New Rory & Mal

Episode: "Checking In With Hitmaka"

Date: October 16, 2025

Guest: Hitmaka (formerly Young Berg)

Episode Overview

This episode of New Rory & Mal features a candid, humorous, and insightful conversation with super-producer Hitmaka. Hosts Rory Farrell and Josh 'Fatz' Adams dive into Hitmaka’s journey from industry infamy to hit-making legend, discussing topics ranging from viral media moments and reality TV chaos to modern music industry challenges, artistic reinvention, and the dynamic state of hip-hop. Bursting with behind-the-scenes stories, hot takes, and reflections on growth, the episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about navigating hip-hop’s wild terrain in 2025.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recounting the Viral Cam Newton Interview

[02:27–05:51]

• The episode opens with laughs over Hitmaka’s recently resurfaced (but actually old) appearance on Cam Newton’s podcast, where Cam asks him outlandish questions about women he’s dated.
  • Hitmaka reflects on being uncomfortable and how online attention can twist narratives:

    “Am I just a character on the Internet? ...I said, I didn’t eat a hamburger, a hot dog, or a sandwich. They sent me death threats... like, ‘you bitch ass nigga, you never had a sandwich.’” (Hitmaka, 05:51)

• The crew parodies the state of podcasting as “crazy” and highlight the clickbait, viral-driven nature of modern interviews.

2. Shock Value & Social Media Algorithm Chasing

[06:51–08:45]

• Hitmaka critiques today’s media landscape:

  “It’s all shock value at this point and everybody just saying shit to get into the algorithm... People gravitate more to negativity than positivity...” (Hitmaka, 06:51)

• He points out how clips are recycled to create new drama even from old content (“that Cam Newton interview was eight months ago”), underlining how virality trumps substance.

3. Producer Tag Games & Legacy Building

[08:47–09:38]

• Hitmaka shares he’s been taking his producer tag off radio records to “confuse motherfuckers,” emphasizing that presence and visibility are everything now.
• Despite 10 years of annual #1 records, he jokes about ghost-producing and considers rebranding due to overexposure—"I’m tired of hearing my own tag."

  • “I had a number one every year for 10 years straight... I thought about changing my producer name and just ghost producing over a whole different name.” (Hitmaka, 08:54)

4. The “Messy” Rebrand via Reality TV

[09:38–14:35]

• Hitmaka describes how his public image pivoted with Love & Hip Hop, revealing the behind-the-scenes “arranged relationships” and engineered drama.

  • “When I got there, another woman... was my girlfriend on the show. We filmed for three months... when I got back [from Miami], they fired [her] and dropped me at Hazel E’s house.” (Hitmaka, 12:19)

• Explains financial realities for artists on reality TV, with delayed payments and the pressure to be entertaining versus authentic.

5. Navigating Industry Comebacks and “Messiness”

[14:35–19:24]

• The table discusses how controversy propelled Hitmaka’s comeback but that ultimately the work (“18 number ones, 350 million records, 27 billion streams”) defines lasting success.
• On helping artists and fielding drama (“messiness”), Hitmaka stresses persistence:

  • “...My career, what I’ve been through to be where I’m at right now, you just not happy with yourself in life. ...Like, I came from the dirt with this and had to change and revamp a whole...” (Hitmaka, 31:19)

6. Artist Discovery & Missed Breakouts

[21:15–24:44]

• Talks about developing young talent—both successes and near-misses (e.g., Malibu Mitch, female writer arrested for trafficking).

  • “[Malibu Mitch] was in a very bad production deal... fell out with [Atlantic A&R]... unfortunately, it ruined that moment. But I think timing is everything.” (Hitmaka, 24:29)

• Names Mariah the Scientist as a female artist he’d like to work with if “she got a budget.”

7. Producer Beef and Making Peace with Hit-Boy

[25:14–31:26]

• The crew unpacks a past tiff between Hitmaka and Hit-Boy over a leaked podcast snippet that stoked industry “competition.”
  • On reconciling:

    “We just actually spoke for the first time in Vegas... it was never about nothing. Like, for real. For real.” (Hitmaka, 27:32)

• Highlights the competitive but collaborative spirit among producers, and the sometimes toxic nature of industry gossip.

