No Jumper - The Benny The Butcher Interview: New Album & Label Deal, Scam Accusations, XXL Cover & More

Episode Date: August 28, 2020

Benny The Butcher talks new project with Hitboy, his label imprint deal with eOne, respond to Joe Budden who supposedly started the rumor of tension in Griselda, Boldy James signing to Griselda, working with Kash Doll, XXL Freshmen cover 2020 and explains the story behind his mixtape movement. ----- FOLLOW US ON SNAPCHAT FOR THE LATEST NEWS & UPDATES https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_Jumper/4874336901 FOLLOW OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/529mn7of2HBKdLfrAMUzcK?si=rWVBWCuWSXeh0TFYb2P-dQ CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! http://www.nojumper.com/ SUBSCRIBE for new interviews (and more) weekly: http://bit.ly/nastymondayz Follow us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nojumper iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-jumper/id1001659715?mt=2 Follow us on Social Media: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_Jumper/4874336901 http://www.twitter.com/nojumper http://www.instagram.com/nojumper https://www.facebook.com/No-Jumper-198283650194402/ http://www.reddit.com/r/nojumper JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Q3XPfBm Follow Adam22: http://www.twitter.com/adam22 http://www.instagram.com/adam22 and adam22hoe on Snapchat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Jumper. Coolest podcast on the world. And today we got one of the finest lyricists, rap sayers, alive. Mm, for real, though. For real. What's up with you? Chillin, man. How you doing? Man, I'm all right, man. I'm mad. I got to fucking roll this Optimo grape because I ain't stopped at the right cigar store. Wait, you got your phone set up to film you're splitting this Optimo? It's okay. No, I respect it. I just want to make sure that's what's going on.

It's okay, man. I don't have to have to have a small. smoke worse shit than this. That's real. I'm smoking, though. That's a fact. See, I appreciate that. You don't take smoking good for granted. Because I'm sure there were days where the weed was not so green. Oh, the weed was, you know what color that she used to be. That she used to be brown back in the day.

On the East Coast, we were a little later than the West Coast. I'm figuring out about the good weed. That's what I had to come on here. I'm like, oh, that's what the fuck Dray was talking about. The chronic. That's what the fuck he meant. I did not know. I thought it was just some shit.

No, yeah. When I think back on it, like the first times I came to California, I remember being like fucking really, really out of it. And then when I think about it now, I'm like, oh, it's because the fucking weed was so much better than you're used to smoking, you idiot. And when you go home, still, when you go back home, all that shit tastes like dirt still. Yeah. I got some bad weed right now. And it's just, you know, it's an experience. I got to smoke it. I already broke it all down. I can't even like, I can't stop rolling this shit up, but I got at least another three blunts worth of weeds sitting on a tray at my crib.

That's going to get smoked. It's going to get smoked. I'm not going to get smoke. I'm not of not smoke it, but every time I'm smoking, I'm thinking, Mike, this is, this is not great. Real shit. That's real. So tell me about the new rich life of Benny the Bush, the famous, rich, not in Buffalo life of Benny the Butcher. Let's hear about it. The not in Buffalo life, the different life of this music shit.

Man, it's dope. It's dope. Especially financially. You get to do the things you wanted to do for your family, for your friends, get to invest in people around you. You know, that part. That's what I'm in love with. You know what I mean?

It's about enjoying life and, I don't know, man. This shit is incredible. I wake up every day and I still don't believe this shit. But it comes with a lot of dumb shit. It's been coming with a lot of dumb shit lately. Really?

You got a lot of dumb shit you've been dealing with? You know, people in their feelings. You know, people love the underdog. And once you reach a certain level, you know what I'm saying? People, you know what I mean? It's all good, though. You know, I hear that from people

in all kinds of walks of life, that you get all the support when you first come in the game, and then as soon as you start threatening the spots of the upper echelon, that's when they stop looking at you as like, oh, yeah, we got to support him. We're going to cheer him on. It becomes he's a competitor. Yeah, right, right, right. That's how it is.

But for the most part, I'm enjoying all the good parts of it, you know what I'm saying? Because, you know, that's what we work for. You know what I mean? I don't sit back and cry and complain about the shit. But, you know what I'm saying? Just love it. I mean, my mom proud of me, so fuck it. That's real.

I think you slowed down a little bit since the COVID thing, though, is that it. Is that an odd thing for you to like, you got all the fame and success, but now you're locked down a bit more than you were previously. Yeah, hell, yeah, because what I do, I'm a crazy tour animal. Right. You know what I'm saying? And that shit just sat me down. So I'm just sitting down, just doing nothing.

You know what I'm saying? But it do get you time to get back in the studio. I'm saying, work on certain shit. And it's like professional sports. You see all the time the NBA dudes had off and the time the NBA, I mean, the NFL dudes, whatever, they wasn't pissed. off at that. They get to sit home. You know what I'm saying? Some people

were, but it was other people like, fuck it. Like right now, you know what I mean? If you're not on the road, you got to take this time to spend with your family all the time, because I just been moving, moving constantly for three years straight, so I spend a lot of time with my daughters. I've been focusing on my executive shit. You know, I got the label deal with E1, so I've been paying

more attention to shit like that, so you're just taking this time, you know what I mean, to get busy. With the label there, are you more focused on putting on your homies that you've been around for a long time or finding new talent? Find a new talent. Find a new talent. Because like I said, the label deal is already done and they sign.

And I'm still signing artists, but their situation is underway. So it's like not the next thing because I'm still focused on them, but like, it's what else? What else can I bring over here? You know what I mean? Right. Now it's interesting because we've seen you come in the game with very much the image of just being like this pure lyricist that you couldn't really imagine doing anything besides possibly selling narcotics and rapping.

Now we're getting to see many of the butcher, the more developed, the version of yourself that you probably never would have got to examine if you hadn't experienced the success, you know, of like finding out about more areas of life that you could have expertise in, right? Real shit, real shit. So it's like, yo, I came in watching everything

from day one, watching West Side Gunn, paying attention inside the meetings with Paul Rosenberg and being around the A&Rs, I came in paying attention to every fucking body, just soaking it in and just plotting on my moment, you know what I mean, and wanting to make Griselda stronger and everything that I did. And I feel like me being on my own and having my own label there when being strong, I feel like that shit fused Griselda too. But you know what I'm saying?

It's like, look, look what the fuck Griselda birth, you know what I'm saying? That's interesting, though, because, like, when you think about Wu-Tang, I feel like in a lot of ways, they were brilliant for everybody signings to separate labels, but at the end of the day, that also might have helped kind of divide them when they were at their peak. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. But me, Con, West, even though people love, might love for us to be, we're not a group,

you know what I'm saying? We are individual artists. And I know people, like, spoiled because they see us together. When we first started, they all seeing us together and all working on tracks and shit, but we never been a group, you know what I'm saying? And Conway, I'm pretty sure he wanted to start a label in West. You see, he's signing a new artist,

so this shit going to grow in. And it's all stem from the run that we all been on. Right. No, yeah, it's interesting because, you know, you come into the game very much this, like, tight unit. But, okay, would you say that there has been, like, like, I heard Joe Button, I watched almost all that interview you guys did the other day, and he sort of like alluded to the idea that there were rumors of tension between y'all, but then he didn't say anything about it? Is that, are there rumors of that? I haven't seen that. No, no, it's not no rumors of tension. I think, excuse me, I think that I don't know what people are talking about, because I kind of,

I kind of seen that. And I think maybe when he was on his podcast, he was like, he said some shit like, Benny with the, Benny with the semi. I never even seen that, but I just seen it on Twitter. Right. I just think, you know what I'm saying?

People buy into that shit, man. What the fuck? Problem with Joe had with me. Joe cool, man. Right. But you think Joe, do you get that question of like people thinking that there's going to be some division between you and the rest of Gazelle at some point? Yeah, because, you know, that's what they used to seeing.

