Hit-Boy is looking to extend his hot streak in 2023 by releasing a new joint album with Musiq Soulchild.
The project was first announced by the R&B legend in a recent interview on comedian Bill Bellamy’s Top Billin’ podcast, where he revealed the title — Victims & Villains — and hinted at a February release.
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As word spread, Hit-Boy confirmed the collaboration on Twitter on Friday (January 6). “R&B Hit-Boy otw” he wrote in response to a fan’s enthusiastically tweet about the album.
The multi-platinum producer also confirmed the news to HipHopDX. He later shared a screenshot of his tweet on Instagram while tagging Soulchild, who replied with a series of water wave emojis.
Musiq Soulchild shared more insight into the upcoming album in his interview with Bill Bellamy, including explaining the meaning behind the name Victims & Villains.
“The title is designed to address the topic of the challenges we all deal with in relationships, but I’m approaching it from a slightly different angle than I used to,” he said. “It’s more abstract, at the same time direct.”
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He added: “A lot of people don’t realize which one they are; they think they’re one when they’re the other.”
The Grammy-nominated crooner also revealed the album has only been months in the making and is in the “beginning stages of mixing,” while describing Hit-Boy as a “G.O.A.T. of our time.”
While the upcoming album marks new territory for both artists, Hit-Boy and Musiq Soulchild are no strangers to working together. Soulchild has appeared on two Hit-Boy-produced tracks in the past: Kanye West’s 2010 holiday jingle “Christmas in Harlem” and Audio Push’s “Praise You” in 2016.
The Surf Club hitmaker is also no rookie when it comes to R&B having previously collaborated with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, The-Dream, Kelly Rowland, Teyana Taylor, Jennifer Hudson, Macy Gray, and many more.
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Hip Hop was Hit-Boy’s main priority last year, though, and his prolific campaign earned him HipHopDX’s Best Producer of 2022 crown.
The Inland Empire native dropped joint projects with Dreezy and Pacman Da Gunman while contributing to Beyoncé’sRenaissance, The Game’sDrillmatic, Ab-Soul’sHerbert, Conway The Machine’sGod Don’t Make Mistakes and YG’sI Got Issues, among other albums.
But his crowning achievement was King’s Disease III, his fourth collaboration with Nas in three years and arguably the finest installment in their Grammy-winning series.
