Who is Hit-Boy? Rapper thanks JAY-Z & Desiree Perez for helping him get free of 18-year publishing agreement that he likened to a prison term

American rapper Hit-Boy recently thanked Jay-Z and Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez for their support in helping him exit an 18-year publishing agreement. He expressed his gratitude via a lengthy Instagram post shared on July 24, 2025, following the release of his first independent project, What's The Deal, along with an accompanying music video

For the unversed, the rapper signed this agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group as a teenager. In the caption of the Instagram post, he first gave a shoutout to Jay-Z and wrote:

"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 thr[ough]... Today I am a free man. I feel like I just got out the pen after an 18-year sentence."

Hit-Boy further expressed his gratitude to Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez in the caption. He added:

"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-Boy, aka Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., was born in Los Angeles County in May 1987. The rapper released his first studio album in 2014 and named it We the Plug. In 2010, Hit-Boy went about producing Kanye West's Christmas in Harlem.

The rapper reportedly signed to Ye's GOOD Music record label as an in-house producer the following year. He even produced Jay-Z and Kanye West's hit single N*ggas In Paris, which dropped in 2011. He further made guest appearances and production work in a number of songs. The list includes Scream & Shout (remix version), Funeral Season, Boomerang, Other Sh*t, and King's Disease, to name a few.

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Hit-Boy had previously acknowledged that Jay-Z had assisted him in getting out of the agreement

This was not the first time that Hit-Boy was giving a shoutout to Jay-Z and Roc Nation for helping him get rid of the long-term agreement. In November 2024, the rapper appeared for an interview on The Shop. During his conversation, he opened up about this agreement and revealed that one primary factor of the deal was that there was no ending date to it.

According to him, Hov and Desiree Perez played a significant role in restructuring the $50,000 deal in order to include a conclusion date. He described the deal at the time and said:

"The way it was set up is just ancient terminology in the contracts."

In the latest Instagram post, Hit-Boy further recalled that as a kid, he had never imagined that he could actually work with the 55-year-old rapper at some point in time. He added that the first CD that he purchased with his own money was The Blueprint.

Hit-Boy added that Hov seemed very impressed with how N*ggas In Paris turned out. This track reportedly was Hit-Boy's first one that he ever produced for the rapper. The Instagram post added:

"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” ill get you a plane” jokingly but today i can say he got me something more valuable than a plane or anything tangible."

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Jay-Z had previously assisted several artists in regaining control of their music

Hit-Boy's situation could be considered one of the recent ones in which Hov got the credit for helping an artist get out of a publishing agreement. The Drunk in Love artist had previously intervened when Lil Uzi Vert had a dispute with Generation Now. Vert accused Generation Now of holding his music back, which later even prompted him to start the hashtag #FreeUzi on social media platforms.

Lil Uzi Vert at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club 18th anniversary celebration (Image via Getty)

According to reports by Revolt TV, Hov, along with his team at Roc Nation, intervened to deal with certain legalities. They also reportedly helped Vert reach a negotiation in which he could exit the label. Jay-Z was also involved when Lil Wayne got into a similar issue with Cash Money, according to reports by Revolt TV.

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Over the years, several artists had found themselves entangled in contracts that later seemed unsuitable. Apart from Lil Wayne, Hit-Boy, and Lil Uzi Vert, the list would also include Chuck D, Cam'ron, Snoop Dogg, The Clipse, Lupe Fiasco, Joe Budden, Azealia Banks, Wiz Khalifa, Dr. Dre, and many others.

Edited by Riya Peter