That's all people. showed them. You know what I'm saying? So they think that's naturally, they think that's naturally going to happen, but it's kind of like the opposite. Right. What people really got to understand is that we're family. So let's say, let's say niggas stop talking today to each other, which that's not going to happen. Uh-huh. Niggas is family. Niggas probably already done that before. You know what I'm saying? It's a family thing. It got nothing to do with music or money and nothing like that. It's just family. You know what I'm saying? Those niggas is brothers. Right. You don't think I, I ain't been pissed off at, you know what? I'm saying? I ain't been pissed off at, you know,

West Side Gun before, we was kids. We fought before as kids. You know what I'm saying? He's my big cousin. He probably grabbed me up with some crazy shit. You feel what I'm saying? But, you know what I mean? That's crazy too, because you guys are getting in the game as full grown men.

Whereas, like, I understand. If you're 18 and you're in a rap group and you blow up and you fucking beef with each other and break up in six months, I completely understand because you know what the fuck is going on when you're 18. You all fired up, hot-headed, and who knows what the fuck's going to happen. Yeah, and that's another thing that help is that. Niggas is grown in, like you said. And do I see eye to eye with West Side Gun every fucking day

or everything about this business? I'd be sent a pair of lying to you if I tell you I did, but I trust him 100%. I could say that. And whatever comes with that comes with that. You know what I'm saying? So I'm here. Part of the reason I'm here is because him, you know what I'm saying?

So I'm a street dude. I'm heavy on loyalty. So I'm Griselda forever, no matter what people see me doing, no matter how this shit might turn out, who they see me working with, no matter how many times I say BSF, I am Grisilda forever. Definitely. So when you have like new artists being brought in like the Boldy James situation, he's signed to Griselda?

Or how does that work? And does that mean that he's then signed to all three of y'all? Or is he signed to like them through Shady? No, see, West Eye Gunn is the sole owner of Grisela Records. Okay. You know what I'm saying? When he signed, when Bo D. James signed to, yo, shout out Bo D. James, the Versace Project.

That's fucking crazy. You know what I'm saying? Y'all, y'all like to compare me to a lot of niggas. If y'all going to keep comparing me to niggas, make sure his niggas like Bodey James, niggas who are from that back corner, that corner alley talk. You know what I'm saying? So shout out to Bode. To me, he's probably the best person I could pick.

Like if I was going to add somebody to the Grisela mix to the three, I would probably have picked him. So when I heard that that was actually happening, I was like, holy fuck, that's unbelievable. And the crazy thing about it is not even though no music shit. I know people say this all the time, but he's like one of us type of shit. Right. You know what I'm saying? We don't be together every day. We don't talk every day, nothing like that.

But when I get around him, it felt like I'm just around one of my niggas. You know what I'm saying? So, but when West signed him, he just signed to Griselda. And you know what I'm saying? And Griselda is a powerhouse independent label. You know what I'm saying? I'm still just signed to Griselda. No major or nothing like that.

So he got a good situation over there, I think. Is that a part of why you haven't dropped a project since plugs I meant? Like a solo project? 50, 50, 50, because I just did a deal with Empire for it. I was going to do a deal with RCA. But that's for the label, right, with the Empire situation, or is that for your solo work as well? It's just a one-it-it-just-a-one-al-dial deal with Burton-the-proof, and it's furnished through Griselda because I'm signed a Griselda. Right.

So if a label want to spend some money with me, first, they got to talk to Griselda. You, for what I'm saying? Of course, me and Buzz, we sat at the table. We both bosses, we set at the table. He's not going to do nothing. I'm uncomfortable with the same as me. I'm not going to entertain nothing that's, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying?

Ain't going to work out for the team. Right. But yeah, that's the part of the reason why I haven't dropped because I was in negotiations with RCA for a few months, for months. This COVID shit, even during like the Griselda tour in the beginning of part of the year. It didn't happen, you know what I'm saying? And no love lost to them, you know what I'm saying? But I start kicking it with Empire. You know, West already got the love with Mgazi and them niggas empire, so we decided to do it with them.

So that is what took a while, just me trying to find this project a home because I felt like it did. That's what it deserved. It deserve, like, a different kind of push from what I've been doing. It deserved a bigger push and a bigger look, and I've just been trying to find it at that. Right, because, I mean, when we think about everybody in Gazella, that's kind of, like, one of the main things that the group is known for is that everybody involved just drops projects all the time. It's like, y'all say that you make projects in the course of a couple days or a night.

Right, right, right. So what is, like, plugs I meant, like, when we, or, excuse me, the new project, Burden Approve, when we actually see it, is it going to be something that you just put together in a short period of time off of energy, or is it going to be the culmination of all this time that you've recorded a ton of shit? A culmination of all this time. I started working on a project a year ago with hit boy. You for what I'm saying? And I've been out here for two weeks, and I'll just finish recording songs for it. So it's like a year. You know what I mean? Only because it's that it wasn't coming out. So we just add into it, add into it. He might call me right now,

like, yo, add to it. Actually, I'm going to go put a hook on it later when I leave from here. You know what I'm saying? I'm meeting my man at the studio. I ain't going to say. his name, but it's a famous rapper, me and my boy at the studio, he's going to get on there. Definitely Drake. You know what I'm saying? Nah. See, you got kind of nervous. He's like, oh, you don't know. But, okay, so this project, like, in your mind, is this, is this like a giant step for you? Because as much as there's, like, a shitload of different classic Griselda projects, it's like they all kind of do sound like studio sessions of, like, just going in for a sort of shorter period of time, whereas,

like, I feel like what your, I feel like you have a get rich or die trying in you. like a crazy-ass epic project that covers a lot of different styles and flows, etc. Like, is that something that's in your head of what you really want to put out this, like, definitive statement? I feel like this is that. That's why I'm calling it burden of proof. You for what I'm saying? I can tell you this, the people never heard nothing like this before from me.

And everybody thinking that I read the comments and, you know, people are so fucking judgmental, man. Damn, you know what I'm saying? But I read the comments and people on there like, yo, we, We want that Derrick's sign. We want the Alchemist sound. Of course. You know what I'm saying? That's the Griselda sound.

I am Griselda. And I want people to know that anything that I'm on is the Griselda sound because I am Griselda. But at the same time, man, you got to give, you got to give, you got to give, you got to give, you got to give dudes like Hit Boy their roses, you know what I'm saying, who's been around, how he'd been around it. He's a chameleon. So it's going to sound more of, more of like, it's going to be Grislda.

You know what I'm saying? I'm not going over there doing no crazy shit. Man, hit boy is a genius, you know what I'm saying? And he got shit up his sleeve and we work well together. And people are going to see that. Do you think that there's going to be stuff sonically on it that people are going to be shocked by? Like, damn, I never heard him rap over this kind of beat before. Hell yeah.

Hell yeah. I think so. I think so. And that was a plan. And that was a plan to do something different. People already know what I could do. You know what I could do? You know what I'm saying?

And I wanted to step into my role as a creator. You know what I'm saying? Everything got to be steps. And I wanted to take another step. And I feel like I did it on this one. What do producers give you in terms of beats? Do they come out you with a bunch of beats that sound nothing like the usual beats that they're making? Because they haven't heard you on the usual types of beats that they make?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They send me, producers send me everything. Like, it sounds like shit I already got, to be honest with you. And I'm being thinking like this. This is what I want to say. I love working with up-and-coming producers. But if I got access to niggas like hit boy, Harry Fraud, Alchemist, Deringer, DJ Shea, who the fuck else?

Like everybody. If I got access to those dudes, like, come on. You know what I'm saying? If you're going to send me some shit, you got to send me some shit out the, that's going to blow my fucking mind. Like, why would I rap over a beat that I feel that's mediocre that came from Joe Smoll? You know what I'm saying? When I already built a relationship with these dudes, people got to realize I'm still on the ladder climbing myself. I'm not just all the way where I want to be.

