Initially inking with Aftermath Entertainment back in 1998, native Los Angeles, California, rapper-producer-songwriter H.I.T.T.M.A.N. [an acronym for Highly Intense Tongue Talents Make All Nervous] would later appear on a staggering 9 selections from Dr. Dre‘s critically acclaimed, multi-platinum sophomore opus, “2001.”

The artist born Brian Anthony Bailey’s most notable single to-date, “Last Dayz,” was the featured B-side on the Master of Mixology’s Grammy Award winning “Forgot About Dre” entry. Eventually leaving Aftermath without ever dropping a project of his own, HITT finally unleashed his proper solo debut, “Hittmanic Verses”, independently in November 2005.

First things first, August 11th 2023 marked the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. What exactly does that mean to and for you?

Yes, indeed, Hip Hop we fucking did it! [laughs] What it means to me exactly is that forty years ago this 5th grade kid who mustered up the courage to pursue an art-form that most of my elders and even some of my peers were telling me was a “flash in the pan” was right to follow his heart instead of giving in to their reasonable doubts. It was like a long drawn out “The Vapors/ So What You Sayin’/ Mr. Nobody Is Somebody Now” moment with an oversized exclamation point.

To quote the late, great The Notorious B.I.G., “You never thought that Hip Hop would take it this far!” Was this something that you ever could’ve imagined?

Yep, I most definitely could imagine Hip Hop taking it this far. I think the vibe was intrinsic for us ‘70’s babies who would go on to pursue the craft. We were literally growing and developing with this new phenomenon simultaneously. Therefore, we could sense Hip Hop’s impending progress and longevity because it was one with our own.

What are some of your fondest, most stand-out moments/memories during your lengthy tenure in this thing called Hip Hop?

Man, what a great question and sort of a difficult one to answer. So many occurrences in a forty-year span. A lot of my fondest memories are steeped in humble beginnings like the first time I wrote a rhyme, then the first time I memorized a rhyme and recited it to someone or the first time I really showed out in a cypher or rocked a crowd, first time I made a pause tape, etc. My most stand out moment was of course getting signed to a major label and being featured on several songs on the “2001” album.

That said, what are your future plans and goals for the (remainder of the) 2025 season?

My future plans are to continue writing, recording and accumulating songs and eventually releasing them once I analyze where they best fit. You know, like, are they H.I.T.T.M.A.N. joints or do they best suit another artist? My goal is to become sharper as a producer and finish the original draft of my memoir “HITTStory” so I can hand it over to an editor and push forward on getting it out to the people.

Switching gears here, what exactly do you want people to get from your music?

Ultimately I want people to get enjoyment and inspiration from my music and hopefully the listener learns something previously unknown during their listening experience.

If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Oh my God, there’s an unlimited list of living and ancestral artists I would love to collaborate with. But because things were looking like they would align with this particular individual then the world was robbed of him, I gotta go with the late great J Dilla.

The overall why is obvious, Dilla was fucking ill as an emcee and a producer and I feel he had a decent singing voice, too. I just know his skill-set would’ve complimented mine and if we really clicked, I feel he would’ve brought something out of me that has been lying dormant since my years with my old crew that was formed in the early to mid ‘90’s. Shout out to my Skwod Brothas by the way, SS 4 Life!

If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?

I’m not that well versed on venues throughout the world so I would just have to keep it somewhat local and pick the Sphere in Las Vegas. I would love to see what ways I could present my music using the immersive capabilities of that venue.

On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of Hip Hop?

Yes and no. I’ll always be happy with the state of what I call traditional Hip Hop because it sticks to the core methods of dope beats, rhymes and cuts which is what has primarily held my attention throughout the years. I also ain’t mad at modern Hip Hop because it expands on the core methods while carving out new realms for the art-form to exist in. What I’m unhappy with is all the bullshit masquerading as Hip Hop while bearing no resemblance to it.

You know, like these half ass reality shows or podcasts and so-called Hip Hop sites that never speak on artists as it pertains to their music but instead focus on their misfortunes and shortcomings? My biggest gripe though is all these dickheads who either blatantly disrespect all that has come before them or just don’t have any real knowledge of it to begin with. They choose to latch onto and capitalize under the Hip Hop banner while dissing many of the participants that caused it to flourish up to this point. What part of the game is that? My suggestion to them, start your own shit from scratch and stop dick-riding ours. Like my good brother Young Gotti once said, “If I ruled this sphere” their shit would disappear [laughs].

What do you feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?

Well, I often refer to myself as an “emcee interrupted,” meaning life began to clash with my creative process so the creative side of me was put on time out. So I gotta break this down in two acts so to speak. From the time I set out to be a rapper all the way to my time at Aftermath the key to my longevity was my obsession with the art in general and getting better at it. What will be key for me during my second act is consistency.

Do you have any other outside/additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from entertainment?

Most of my aspirations do have to do with entertainment in some form or fashion but I used to love this show on the History Channel called “Top Shot”, resulting in me adding becoming a marksman to my bucket list. So maybe I’ll aspire to do just that one day.

What’s an average day like for you? And, please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans…

Recently I have a set (an) agenda for each day of the week, so I can’t really say that I have average days anymore. For example I label my Mondays “Media Mondays” where I try to pop up on most of my social media sites answering DMs and updating what needs to be updated. Then I have “Tutorial Tuesdays” where I deep dive into tutorials that help with becoming more fluent navigating my DAW’s. Then I have “WorkinOnIt Wednesdays” and so on and so forth.

My interaction with fans are fairly comparable to my interaction with fam and friends to be honest with you. We talk about things like what I’ve been up to or if I have anything in the works or like what am I listening to at said moment. Of course there’s the occasional feature inquiry but nothing too out of the ordinary. I must say, I have some of the coolest patient fans ever. I appreciate them greatly.

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?

Getting paid for something lots of people perceive or do as a hobby never gets old to me. That’s my favorite thing. Also, the aspect of having an idea in your head that no one can hear or see but you, then you work on it until it becomes something tangible that others can consume and enjoy is the ultimate. The wonderment of something out of nothing on full display. Pure God level shit in my opinion [laughs].

My least favorite thing about this line of work, politics. I despise phony people and I hate even more so that there’s seemingly an insidious ceiling if you don’t wish to partake in their hoe ass antics. Furthermore, I’ve always struggled in work situations where you have to coexist with someone who isn’t worth their weight in salt, yet they hold a high position due to their relation to someone who is powerful. That’s where I usually strike out because if I don’t respect your business acumen or your music knowledge and opinions, we’re gonna clash without question.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Follow in my footsteps? Don’t…Nah but really, first and foremost I would advise that the love you have for what you’re doing is palpable because that’s what’s gonna propel you through the trials and tribulations when they occur and they will. Also make sure that you’re 100% sure of who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish at all times. Beware of detractors, unfortunately some will be those you once admired. Learn as much as you can about the business and set out to make some great fucking music!

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you see yourself?

Aside from being overseas somewhere performing my golden oldies [laughs], I can see myself either getting into music supervision or music advocacy or both.

Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention?

No, I think you asked some great questions and hopefully my answers will suffice.

Any parting words for our readers?

Yes, thanks for checking out this interview. Check me out at Hittmansince87.net and look both ways before crossing the the street, because you might get HITT.