Grammy-Winning Artist & Producer Hit Boy Talks AI Music

Summary

Podcast Summary: Bloomberg Talks

Episode: Grammy-Winning Artist & Producer Hit-Boy Talks AI Music
Date: June 4, 2026
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Hit-Boy (Grammy-winning artist and producer)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an insightful conversation between the Bloomberg Hosts and Hit-Boy, a three-time Grammy-winning producer known for shaping the sounds of Jay-Z, Beyonce, Nas, Drake, and more. The discussion centers around the intersection of technology and music, particularly the influence and implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in music creation. Hit-Boy also talks about his journey leaving a major label for artistic freedom, his upcoming solo album “Software Update”, and how platforms like YouTube empower today’s artists.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Changing Nature of Music Technology

• Early Adoption of Tech in Music

  • Hit-Boy emphasizes he’s always used tech tools in his craft, starting with FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops).
    • “I started in music like using tech. I used a program called FL Studio. … some of the biggest hits of our generation … have been made on FL.” (Hit-Boy, 01:06)
  • Early skepticism around tech mirrors today’s concerns with AI music.

• AI’s Role in Modern Music

  • AI is recognized as a legitimate and inevitable tool in music creation.
    • “It’s music for sure. You still have a person having to prompt it. … If you have a great imagination … you’re going to succeed.” (Hit-Boy, 01:43)
  • AI, MIDI, and other innovations inevitably raise concerns, but history shows tech often expands creative possibilities.

• On Creativity and Training Data

  • AI music isn’t just derivative; creativity still comes from the human, even as models may build on existing works.
    • “One million percent,” (Hit-Boy, 02:30) on the idea that even non-technological music is ‘trained’ on what we’ve previously heard.

Artistic Freedom & Industry Structure

• Life After Universal Music

  • Hit-Boy reflects on 18 years with Universal and how leaving expanded his creative and financial freedoms.
    • “I always kind of felt like I had a black cloud over me. … But now I’m completely free … I feel unstoppable.” (Hit-Boy, 02:44)
  • Deal structure in early career restricted his earning and progression, but it ultimately led to greater empowerment and independence.

• The Value (and Limits) of Record Deals

  • Initially necessary for breaking into the industry, but often limiting.
    • “Making the amount of money I should have been making and just progressing through my deal for … the amount of work I put in.” (Hit-Boy, 03:12)
    • “I guess so, because I’m here right now on Bloomberg.” (Hit-Boy, 03:21) (on whether it was the right move early in his career)

Personal Growth & Upcoming Project: “Software Update”

• Album Inspiration

  • “Software Update” is about more than just new music; it’s a metaphor for self-improvement in all aspects of life.
    • “It’s beyond just the music. … You got to update the software just like a computer.” (Hit-Boy, 03:42)

• Transition to Solo Work

  • Hit-Boy doesn't find a big difference between solo and collaborative projects in terms of creative satisfaction.
    • “It doesn’t feel any different because I’m just a creative. … Anything I do creatively that gives me that spark, I’m enjoying it.” (Hit-Boy, 04:08)

• Message to the Audience

  • “Lock in, update your software. … look inside every day and just look in the mirror and get better.” (Hit-Boy, 04:26)

Social Media and Music Distribution Today

• YouTube’s Role
  • YouTube provides a free, wide-reaching platform, somewhat akin to what MySpace did for music discovery in years prior.
    • “Yeah, I would say so. For sure. You know, I could just fire off as much as I want to on YouTube.” (Hit-Boy, 04:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Tech is always going to advance mankind.” (Hit-Boy, 01:19)
• “If you have a great imagination and you use that in your work, you’re going to succeed.” (Hit-Boy, 01:46)
• “I’ve been just empowered to the maximum capability.” (Hit-Boy, 02:44)
• “It’s beyond just the music. … Update yourself as a person.” (Hit-Boy, 03:42)
• “Lock in, update your software. … Get better.” (Hit-Boy, 04:26)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:06 — Hit-Boy on starting out in music with tech tools.
• 01:43 — Discussion on whether AI-created music counts as music.
• 02:19 — Thoughts on loss of creativity in the AI era.
• 02:44 — How leaving Universal transformed Hit-Boy’s career.
• 03:37 — Introduction to the new album, “Software Update”.
• 04:08 — Transitioning from collaborator to solo artist.
• 04:26 — Core message behind “Software Update”.
• 04:38 — The importance of YouTube compared to MySpace.

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Conclusion

Hit-Boy articulates a forward-thinking and optimistic vision for music in the age of AI, stressing that technological advancement is simply part of music’s ongoing evolution. His experiences with record labels, creative freedom, and growth—both personal and professional—paint a dynamic picture of an artist embracing change and digital opportunity. Listeners are left with the call to continually update themselves and adapt, just like the ever-evolving technology that shapes the industry.