So I'm working with the producers who can give me something too. You know what I'm saying? When I be working in the studio with these dudes, these dudes give me input. Like, no, you should put a bridge on this. oh no you should come in you should put another verse you know what i'm working with like people who's actually producing a song so i love uppercum of producers but it's like man these niggas send me a thousand beats and i'm already working with like some of the greatest people in the world it's like man you got to link with artists who haven't who don't got a producer yet right because everybody in

grezeld is pretty much lyricists and aren't necessarily people who have a shilloward of experience with making a top 40 fucking hit and shit whereas a lot of these new people you're being exposed during the game have a totally different viewpoint, right? Yeah, that's a fact, you know what I'm saying? And like I was saying, it's like even hitmaker, you know what I'm saying? He hit me the other day. It was like, yo, because I did some shit on a, I put a verse on a cash doll record. He produced the song.

And I guess he got it back. He was like, yo, you killed that. Our work not done. So even the dudes like him who stay on the charts, who live on the charts, he a real nigga, he reached down to fuck with a nigga like me. And I say reach down because, you know, Our music not about charting and about nothing like that. And I know how people say, like,

how the fuck do you live if it's not about that? I can't explain it. It's not about that. It's about so many other things. When people are trying to chart, when people are just trying to make fucking jingles, when people are just trying to do this and do that, and people are trying to cloud chase. That's what people mean when they say,

Griselda is a breath of fresh ears. Like, no pressure music. I'm in there telling stories about my life, comfortable with it. You know what I'm saying? Not worrying about if a label going to tell me, like, no, you need that one record. I don't got that type of song on my hip-boy album, either.

It's not that one record that I'm trying to sell to the people. I don't do that shit. Do you think you might ever stumble upon that, though? But at the same time, like, I was thinking Gazelda as kind of being like Mob Deep. And, like, a Mobb Deep never had a hit record that sounded like a hit record. They just had, like, the best versions of their sound. And that's what it's going to sound like. When you get a Benny hit record, it ain't going to be a Drake hit record.

It's not going to be a fucking Little Wayne hit record. Them niggas is like the Beatles. You know what I'm saying? It's going to be a Benny hit record. I came to do what I came to do. They came to do what they came to do. You for what I'm saying? So I think people are kind of like walking backwards when they, when they're expecting a certain type of artist to make a record or impact like a certain type of different artists.

You know what I'm saying? We artists. We picky about our shit. I know you picky about this shit. This shit look good in here. I'm like, Adam on his shit. You know what I'm saying? I'm just being real.

I'm like, you know, Adam was like, yo, we need this. We need that. But this shit look good in here and you picky. We are just. We picky about our shit. And I don't want to be nobody else. I want to be Benny the butcher. I don't want to be nobody the fuck else.

Right. But it's crazy because like, you know, there's certain things like when I see Russ featuring Benny the Butcher, it's like I wanted to hear what Benny the Butcher sounded like on whatever kind of beat Russ was making because I know that Russ probably ain't trying to get you on a song that sounds exactly a Griselda record. Or when I see a picture of you with Scott Storch, the thing that goes through my mind is not like, oh, another rapper hanging out with Scott Storich. It's like, what the fuck is that going to sound like? Because I ain't never heard Scott Storch make a beat that sounds anything like a Griseltza song. Right, right, right. Guaranteed when you guarantee because I'm the same way like fucking Scott Storch tell me to come come through and do a record come on I'm a regular person I can't believe that shit neither

I'm around the house he'd give me a tour around the house you know what I'm saying and I'm just in all just to be in this position so I still take it all in but after I did the record the record is fucking amazing you know I'm saying the top and I ain't even gonna get insane that we're gonna talk no cocky shit right now I was about to say like I ain't gonna say that But anyways, like, when you think of Benny and the Scott Storch, it actually came out how it's supposed to. You know what I mean? After you think about it, like, okay, that is the Benny and Scott Storch record. It actually came out like that, you know what I'm saying?

Really? So you think that that's something that might end up on the next project? No, because this project burden of proof is me and hit boy. Oh, it's all hit boy. It's all hit boy. It's all hit boy. You know what I'm saying. But definitely it could pop up on.

We don't know. We don't know what it could pop upon. How many songs do you, are you legitimate? are you choosing from for the hip boy project and how many songs you feel like you got in the stash in general and do you worry about that shit getting old or is that stuff all fresh in your opinion hell no i don't worry i don't worry about it getting old because when you play when you play the music for people if the music to me got a now got a two-year lifespan you for what i'm saying if it's three years old feel like it's for like it's old this music is not that old you know what

i said we started in the year but i was still recording shit since i'm saying so since I've been out here. So it's a mix. And people don't understand. That's what I did with Tanya Talk 3. I did the exact same shit. The music, when you play for people, and they be like, oh, shit, da-da-da-da-da. I mean, I just got shit in the tuck. I got three albums in the tuck already. There's certain rappers that I can hear something from them, and I can immediately tell what year it came out. Like, the new Gucci mixtape has a bunch of young thug on it, and it sounds like Young Thug, thug like three plus years to me. You know? He's like he's a rare rap. that I feel like I can sort of like carbon date when it came out.

But I wouldn't say that you, I don't know. If I listened to some shit from you three years ago, I might be able to tell, but also you've changed so much since then. And I'm not letting nobody put no three-year-old shit out with me anyway. I'm not letting that happen. I don't like that old shit. And yeah, I definitely don't got no three-year-old songs and no shit laying around, you know what I'm saying?

Just ready to put out that I didn't do shit with. Right. Would you redo a verse if it came down to it in that situation? Would you just like re-say it? Or is that just totally out of your frame of reference of things you might be down to do. I wouldn't. Only way a three-year-old Benny Versa come out

if somebody bought a feature from me three years ago and they're just and I'm putting it out and then I'm like, fuck it, go ahead and put it out. But it's like, nah, if it's some three-year-old shit coming out under my control, it's not coming out or if it got to come out, I will want to redo the verse,

but people, I'm not going to lie. In the room, I already know, people are going to tell me like, no, you don't got to redo it, da-da-da-da. But self-consciously, I probably will want to. Ain't no telling. Is that like a risk when you do a few? Like, shit, like, what if this guy chooses to put it out in a weird-ass way?

What if he does something goofy with it or he puts it out, like, way down the line or some shit? Man, you need clearance to put those records out. People need clearance to everybody in the industry. You can't just put a record out. Just because I sent you the verse, you still need clearance. So, you know what I'm saying? We're not on no fuck shit. Well, we're not giving nobody clearance, but we're not going to let you put out anything.

You can't have no old shit with me. It's like, yo, remember we did this shit 10 years ago? I'm putting it out. Like, all right, I dare you to. People would be doing that, though. I've seen people die and then people drop features with them a week later next couple days. That actually almost happens almost every time someone dies. You would get a phone call from my lawyer and my management.

Right. You for what I'm saying? Trust me. Yeah. There's something really sinister about putting out your feature without clearing it after somebody passes away though. And I'm so used to seeing it now that it doesn't even surprise me at all. That's fucked up. But in a way, after they pass away, they probably will want it out there.

You know what I'm saying? Like fuck it, put it out. I'm gone. But sometimes it's like if it didn't come out for years and years after they made it, there's a reason. And then you're only putting it out after they die because then the person knows that they're not going to get an angry phone call from you. Which is true. Which is true. Right, which is kind of strange.

Yeah, so, okay. So this project is in the works. That's very exciting. In terms of just like who might be involved in the project, have you thought about the feature side of things on this at all? Or is it something that you're not really thinking about? Yeah, yeah, I thought about the features. I could tell you this, that I'm on here with somebody they never heard me. You know what I'm saying, a top artist, a top three artists.

