Each month, we will speak to an athlete, celebrity, designer, or non-Hip Hop entertainer about what Hip Hop means to them. This feature is intended to showcase how far-reaching the influence of Hip Hop culture has grown in the past 50 years and how much the culture means to so many.
This month, we spoke with DJ and producer TroyBoi.
London-born producer Troy Henry, widely known as TroyBoi, has spent the better part of the past decade dismantling the conventional boundaries of electronic and bass music. Starting out crafting beats on a laptop in his studio kitchen, he has evolved into one of modern electronic music’s most stylistically adventurous architects.
TroyBoi’s sound is fundamentally shaped by his multicultural heritage, drawing threads from his Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Nigerian roots. Whether remixing global pop heavyweights or releasing genre-fluid solo EPs, his production is marked by an instantly recognizable formula: eccentric sample selection, intricate polyrhythms, and a refusal to settle into standard tempo grooves.
SO TROYBOI, WHAT DOES HIP HOP MEAN TO YOU?
“Hip Hop has been one of the biggest influences on who I am as a producer. Growing up in London, I was surrounded by so many different sounds, but Hip Hop was the genre that really taught me about rhythm, groove, sampling, and fearlessness. Producers like Timbaland, Pharrell, Dr. Dre, and J Dilla completely changed the way I thought about making music. They showed me that you don’t have to follow the rules to create something timeless.
Hip Hop also gave me the confidence to blend worlds together. Whether it’s trap, electronic music, Bollywood samples, reggae, R&B, or global influences, that mindset of pushing boundaries comes directly from Hip Hop. Even on my latest project, ‘FT.’ where every song is built around a featured artist, the foundation is still rooted in Hip Hop’s spirit of collaboration and self-expression. To me, Hip Hop is more than a genre; it’s a culture built on creativity, innovation, and authenticity. It’s about telling your story and constantly evolving while staying true to yourself.”
Follow TroyBoi on Instagram.
