Hitmaka

Christian Ward was born in Chicago on September 9, 1985. He now works as a record producer and songwriter under the name Hitmaka. His journey started when he began rapping at age 15 using the stage name Iceberg. A stint at a military boarding school paused his early career, but he returned six years later to sign with Epic Records. He adopted the persona Yung Berg and released his debut single "Sexy Lady" in 2007, which reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up track "The Business" hit number 33 the next year. Ward also appeared on Ray J's hit "Sexy Can I", which climbed into the top five of the charts. His only studio album during this rap phase, Look What You Made Me, came out in 2008. It peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 despite mixed reviews from critics. Subsequent mixtapes and singles failed to make major waves, prompting a shift in focus by 2014. Ward moved away from recording vocals to concentrate entirely on production. This pivot proved highly successful as he crafted hits for major artists throughout the decade. His credits include Big Sean's "Bounce Back", Lil Wayne's "John", Chris Brown's "Party", A Boogie wit da Hoodie's "Look Back at It", Meek Mill's "Dangerous", and Megan Thee Stallion's "Plan B". Industry recognition followed his production success. In 2019, Atlantic Records appointed him executive vice president of A&R. Empire Distribution named him to the same role the following year. Across numerous film and television projects, Ward has maintained a steady presence behind the scenes while managing high-profile artist development.[edit]