You know what I'm saying? On your project? Yes, on the burden of proof. You know what I mean? It's music, man. If you're a Benny fan and you know what they expect from me. And if you're not, go back. Let's entertain the talk three.

go back, listen to the plugs I'm at, fuck that, listen to all the features I've been doing this year and just know that this is going to be the most well-rounded project that I put out, only because, not saying because we're getting better, the whole team getting better, Griselda getting better, I'm getting better, everybody, hit boy getting better, getting better,

learning and work with us, it's just that, you know what I'm saying? I feel like we at our peak right now, that's it. So are we ever going to hear the Drake collab that allegedly exists? Yeah. He's top three. So I might say top one. Guess what?

And I'm not talking about him when I say that. Yeah. That's small company. That's what I'm trying to say. Interesting. Well, I mean, we also have seen that you're out there in Wyoming and whatnot. No, for real. We could say Kanye's top three. I don't know.

I don't know what the rankings are these days. He's reaching. There might be another, I don't know. I'm going to tell you, I'm going to tell you when we turn the camera off. I'm going to play it for you. Right. I'm saying. So what was that Wyoming scenario like, though?

Were you out there like helping right, helping like, like, how did that conversation even take place? But they told us like, yo, yay, won't you y'all to fly out there. We went to the Sunday service in L.A. And it was like, yo, yay, he went to you all here. We flew out there. I tell people this all the time. I didn't do nothing out there. I promised I didn't.

I chilled. I smoked. I listened to beats. And I chilled and I smoked and I ate. I listened to beats. Yo, Sigh, how he played me his whole album, though. That was the highlight of my trip going out there. I heard his whole fucking album.

You know what I'm saying? He got a, he got some shit. shit. Bleu you away? Blew me the fuck away. I'm not going to lie. Really? I'm not going to lie.

So you were out there but just on some cool shit. You were just hanging out, catching the vibe. Did you get a good time? The intentions was to work, but when you work with guys like that, you never know what the fuck you're going to do when you fly out there. Right. He had a whole bunch of, he had shit going on. You know what I'm saying?

It's Kanye West. So, you know what I'm saying? Probably was a different time. You know what I mean? Right. Probably need a different time. But I did hear, I don't know if I'm saying shit I'm supposed to say, but I know, I feel like, West and Gunner.

Got something done with him. Really? Yeah. Wow. That'd be exciting. Do you feel like that next Kanye album is actually coming out? Because I was actually reloading my phone on Thursday night, the night that it was supposed to come out, and then it didn't actually happen. I'm sure.

I'm sure. Because going to the Sunday service, it's like they're doing incredible shit with music and they remixing songs and shit like that. And if that's what he's been working on, I know he's getting in the studio. You know what I'm saying? Sunday service, the first time you went to church in a long time? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a fact. How was it?

It was dope. like your normal church experiences as a kid? It felt like church. The surroundings wasn't like a church, but everything else was like church. It felt exactly like church. Right. That's good. Thinking and all that.

You're thinking again back into religion? You might start going to church all the time? I need to. I ain't going to lie. I used to go to church in prison every Sunday. Really? I need to go to church. I feel bad.

You can ask for forgiveness for all that you've done to society? I did that last night. Right. I did that last night. I always asked for forgiveness, you know what I'm saying? and let God know that I'm thankful for the opportunity he gave me and

I'm not worthy and I'm gonna try to be responsible with it. You're one person who is actually like one of my strongest memories of just a crazy thing that happened in an interview where we did an interview. I started asking sort of like specific questions about your street history and

stuff and then as soon as we finished the interview you wanted to be unbelievably clear that all the cameras were off we actually turned up the music so I felt like I was on in like a gang, fucking, like, not like a gang, but like a mafia movie or some shit. So we turned up the music so that like there could not be a recording of this. And you started to actually hit me with a lot of knowledge about the work that you put in back in the day. And it was extremely interesting.

I never told anybody about it. I've told people about that, but without the name. And it was just like, whoa. Like this Benny guy, like I can see why these lyrics hit hard. Because you know what? You've been out here. A lot of people, it's people. it's people who've done

a thousand times more than me, but I just know I could rap good about it and it goes to thousands of people. You know what I'm saying? I go, sometimes I go out my way to let people know where we exactly came from. Because these dudes get on the song

and it sounds like they're talking the same shit, I'm talking, but that's all they're doing is talking it. And I don't do it to kind of glorify it saying maybe some people say I do, but I do it just to let you know who's who and what's what. Nah, we was really, and we really, and we really come from that and shit still going on. So I say that just so you know who you're dealing with and what you're dealing with.

Because, you know, all these dudes say that. And it's pride coming from the shit that we've done in the streets. Those are the only accolades that we had before this shit. So those are like trophies, the shit that we've done. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I mean, that was, I mean, when you talk about being famous in Buffalo or being like a popular guy at that point in your life, I mean, it wasn't mostly from rapping at one point. Well, I always been.

I've always been doing it. You always been doing that too. Listen, I met DJ Shea. DJ She is like a top guy, top producer. Meeting him, I've been doing shit before I even ran into him. But meeting him in Buffalo, it was like a successful thing. It was like running to motherfucking your local top guy. You know what I'm saying?

So, and I met him when I was 19 going back and forth to jail. And ever since 2005, I've been on a. good high level rapping. So to be honest with you, a lot of people just thought the nigger was just rapping. You know what I'm saying? Like real shit. Even in my city, a lot of people thought the nigger was just rapping because I've been under Shea Wing since I was 19. And when I came with him, we came with a six figure budget. You know what I'm saying? It was a, it was a big lovue. Shout out the levy. It was somebody behind dropping all the cash and making sure we was where we needed to be. So, you know, people, a lot of people knew me for that. And it was

thinking that he don't got to do that. He a rapper. You know what I'm saying? real shit. So, like, so much of the inspiration early on and, like, so much of the realism came from the fact that you were really living that life. Does it ever feel like maybe enough time has passed by or you're far enough away from your prior life that you sort of feel disconnected from it? And you were sort of just, like, just not tapped in in the same way that where it used to be like, that was the shit that you were doing at that time or a few months before or whatever? Of course. Of course. Anybody, any, I'm, we talk about the real street shit.

If you're not there every day, you're not tapped in. There's so much shit that goes on inside the streets. Even though I got the homies with me all the time and I'm getting phone calls and people who still dealing with that shit call me. I talk to them every day. People call me from jail every fucking day. Like, if you're not there every day, waking up

and doing what those niggas doing and riding around with those niggas and in front of them stores or knowing who shot at who last night and knowing what's going on, like you can't say that you all the way into them. You know what I'm saying? I would never disrespect the streets and say that I'm all the way in tune. I'd be rapping.

Yeah. Is it just me or is it sometimes kind of hard to talk to people on the phone in jail? Because, like, you can only talk about what you're doing, but you feel like a dickhead because it's so much better than what they're doing. And then you can't be like, so what's you doing? Because you already know what they've been doing. Right, right. Sometimes I slip up and ask my niggas what they're doing.

But I've been there, but I know, like, you could be doing shit in there. Right. You really could be doing shit like, yo, we just left. programming, no, I'm programming and shit. Nah, I just got finished working out or or I just got off the phone with such and such and I'm calling you. Like, they be doing shit, but I ain't going to lie, like, a majority

of the times, my niggas call just to hear that shit. Tell me, and they call me. It's like a fucking interview. Yo, where you at? You in L.A.? Your girl with you? Who you got with you? Got the homies with you? What car are you driving? How many chains you got on? Like, niggas act shit like that. They want to know fucking everything.

