

Do you think back to that advice often?

Often, hell yeah. Anytime somebody asks me. That's my best advice, man. Love what you do and that s— is going to lead you to where you need to be.

Related: 50 Years of Hip-Hop, According to Slick Rick, Latto, Pusha-T and Over 30 Other Musicians (Exclusive)

Could you break down what a day in your life in 2023 looks like?

I'm in go mode, man. I'm just going, trying to make beats every day. I'm recording artists, engineering, I'm doing whatever I got to do. And I'm a pop, so I'll be having my son and my sessions a lot of times. The last two Nas albums, he was there in every session, you know what I mean? His voice was on KD3, that's how much he was in the sessions with us, just being around this. I'm always doing something. I don't really feel like there's any time to be bored or no downtime. There is always something that needs to get done.

And how has fatherhood shaped you as a musician?

Man, it just got me more locked in, wanting to be better, wanting to be great. Just obviously create more wealth for my son's future.

I want to talk about this work with Nas. Like you said, five albums is unreal. How would you describe what that partnership that you guys have looks like today?

Man, it's just pure. It's just about the music. We never had no real type of clash. We might get down and be like, "Yo, this song needs to go here," or "We need to put this song on." And he might be like, "Nah." From the first album, man, the most streamed song on the first album, he didn't even want to use it. So it's just having that relationship to be able to tell him, "Nah bro, this is vital. We need this." And it's like, boom, you just prove and just create that trust, you know what I mean? That's really what it's about. Just having that trust.

Is that the biggest lesson that you'd hope to convey from your partnership?

Man, for sure. Yeah, just try to have no ego with it, man. Let everything play out how it's supposed to and keep it about the music.

And what would you say makes Magic 2 stand out from the albums before it?

The exploring the sounds. You've got Nas over beats you wouldn't usually hear him on and s--- like that. We were just trying s--- on there.

And how many more would you say you'd hope to continue making? Or is that even a thought right now?

However many Nas is trying to run. As a producer, this is something that we wish for. We hope for these opportunities, and when I work with Nas, it's crazy. I made songs, charted big songs, all this, but when I work with Nas, people just look at me in a different light. So it's just crazy how, you can't really call situations.

And could you compare for me at least the differences of making a top 10 single and making a top 10 album? Does one feel better than the other or is it just two different feelings?

It's just music. You want to see anything you do go as high as it can. But you've got to understand that it's all going to be different pockets. Everything ain't going to be blown out the water. Early in my career when I made "In Paris," I felt like everything that a person couldn't perform 14 times in a row "In Paris." There just was mania behind it. I felt like it was a failure. Even if songs charted, big songs, working with big artists, it just still felt like, "Damn, it's just not 'N----s inParis,'" but you can't really look at the game like that.

I was going to ask you about what you're most excited about to be working on right now, but obviously that new track with Travis Scott and Beyoncé just came out. These are two people you've worked with before. What was it like working on that song?

I mean, it was dope. Travis had a camp with a bunch of dope artists, and writers, producers just vibing. And he invited me and he already had that idea started. I just added a little flavor to it and was able to make the album. It was a dope experience being down there though, working with it.

And what do you feel about the finished product?

Man, I think it's futuristic. It's ill, the whole album. The whole album is just like, "OK, he left Earth, he just on some other vibes."

What do you hope your contribution to these last 50 years of hip-hop has been? How would you hope to be remembered as a musician in the next 50 even?

I watch Twitter, I watch IG, I see what the people say about me, and I feel like if I keep on that trajectory, there's no telling. I got people moving me up higher on their Top 10 lists of all time and all types of s---. So right now I don't even focus on that. I just hope to be looked at as a great.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.