8. Current State of Rap & Female MCs Dominating

[37:00–42:35]

• Hitmaka and the hosts admit it’s hard to name five top male rappers under 35, while women are leading the genre:

  • “I think right now with the ladies, I mean, shit, they running shit... like, who are the top five male rappers in the game right now? Excluding all legends, any nigga over 35?” (Hitmaka, 37:05)

• In-depth debate over which female rappers are most relevant and whether the current era is peaking or plateauing.
• Mention of new female talent (New York La, Gilly’s daughter) being executive produced by Hitmaka—“She will be one of the biggest stars next year, hands down.” (Hitmaka, 44:12)

9. Industry Evolution: A&R, AI, and Catalog Moves

[44:46–53:53]

• Discuss A&R’s decline and the music execs with “music man” intuition who are now being replaced by data people.

  • “Artists want to be criticized by people that are actually doing what they're doing in real time, not some guy in front of a computer...” (Hitmaka, 51:49)

• AI in music: Real concern over quality of AI-made music and questions about its place in the industry.

  • “We just did a writing camp... he played me an entire song, lyrics, beat... in two minutes. Later, me up. And this wasn’t trash.” (Hitmaka, 47:47)

• Catalog sales discussed (“It was a bunch of tech companies buying up everybody’s cat[alog].”).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On viral content:

  “We’re in the circus, bro. ...If you don't go viral, then people feel like it never happened, bro.”
  —Hitmaka (08:11)

• On his reality show experience:

  “So they like brewing up the fucking gumbo before you even get into this shit...”
  —Hitmaka (11:22)

• On competitive producer culture:

  “I'm not A&R enough for the A&R's, and I'm not producing enough for a producer. Where the f*** am I? I'm just, what am I doing? ...Did I just hit a lick out of nowhere?”
  —Hitmaka (29:18)

• On credit and catalog:

  “What you think? I got Spectrus and all the other boy, like, I live in a five million dollar house in Miami. No mortgage, no nothing. ...I could really retire right now. I don't have to do another song.”
  —Hitmaka (49:50)

• On AI in music:

  “He played me an entire song, lyrics, beat with the flip of the sample. A whole everything in two minutes. ...And this wasn’t trash.”
  —Hitmaka (47:47)

Notable Segments (Timestamps)

• [02:27–05:51] — Discussion on Cam Newton's viral segment/interview gameshow.
• [06:51–08:45] — “It’s all shock value at this point...” on the state of modern media.
• [12:19] — Love & Hip-Hop “arranged relationships” anecdote.
• [21:15–24:44] — Talent development; stories of missed artist breakouts (Malibu Mitch, etc).
• [25:14–31:26] — Producer drama and reconciliation with Hit-Boy.
• [37:00–42:35] — Ranking current rappers and female MCs; the “plateau” of women’s rap dominance.
• [44:46–53:53] — Industry shifts: declining real A&Rs, rise of data-driven execs, catalog sales, and the emergence of AI.
• [47:47–47:59] — Beat-making with AI; “...this wasn’t trash.”
• [54:25–66:13] — Rapid-fire (This or That) song choices and wildest career stories (Ray J, Shaq bailing him out, etc).
  • [65:02] — “Shaquille o’ Neal bailed me out of jail.”

Song & Producer Stories ("This or That" Segment)

[56:26–66:13]

• Hitmaka picks between his own records, revealing stories behind “Bounce Back,” “Dangerous,” “John,” “Rule the World,” “Sexy Can I,” and more.
• Wildest story: Arrested during the “Sexy Can I” video shoot and bailed out by Shaquille O’Neal.

  • “Shaquille o’ Neal bailed me out of jail. I can't make this up, bro. ...I knew I should have known the record was going diamond when Shaq came and picked me up.” (Hitmaka, 65:15)

Emerging Artists & Final Thoughts

• Hitmaka teases a busy release schedule (“21 songs coming out on Friday,” [66:29]), highlighting upcoming projects with Ty Dolla $ign, Tink, and New York La.
• Expresses intent to move into label/major exec work to support the industry’s next wave, aiming “to be a blessing to other people and really change people’s lives.” [51:13]

Summary Takeaways

• Hitmaka’s journey is a template for adapting and thriving in the ever-changing music industry—rebranding, battling public perception, and remaining prolific.
• The music industry’s structure is at a crossroads: viral soundbite culture collides with an A&R system losing its “music people,” as tech and analytics dominate creativity.
• Female rappers’ dominance is recognized, but the crew hints the “explosion” era may be plateauing, even as they spotlight new stars.
• AI’s influence emerges as both awe-inspiring and “scary” for creators.
• Hitmaka continues to work with everyone (“I’m on everybody’s album”) and sharpens his role as a builder of new talent, while readying his next industry chapter.

For anyone who wants an unfiltered look into how hip-hop, media virality, and industry game have evolved—and how the ones who survive it get wiser, funnier, and infinitely more interesting—this episode exemplifies the best of modern podcasting discourse: real, rapid-fire, and remarkably resilient.