Right. Facts. I got a homie who called me from jail the other day, and it was like, I hit him with the, so what you've been up to was, like, immediately it was like, oh, fuck. And he starts like, the only shit he had to tell me about was gang shit politics between different people, somebody who had an issue with him, somebody smoothed it over, somebody beat this dude up, et cetera. And it's just kind of like, fuck. Like at a certain point in the conversation, it makes me feel like, damn, I can't tell him about how we just got an interior decorator to redo our house. Because that sounds like something that kind of feels fucked up to be telling them about that, right?

got to tell him that because you know what he's going to do he's going to get right off the fucking phone and I'm like yeah you know what's your boy doing he doing he ain't doing shit well my boy Adam just redecorated his whole shit now real shit they're living through you that's what they're going to do they're going to get off the phone and they're going to tell all their homies in jail about how they get on the phone with people who doing good in life so when they leave this is who they're going to be around like real shit I respect it so um in terms of your crew that you put on though uh what what made them the ones that you wanted to actually put on and what do you feel like they're bringing

it to the table is going to help expand Grizol to another level? I feel like Rick Hyde, you know what I'm saying? He backed their shit right now. I feel like smoking big dope. You know what I mean? It's a family thing. And he a person who came under my umbrella.

And like I said, I come under DJ Shay, West Side Gun, and Conway. When I say, under those niggas, they was going to the studios before I was, and they invited me. They was doing the shit kind of like when I was in thinking about it. And him, when I came home from prison in 2007,

he was at the studio under Shea's umbrella helping Shea. So I come home, Shay, like, yo, there's Rick Hy, da, da, da. He actually never told me who he is. I just see the nigga at the studio every day, like sitting in my spot and shit, like the spot that was mine before I left and shit. So I knew he was family. But we got cool ourselves, but he'd been around in shit.

I trust what comes under umbrella. You know what I mean? He's cut from that same cloth. He's lyrical. He tells them stories. He got a story to tell him. And I love that shit, and I'm rooting for him. And basically, he, man, you know, he got that feeling.

When you want to talk about real shit, and he's from a few blocks down from where I'm from Montana, Abbey, from a few blocks down. And he talked that shit, too. He got a story to tell, and he provides that feeling. And everything he said, you know he's been through, and you know he mean what the fuck he's saying. So it was perfect to me.

Are they still out in Buffalo most of the time? Hell not. Hell not. Those niggas is a sign. Them niggas got to deal with Black Soprano family slash E1. That niggas got a few dollars And they got a better situation So they don't got to be there

They're working Right That's got to feel good To be able to help Take people out of that environment That was my life goal That was one of my life goals Not to get people out of the environment

That's going to happen regardless When you're doing certain things But to get the label deal You know what I'm saying And put people in position And I achieved it in this work You know what I'm saying They just put out

The new double XL cover You paying attention To something like that You famously turned it down last year Yeah, I'm paying attention. I didn't get a good look to see everybody on there. I see some dudes on there.

I got some rappers. Yeah, I see Fobby on there. Who else on there? From New York. Polo G on there. Right, Polo J. I love his album. Let's actually pull this up. I don't know.

Polo is one of my favorites. Oh, yeah. His album is awesome. I mean, he very much has like that, you know, melodic sound fully, but I feel like he does an extremely good job at it. He lyrical. He lyrical. Yeah, you know, the guy.

In terms of, like, rappers, I don't know. It's hard to say who we consider to be, like, dope lyricist from the cover. Man, it's all good, man. You know what I'm saying? You heard that Cheekha girl? Nah. She's really good. A word?

I got a checker. I'll go out on a lemon stage. She's probably the best rapper on this cover. Oh, shit. Damn, they might get mad about me saying that. They're going to be mad. Don't cut that out. No, I think I got to say it.

Like, a lot of people be doing some melodies and stuff on this cover, but I think that, yeah. Okay. Rick agrees. Yeah, I might have to give him. And Polo G up there, I got to hear her. Mm. I got to hear her. She's hard.

She's like, she could do a lot of shit rapping. She's lyrical. I got to listen. You on to that, Rick? Okay. Yeah. She got a one. Yeah.

That's fact. I'm going to tap in. I'm off the loop. Have you ever at any point, like, regretted not doing that? Do you think that that was the right move still? What? Not turning down the cover. Yeah, it was the right thing.

What that was going to get me? And they, listen, and you say when I did the interview, when I did the interview, do I be saying that? If you tell a story, I'm just kicking in with you. But when you tell stories like this, do they be mad at you in the industry? Like, they don't let you do shit. They be trying to blackball you when you say shit like this. We just talking regular shit. It really happened.

I think people respect you for that. There's nothing to hide, you know what I'm saying? Basically, when I did the interview with me, West and Conway, they sent the freelance writer to do their interview, and they didn't give a fuck about what he asked, basically, but they told him to take him to They told him to say one thing is that they never did all for me to cover. You know what I'm saying? But of course they're going to say that. Really?

That's interesting. Of course, if you tell a girl like, shit, I don't want to fuck me. What she's going to say? Like, I wasn't going to be you anyway. He turned me down. No, she's going to fucking reshape this story. Exactly. So, of course, they're going to say that.

So that lets me know further. You feel what I'm saying? But just like, I hate to keep bringing up a big homie name. But shit. Hove told me not to do it. Who's going to get it? Who's going to not take advice for? from a billionaire.

Right. And because you know how they shape these narratives is that right now they would be saying like, oh, you know, Benny had the double XL cover and then he, what he done since then, like has been a year, he still didn't even drop that project or whatever, like that gives them a reason to say, like look at this career highlight milestone,

even though it's really not, it's just like a one media company choosing to give you a look, but then they're gonna compare everything you do after that to that. No, I dropped since then. I did plugs I made. Right. Since then.

Oh, that was after that. Okay. Yeah, yeah. You know, that was after that. That was after that, you know what I'm saying? Because it was, it was circling right after Tanner Talk. And I didn't take it. You know what I'm saying?

I told me, I had a conversation with him, like in early in a year. You know what I'm saying? And I didn't drop plugs. And I dropped plugs like in June. You know what I'm saying? With Black Dog on there, push a tee. Remember no record deal, niggas fuck with me all for spec. When I say no record, there, of course, Griselda,

no major label, nobody pulling no strings for me. me doing all of that, you know what I'm saying, on my own. You consider that project a classic? Do you consider it your best project so far? I don't, I don't. I would want to because that's like, I love that project, but I know the fans put 10 to Talk 3 over that one. I'm saying?

So I'm not, you know what I mean? Majority of the people say 10 to Talk 3 is better than that one. But to me, it's a classic as well. And I'm pretty sure people are going back to differ. It's just me at a different time. So that's why it's hard to compare that's why it's hard to compare the albums and shit because they like my babies and they're at different times

so it's like comparing your children you know what I'm saying so I can't do it you know what I mean of course I feel like I'm always gonna feel like my latest work is better because I feel like I'm getting better I'm never going to say like some shit I did years ago was better than the shit I'm doing today I don't feel fuck no I don't feel like that but do you have that word classic floating around in your head

when you're putting together a project like I want this to be judged by that standard even though that standard is like almost impossible to plan for Because you really don't know how the fans are going to react to your shit. Right, right, right. Well, yeah, I'm saying? To be honest with you, it did better than Tentatalk. Fires numbers.

You for what I'm saying? In Tentatalk is definitely highly revered as a classic. But if we talk in numbers, it did better than numbers. I got songs like 5 to 50. I used the different flow on there, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, I don't know. That's up for the fans. But I know it's in a conversation.

Definitely. And I know it smacked the whole bunch of other niggish shit who was dropping last year. So, and every time I dropped, I mean like the top, I got a top verse of the year. I feel like, when you look at somebody's Apple Music when the list of albums, I mean, that's kind of like, there's a few things you judge a rapper on. You judge them by typing their name into YouTube and seeing what the videos are

and how those, like, what the top couple songs are. Right, right, right. And then the albums on Apple Music or Spotify is the other thing where that really, that's like, because, you know, most people want to drop a project more than like once a year. So that's just like, this is your 2020, this is your 2019, it's your 2018. And that's a huge way that you judge it. artists is like to what extent is it worth going back to their album four albums ago or are you just find out about this rapper so you're only going to fuck with the new project you know i'm saying real

shit and i just feel like every year i've been leveling or every time i drop something i've been leveling up and i think that's a key to it i tell people that all the time like people want to see the levels they want to see you climb the ladder they don't want to see you stagnating you know what i'm saying they want to see you moving people like to support people who move it you know i mean definitely um i would not have brought this up but we were talking about it earlier before we came in here. What do you feel when you see 6-9 running around in L.A. basically like, you know, trying to get shot?

Man, we know what he about. We know who he is. And, you know what I'm saying? And, you know what I mean? Like I said, I hate speaking to him. I hate speaking on him. You know what I'm saying? I'd be trying to do that shit off camera because it's a conversation topic. You know what I mean? It really is. But speaking on that nigger on camera and all that, you know, we know what he's going to beat him. You know what I'm saying? He's going to continue to be him and try his antics and get his views.

So, you know what I'm saying? I just expect people to be them. Do you think it's a black mark on the history of New York hip-hop in some way? Man, I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think so. I just feel like more, I feel like more than hip-hop, street shit. Right. You know what I'm saying? Street shit, because that's a street thing. It's not a rap thing. Before becoming a music thing, it's a street thing. what he did you know what I'm saying he told on street niggas right so before it goes back to music it's a street thing so you know I mean he did what he did fucking it would be one thing if new york didn't have a bunch of dope shit happening right now and that was the only thing that had happened in the last few years on fire right now motherfucking uh motherfucking uh my nigga

my nigga sleepy hollow motherfucker chef j chef jim them nigges did do the deal with rTA they moving right now fire you for what I'm saying like I said I always show you my nigga Famo out. My nigga Famo banger, he's doing what he got to do. Niggas is like 5y and, you know what I'm saying? It's a whole bunch of niggas. There's a whole bunch of niggas you could name. Do you ever meet Pop small? No, I never met Pop.

I was supposed to go to Paris with Wes and Virgil. Oh, wow. And Wes ended up running into pop out there, but I never met him. Really? What do you think of that musically? And what do you think about the Brooklyn drill thing in general? I think the Brooklyn Drill thing is dope. You know what I'm saying?

It's just fucked up that it's behind. gang shit, you know what I'm saying? And that's a real situation. People dying and people, and there's real shit going on. It's just, you know, they just on Instagram with it. I think that part fucked up, but I love to see dudes is getting their followers on the gram. They're putting their videos out.

They're making money. I love to see that. I love to see that. That's healthy. You know what I'm saying? That puts New York back in the conversation. I'm from Buffalo. I'm not from the boroughs, but I'm still from New York.

So that puts us back in the conversation. We can still say, look, I'm over here doing this. a motherfucker chef and sleepy old them niggas over there doing that and these niggas over here doing this

you know what I'm saying we all one you know what I mean even if there's no unity it is it is some type of unity but even if there's no direct unity that what you see

everybody on the outside gonna look at us as one they're gonna look at those as some like New York shit right if you were in the studio and they put on one of them drill beats though how would you feel

I might rap to that motherfucker yeah I would love to hear it I'm not saying you should put it out but I would like to hear I'm trying to tell people I do that shit all the time yo shout out

my artist love Bo, Luciano. He got some shit. He just dropped. And I'm rapping, drill on there because he's a young nigga, he'd do that type of music. When he won big bro on his album, he won his shit. And plus he know me. So he's like, nigga, you rapping like that. But I know how you can get busy. So that's the shit how he wanted to hear me.

And I did that for him. I didn't know about this when I first interview Benny the Butcher, but I went back deep, deep into the catalog. And Benny the Butcher back in the day was sounding a little shy rack. I wouldn't say shy rack, but I'm just saying it's like, you know, trap-y. I would say trappy. You know what I'm saying? Because like I said, man, I'm an old nigger. Really, though. I just like this beautiful. I feel you. And I'm saying, but it's like, I don't been around the eras. You know what I'm saying? I don't been around

the eras of music. Like I said this before, I've been in a dipset era when everybody was rapping over the dipset beats, everybody rapping over the trap beats, everybody rapping over the locks type of beats. I've been through all of these eras. It's just that Griselda came and did something vintage and I was a part of it. And that's what people know me for. You know what So I must feel extra crazy to be blown up at this point in your life. It's crazy. I'm happy that God made me wait for it, though, you know what I'm saying, and mean more. That is crazy.

That's crazy to think about it. Because normally, like, when people have to grind in the rap game for 10, 15 years, it keeps becoming less and less likely that it's going to happen. Right, right. You're like the rare situation where you got better and better with age, and then it happens. Yeah, I told myself, though, like, in and out of jail and shit. Like I said, I've been around. for a minute when I was 19

you know what I'm saying I was doing this shit at a high level we're going out of time doing shows we got CDs press stuff we got shirts we got a like a van for the record label we jumping out some shit with TVs all around that shit right we was a movement since then 15 16 years ago so it's like going through what I had to go through

I told myself I said I had the conversation with myself like yo you know you might not never ever be like a nationally known artist I told myself that before and I kept doing it because it wasn't, then it became not about that. When I was in my 20s year, but then when I hit my 30s,

it wasn't about trying to sign a deal or trying to do this, it was trying to do that, because I always had upstate New York, I always had a few other cities surrounding cities. So it was like, if I can expand off that, that's what I started focusing on,

expanding just off that. It wasn't about holler at the labels, because I was the same person. I've been charging for verses, 15 years. I've been charging for verses. If I did something for free, I did it for free. But for 15 years, people know me.

Boney the two-chain Benny Man. What's my name? Niggas, no. If you want that boy on your track, it costs money. I've been doing that shit. So I was just trying to build off of that. There's so many levels to it. You know, like, there's a lot of rappers who are, like, on a local level,

can get shows and do features, et cetera, you know, sell merch, whatever. People look at you guys, like, you just started doing it in some way because it just became visible to them. And it's crazy to me because it's like I was hearing about Gazelda and you and, and gun and everybody by name years before I actually like really listened to it enough

that I became like a fan and that's kind of crazy to me too because it still kind of feels like you guys are new artists right right right even though I mean that was mad long ago yeah it's like Wes West dropped the shit that really put this shit on the map

we're gonna all take it back to a fly guy and he was doing shit before that but that was early 2016 I'm on there Conway on there Conway was dropping shit around that time I was on his shit we talking Twitter 2015, 2016.

So, you know what I'm saying? We're talking where blogs is picking that shit up. You know what I'm saying? Wes is doing videos and shit like that five years ago. You know what I mean? So this shit go back for a second. That's real. Okay, I've got to bring this shit up.

I'm waiting for it. Your name has been dragged, at least a little bit, because of your association with this sort of mixed tape quote unquote. Well, I'm not going to call it a scam. Some people have called it a scam. But basically the gist of it is that there's a series of mixtapes that are hosted, I believe, on Datpiff and SoundCloud. And they're just mixtapes of different artists. And the sort of accusations been thrown around is that people's Instagram, social media is basically, they'll sign somebody into their account.

And then that account is basically used to have conversations with up and coming artists. And then these artists end up on these mixtapes. And I guess that alone, you know, it sounds like it's kind of on the up and up, but then the allegation is sort of that these mixtapes don't actually do anything for the artist. And I think that's where a lot of the issue has gone with it. And I know that you are somebody who doesn't want their name associated with something that people see as being sort of unethical. So what's your thoughts on it? How did this become a thing for you?

Uh, man. It's a thing just putting some music out from local. artists who don't get a chance to do what we do. You for what I'm saying? Who could hit me up and I do a series of mixtapes and it's $500. You know, some people don't like it and I understand that but you got to invest in yourself and that's not the only thing that you should be doing. You can't just invest $500 and think okay, sit back in, you know what I mean, and wait to fucking blow up. It should be a multitude of things. That's something you can put on your resume. And far as it, and far as it's not doing anything, when has anybody,

Let's just say, if you take a guess, you don't even know these people, you don't even know these random people who pay their high-earned money to get on this mixtape to try to get a look, right? But if you could guess, have they ever been on a project that talked about on a platform like this? Probably not, most of them. That's all I'm saying. Just the fact that we're talking about it now, just the fact that I thought at the Joe Button podcast, they was going to bring it up. They didn't bring it up. They didn't, but they spoke about it. Right.

