First Cudi, now this.

This year has proved to be a defining one for Kanye West‘s Def Jam imprint label, G.O.O.D. Music, and its only halfway through. Shortly before the release of his critically-acclaimed Indicud album, longtime Kanye West collaborator Kid Cudi announced that he himself was parting ways with the label in favor of further curating his own lane, sound, and Wicked Awesome record label. In similar fashion, today, via Hot 97′s Miss Info, Hit-Boy has also announced his departure from G.O.O.D. Music, where he was an in-house producer and now, Grammy Award winner. In a quick sit-down with the radio/internet personality, the HS87 frontman had this to say:

I got nothing but respect for Kanye, [but] I’m no longer a part of G.O.O.D. Music anymore.” HS87 is where my heart is, that’s what I’m reppin’
-Hit-Boy

During his time at G.O.O.D. Music, which began after he signed his deal in 2010, Hit-Boy made one of the quickest transitions from beatsmith to well-rounded artist in recent memory. Quietly approaching the scene with production credits for Smoke DZA, Casey Veggies, Dom Kennedy and Kanye West‘s G.O.O.D. Music releases, 2011 and 2012 proved to be record-setting for HIt-Boy, providing the instrumental backdrops for some of music’s biggest hits, including Kanye & Jay-Z‘s “N*ggas In Paris”, Rihanna‘s “Watch ‘N’ Learn” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle”. In addition to his work behind the boards, Hit also launched his solo rapping career, releasing his singles “Jay-Z Interview”, “Brake Lights” and the 2 Chainz-assisted “Fan”, which all found a home on his debut mixtape HITstory, not to mention his musical collective, HS87 released their longplayer, All I’ve Ever Dreamed Of, to rave reviews. Hit’s hits include A$AP Rocky‘s “Goldie”, Britney Spears‘ “Scream ‘N’ Shout Remix”, G.O.O.D. Music‘s “Clique” and Beyonce‘s “Bow Down”. According to him, his contract simply ended, and he’d like to make HS87 his main focus.

-Khari Nixon (@KingVanGogh)