Transcript

[Indiana University Announcer]

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[Bloomberg Host]

Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts, Radio News we really have a fun guest that we want to get to right here at Bloomberg Technology.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

Yeah, we actually just really set them up. We got to look at what happened over last few days when it comes to the music industry. Bill Ackman looking to sell his stake in Universal Music Group just days after the Amsterdam listed company rejected a takeover bid by the hedge fund billionaire. We've got with us an expert in the music industry, someone who had a very long relationship with a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. We're talking about Hit Boy.

[Hit-Boy]

Yep.

[Bloomberg Host]

He is three time Grammy award winning artist and a producer, is known for shaping the sounds of Jay Z, Beyonce, Nas, Drake and so many more. Welcome, welcome. So this is all about technology. How are you thinking increasingly about technology and its impact on music?

[Hit-Boy]

Well, I started in music like using tech. I used a program called FL Studio. It was called Fruity Loops back in the day, but it's FL Studio now. And you know, some of the biggest hits of our generation in hip hop and just popular music have been made on fl. But when it first came out, people were kind of like, oh, it's just like a computer program. It's not serious music making. But you know, tech is always going to advance mankind.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

Is that where we are with AI today? Because people could actually just create, you know, what they think of as Fruity Loops using AI. Is that music?

[Hit-Boy]

It's music for sure. You still have a person having to prompt it. It can't just press a button and prompt itself. So just imagination, I feel like is at an all time high. If you have a great imagination and you use that in your work, you're going to succeed.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

But here's the thing, isn't it all trained on music that's already out there?

[Hit-Boy]

Well, not all of it. There's some people that train it on certain different ways, but however it's done, I feel like you when MIDI came out. Yeah, the person that studied the keyboard or piano for 20 years and learned grooves and melodies was like, what is this MIDI thing? You could just import notes and then make it sound like me. Like, you know.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

So you're not worried about a loss of creativity in this era?

[Hit-Boy]

No, not at all. It's a boom.

[Bloomberg Host]

Isn't all music even created without technology, just drained on all the music that we've kind of got in our brain.

[Hit-Boy]

One million percent. One million percent, yeah, for sure.

[Bloomberg Host]

Hey, talk to us about. We want to go back to universal 18 years, right?

[Hit-Boy]

18 years, yeah.

[Bloomberg Host]

But you decided to go off on your own. How did that change what you can do?

[Hit-Boy]

Man, I feel like I've been just empowered to the maximum capability. Like, you know, just like being in that deal for 18 years, I always kind of felt like I had a black cloud over me. And as many hits as I did make, I still feel like I wasn't in my complete right mind, because that was always lingering. But now I'm completely free, and I got all these tools and all these. This knowledge I've gained over the years. I feel unstoppable.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

So what did that relationship prevent you from doing?

[Hit-Boy]

Making the amount of money I should have been making and just progressing through my deal for, you know, the amount of work I put in.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

But was it the right thing for you early in your career?

[Hit-Boy]

I guess so, because I'm here right now on Bloomberg. You know what I mean? So, you know, the hustle, the struggle, the gripe, you know, the grief, like, it just. It led me to this place where I'm just, like. I feel powered up, you know?

[Bloomberg Host]

Tell us about this solo album that you've got coming out. Software Update.

[Hit-Boy]

Software Update.

[Bloomberg Host]

I love the name.

[Hit-Boy]

Thank you.

[Bloomberg Host]

Tell us, though, like, what this means.

[Hit-Boy]

It's beyond just the music. You know, it's like updating yourself as a person. Just moving better, dressing better, living better, whatever it is, to update yourself, you know, on a daily basis. Do that, you know, working out, whatever it is, eating right, like, just, you know, that you got to update the software just like a computer.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

What's it like going from somebody who's known as a collaborator? You know, Carol mentioned a few of the people you've worked with. Jay Z, Beyonce, Nas, Drake, and more to doing this, to doing this solo project.

[Hit-Boy]

To be honest, it doesn't feel any different because I'm just a creative. I get the same excitement and the same high when I'm making a beat, as if I do a verse or if I engineer for a big artist. Anything I do creatively that gives me that spark, I'm enjoying it, you know?

[Bloomberg Host]

What's a message you would like to send to people with this album? Just got about 30 seconds here.

[Hit-Boy]

Lock in, update your software. You know, just look inside every day and just look in the mirror and get better.

[Bloomberg Co-Host]

Hey, very briefly, is YouTube what MySpace was to you in the beginning of your career. 10 seconds.

[Hit-Boy]

Yeah, I would say so. For sure. You know, I could just fire off as much as I want to on YouTube.

[Bloomberg Host]

Well, thanks for spending time with us.

[Hit-Boy]

Definitely.

[Bloomberg Host]

Really cool. Good luck. Good luck with the album. Of course. Talking to hit boy here, Grammy winning

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