So just the fact, those two platforms, it's worth it right there. Right. Back for me, I don't. I paid for niggas for features coming up. I paid to do shows. Now we're talking about somebody who was probably on a higher level than these dudes back locally. Like I said, I've been running this shit in my time.

I paid for features. I paid G Herbal for a feature. And I'm saying, shout out to the homie. I pay French for a feature. Shout out to the homie. Guess what? I'm on French. I'm on a Coke Boy's album for free.

He hit me. And I got some shit with him. Guess what? I got some shit with herbal. You know what I'm saying? For free. Relationship type of shit. When I invested in my career.

You for what I'm saying? What else? I paid to get on big mic tapes. I did all of that shit. So everybody don't understand it. You know what I'm saying? And everybody don't feel like, man, he should be putting niggas on. Don't they see Rick Hyatt down there sitting behind me with a pocket full of blues, a roly on and two chains?

He is on. With a record deal, with two of his videos hit a million views last week. He is on. He is on. So when they talk about I don't put people on or shit like that, it's just, I know people it rub people the wrong way because they feel like, damn, you're successful already. You should be doing this.

But, you know what I'm saying? It's all about who could. who want to invest in themselves and we don't have to post on college kid and a whole bunch of shits. I could keep going. A whole bunch of shit. It's not for everybody. Because once I got to a certain level, I'm like, I'm not paying for shows no more. Once I got to a certain level, I'm like, okay, I'm not paying these certain artists for features no more. Once I got to a certain level, it's certain shit that I didn't do no more. So it's not for everybody. Right. But have you gotten blowback from some of the fans or artists? Because I've seen sort of like Reddit threads about it.

And there's certain people who are not happy about, you know, what they've gotten out of it. Let me tell you, though. Let me tell you some real shit. And I'm going to tell you some real shit, though, because people might think they're paying for a relationship with me. You feel what I'm saying? People might think that. But that will cost way more than $500 if you want to buy a relationship with me. And people don't take it for what is worth.

I feel like, I hope the artist is listened to what I'm about to say. I feel like too much emphasis has been on dick right and other rappers. Do what you do. Don't look for your shit through another rapper. You know what I'm saying? If a nigga is going to fuck with you and shout you out off you being a real nigga or off you being who you are, go ahead. You know what I'm saying?

I get in my, for push your T to get on that to my shit, I DM them. No pride and no nothing. He could have left me on scene and nothing. I wouldn't have felt no type of way. And niggas did that before. He hit me back and did that. And they asked for nothing. And there's other artists I could say that about

because that's how they felt. And there's other artists who probably wanted me to pay or probably wanted me to dick ride on da-da-da-da-da. I don't do that. So it's like, man, don't look for it. Don't, don't. Okay, this is how I can break it down.

You know how people just love to dick ride the rappers. When you see me and if I'm coming somewhere, If I'm at a show and you want to be in my face like I'm going further your career, I promise you. The niggas standing behind me are the ones to talk to. When I pulled up, this is a big interview. You know what I'm saying? When I pulled up here, even y'all for the opening door,

I didn't contact y'all. My assistant contact like, yo, Benny outside. Niggas need to talk to him. You know what I'm saying? Like real shit, niggas need to be trying to pull up on those type of niggas. Don't be dick right and no rapper. Pull up on the entourage.

The niggas who's setting up my shows. The niggas who's getting me, introducing me to the dope photographers, to the dope videographers, all that type of shit. Y'all need to link up with those niggas because they're the ones pulling the strings for me and for everybody else.

Everybody want the limelight, though. Everybody want to stand next to the light. It's not about that. You're in the trenches right now, so you should be trying to do anything you could to get a look. It's all about a look. Well, it's weird because

somebody in your position, people want you to be responsible for every single aspect of your career when in reality it takes quite a few people to make the business of Benny the Butcher exist and you're not the biggest artist in the world so think about how many people it takes to make a Travis Scott exist.

It's a fucking whole army of people to make that happen. I'll be telling people that it's like you, I'm the face of this shit. I'm just up here talking, what I'm saying? But for me, for the shit to happen, for the ball to roll in the direction I needed to roll in, it's people in my corner. It's my staff.

This dude's like Jake. A dudes like, let me name some stab Jake. We got Citiboy, we got Harlem, we got Cat, we got Steve, we got Ack, that's just on my side of things. Fares Griselda, we got motherfucking, we got B Burton, we got D. Jack, we got a whole bunch of and then. We got Chad, you know what I'm saying? He worked with Conway. We got fucking Chase. This is my manager, motherfucking hip-hop, Ben, Sam. We got people like that, you know what I'm saying? who making shit, who making the wheels turn, you know what I'm saying? So that's kind of like who people need to talk to.

You know what I'm saying? If you want to get your foot off the ground, don't try to stand in the light of the rappers for the cloud shit. If you're really trying to get the work done, talk to the niggas who press on the buttons for the rappers. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of interesting because I feel like one of the main things that people take issue with is just the idea of you not being the only person using your Instagram

and that, like, you know, somebody might be super hyped to be having a conversation with a fat Joe or a Benny the butcher or a Jada kiss Safari. So they got Safari doing tapes now, show of Safari. I can't speak on, I can't speak on, I can't speak on, what these other niggas do,

but I'm definitely in them DMs. Seeing shit and I hit a nigga back. I'm definitely in them DMs. I can't speak on what another nigga do, but trust me, if you, if I, you, if I, I'm, you know what I mean? I know everything that's going on in my shit. You know, there's one thing I will say, though,

is that I started actually listening to the mixtapes on the Dublock 365 SoundCloud. And the Benny the Rich ones, a lot of those songs do sound like songs that you would at least have approved. You know, it didn't, it wasn't the totally nonsensical garbage that a lot of times get sent in when we do the live streams, which, by the way, we do live streams where we pay music for money. But sometimes the stuff that gets sent in is like really, really bad. Yeah, right. I didn't hear anything like that. And I'm going to say this, though, too.

That's, that's might what they need to hear too. Honestly, we talking to somebody, I'm 35 fucking years old. I've been doing this since I was 16. I tried fucking everything. They might need to hear that. Like, that's not it. Don't get fucking. Like real shit.

They might need to hear that because everybody got it up here. If they see, because it's too many people, there's too many mediocrity would kill the game. It's too many mediocre niggas with lambos and millions of dollars and people sitting on the couch like, I can do that. I always bring this analogy up. If we was in a, if we, if, if, if, if NBA players getting these big contracts, NFL players getting these big contracts, if like, if they drafted your man right here, I'm saying, this guy right here, if he went to the fucking, uh, it's going to be tougher Josh. If he went to the Patriots, if Josh went to the Patriots, right?

And they just gave him a big contract. His skin is tingling. This is what he was thinking about as an eight-year-old. If they just let, you know what I'm saying, I don't know your skills in football. I'm just saying. You know what I'm saying? I got my doubts, but okay. If they fucking sign somebody like that, I'm like, maybe I should sign up too.

So they see all these dudes getting this and it make people think they could do this shit too. You know what I'm saying? They might need to hear that because people are living up here in their brain. They're not living in the real world. So it might be a wake-up call for a nigger. You know what I'm saying? Like, man, that's trash. Like, niggas need to hear that shit.

I'm not going to fucking lie. People need, you know that's rappers hear everything about their music, but nobody never tell them they trash. Right. They might need to hear that shit. And it's really hard too because sometimes when somebody sends in like a really bad song, it's really hard for me to grasp how I should go about telling them that the recording sucks, the production, whatever you're rapping over sucks, your voice sucks, the flow that you're rapping in sucks, the way that you're recorded the vocals themselves, like that sounds horrible.

