Hitmaka is the stage name of American rapper and producer Christian J. Ward, born on September 9, 1985, in Chicago Illinois. He began rapping under the pseudonym Iceberg in the early aughts and even landed a deal with DMX's Bloodline Records, but his auspicious career was cut short when his parents sent him to a military boarding school in Montana in 2001. After graduating from school in 2003, he moved to Los Angeles and worked closely with fellow Chicago rapper Shawnna before making his debut as Yung Berg with the single "Sexy Lady" (2007). Thanks to the track's popularity, he was offered a contract by Epic Records, which released both his first EP Almost Famous: The Sexy Lady, and his studio debut Look What You Made Me later that year. The album entered the Billboard 200 at Number 20 and peaked at Number 2 on the US rap charts, propelled by the Top 10 single "The Business" with Casha. In the following years, he began producing other artists under the moniker Hitmaka, scoring credits on albums by Nicki Minaj, French Montana, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, and Yo Gotti. In 2019, he returned to rapping on the single "Thot Box," featuring verses by Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, YBN Nahmir, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and Tyga. 1-800-HIT-EAZY, a collaborative album with R&B singer Eric Bellinger, appeared in 2021 and was followed by the single "Down Bad," a team effort with Fabolous, Jeremih, and Ivory Scott that went to Number 40 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart.