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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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Episode: Grammy-Winning Artist & Producer Hit-Boy Talks AI Music
Date: June 4, 2026
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Hit-Boy (Grammy-winning artist and producer)
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.
Early Adoption of Tech in Music
AI’s Role in Modern Music
On Creativity and Training Data
Life After Universal Music
The Value (and Limits) of Record Deals
Album Inspiration
Transition to Solo Work
Message to the Audience
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.