Multi-platinum producer, Christian J. Ward, better known as, Hitmaka, began his music career as a rapper on DMX’s label. He is now a well-known producer and actor holding a great reputation. Over twenty years ago the artist featured on the song, “Dog 4 Life”, which appeared on the Exit Wounds soundtrack, under the name Iceberg, which he later changed to Yung Berg. According to Hip hop DX, the 36-year-old sat down on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion Podcast to open up about how his mother sent him away, putting a pause on his career.
During the interview, Hitmaka said his mother contacted him to meet at a Red Lobster in Chicago. He remembers leaving a recording session in Toronto with DMX. At the time, Ward was only 19. The Chicago native said he was tricked into going to Spring Creek Lodge Academy. The juvenile placement facility in Montana is now closed down. Hitmaka say’s, “She was like ‘Chris you gotta go to school!’ She go jump in her car, locked the door and popped the trunk. There’s bags packed and now I’m fighting in the middle of a parking lot and they put plastic cuffs on me.”
The institution was horrific!
Hitmaka discusses how he witnessed many horrors and abuse in the academy. The facility closed in 2009 after the New York Times released a piece covering allegations of sexual abuse, physical violence and psychological duress that occurred there. He stated, “My mom had signed away all her parental rights,” continued. “I’m in this concentration camp type shit where they cut me off from the world. They were paying five grand a month for me to stay there…I didn’t know 9/11 happened. I didn’t know Aaliyah died…the Feds came and shut the shit down.” This is what put a major hold on Hit’s career.
Later in the episode, Hit discuss’s DMX drug problem admitting he had no idea how bad it really was.
Stephanie Kinberg
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