Sometimes it can be really hard to like even think of how you would begin to give them advice on how to improve. when clearly everything needs a lot of improvement. And I'm not like musically trained either, you know. But it's a method to it. It's a method. It's a process. Now, I tell people this. If you, I say, I'd be really saying the same shit in interviews.

If this nigger, Drake, wake up in the morning and he got, he got access to the best producers in the world, he can call anybody and get a feature. Anybody. This nigga can fucking call Michael Jackson. You for what I'm saying? So it's like, you don't have no time. You do not have the liberty to rap over a bullshit beat when you got niggas like that who are going to go top 10, top number one every fucking time.

When you got too many people killing this shit and you want to rap over a mediocre beat, you want to wrap over a bullshit microphone in the studio, you want to do some bullshit, you want to say this bullshit? There's too much competition out here. It's too much other shit, no. You want to do shit and like, damn, I'm working big homie. Post me.

That's all people want to do. Damn, I'm working, big homie. Shout me out. Let me open up for you. Man, you should shoot me that verse. I'm grinding. I'm a real nigger. And like your shit now sounds a certain way,

but I'm sure you could look back to your shit from a different time period and say like, oh, my God, the beats I was rapping over were whack. But what did you do? You improved on that. That's it. The quality of my recording was trash. Now it's not. You know, it's like you have to be willing to work on every part of your career,

not including all. all those details. It's not just like, oh, my rapping is better. The rapping needs to get better too, but everything else needs to get better as well. After MasterP and all these niggas told us about how this shit go, these niggas still don't know. These niggas still don't know. This is expensive. Now, there's another analogy that I like to use. Now, if you want to be a law student, you can't just fucking walk up in there and say, I want to be a law student.

I'm like, okay, fill this shit out and where's your fucking check? It costs to go there. I say that to say, this is expensive. You know, if you graduate from a lawyer, you could guarantee you're going to make a certain amount of figures for that year, though. So if you invest in yourself, you know what you're going to be fucking making? You know what I mean? You know, the life you're going to live? Don't judge this shit off the people who got lucky off the internet.

Everybody path is different. You think just because this nigga took his mixtape and he signed this nigga on tour, you think that's how it's going to happen for you or you think another rapper owe that to you or shudders and shit, you don't, nobody owe you shit. I grind it for every fucking thing that I got. I promise. That's why I always tell people I don't got no deal. I came in as the underdog, people thinking I'm going to be who I'm thinking I'm just one of West Side Gunn and Conway homies, not knowing to be dope. I used to read the comments. Who was this guy?

Da-da-da-da-da-da. Man, his float. Now, nigger, run this shit up. Now I'm everybody on the bandwagon. That's how this shit works. So you got to invest in yourself because it's like financial stability on the other side. It's, you can take care of your family on the other side. And there's opportunities to make more money from investing.

your money on the other side. That's not going to come easy. That's not going to come just going to the studio fucking doing anything. You got to go for broken and shit. I was kicking it with Spess, right? You know, that's my partner, Ryan. And he told me, this was a few years. This was like 2014, 2015. And he was saying that he was about to stop doing this shit. Shout out to Spash Trust. Another nigga doing this shit, independent, got money, doing what he do, putting other niggas on, Rochester, New York. But he was telling me that he was going quit, but a nigga told him, like, if you didn't try every way possible yet, how you quit, it was like, even if you try 100,000 ways, but it's still three ways you didn't try,

but you're about to quit without trying those ways, you have to try everything. That's how I feel. Because you could have easily, if you didn't care about getting better, making the music better, et cetera, you could have easily been one of these guys. You could have just been Gunn and Conway's homie that was on tour with them and was happy about that. But you focused. Or could have been a nigga who Wes had to hold his hand, not doing nothing.

Damn, I got to set this up for Benny. Oh, damn, Benny, you ain't doing no videos. Or look how this nigga Benny looking. Benny was the guy who had the talent but didn't have the work ethic. Exactly. I could have been that. Could have been that. Nah, man.

You got to work for this shit. So when people cry and complain about shit like that, like you can't cry and complain to me about shit, I don't have been through the ringer with this shit. So have you found anything in the DMs like that, people that you actually thought had talent or anything or anything positive happens to any of these people through that? I did the one contest and and I uh the nigger sholy you know I'm saying shout out sholy shout out my uh my nigger base these niggas from CT who niggas get busy

who for what I'm saying and uh I found I found showly out through like a little contest that I did and it's like man that nigga dope I want to end up signing that nigga and I want to end up finding talent but it got to be A1 they gotta, y'all gotta take y'all craft serious because if y'all don't take it serious how the fuck I'm gonna take it serious? Right. Has there been any conversation

within the Griselda group chat or whatnot about this just because, you know, this is like, it stands out more with you, I feel than some of the other rappers that have been named? Man, bro. But is there a concern that in any way

that this could affect the overall Grisela brand name? Man, hell no, bro. I'm a grown-ass man. I'm a grown-ass man. motherfucker with a hundred on with all of this shit with a label deal just signed the independent shit know what I'm saying doing all of this shit man if if a nigga ever say a nigga can't say nothing about me fired some street shit or some music shit so the nerds I know the nerds say shit but man nobody can nobody concerned what the fuck

they got to say yeah I suppose at the end of the day it's like if people want to give you money people thank me for okay let me say this people thank me for that shit too like yo bro thank for this I it's for them if it's It's not for you. It's not for you. I even drop merch. Sometimes my shit be $80. Like, man, I ain't paying $80 for no shirt.

I bet. I bet you got on some weird-ass shit right now, too. You know what I'm saying? It's like, if it's not for you, it's not for you. I don't pay a certain amount for jeans or I don't pay a certain. That's not for me. Other niggas buy that? The niggas ain't about to close because Benny not buying it.

So it's not for everybody. And I want to say this too. Benny, the motherfucking butcher is not hurting. That shit is not no money shit, no nothing. Benny the butcher is not hurting. Because some people might want to run. with that narrative. Of course they do. Of course they do. Of course they do. One thing about me, I ain't going to say my personal business, but I make six figures a month off music. I make

six figures a month off music. You got to think, I get checks every month from Tandotalk. And what's this shit called again? My first brick, I mean, plugs I met, I'm forgetting. My first brick, I was like, oh, that's my old shit. That's my old shit. That's my old shit. Plugs I met. I'm saying. Plugs I met, I really was going to name that my first brick, too. but plugs I met I do features all the time and when niggas got to think this is what I was saying

I do tour I do tour but I didn't get a bag for that tour it wasn't like I miss nothing I never had and I'm not a nigga I'm not a nigga who getting

80,000 a show I'm not a nigga who getting 80,000 a show so let's say I got three shows lined up at 100,000 a piece and then they're not there we're missing 100,000 We're missing 300 bands this month. That's not my situation.

The butcher gets paid about 15, 20. So with that, if it was some shows missing, it's some bread gone, but we're not, come on. I'm like, real shit. So, yeah, for people saying that, stop. You ask us stop. And if you're getting 1520 a show, I mean, when it comes to hotels, flights, everybody that you got on tour with you,

every expense that nobody's thinking about, you know. Not real shit. But you can add merch. No, real shit. Ad merch is a good point. I'm not going to lie, so if you can add about getting 15, 20 a show, do all of that. A nigga probably leave. A nigga probably leave with about 12 in his pocket, 10, 12 in his pocket.

But guess what? I'm probably going to do, I'm not taking them one at a time. I wasn't doing shit like that. And by the time I go back on tour, that's going to be 30. What's the biggest audience that you ever played in front of it in your career? Any really big ones? Hell yeah. Had to be rolling loud.

Oh, yeah. Had to be rolling loud. That shit was crazy. How was that? That shit was nuts. It was like a totally different vibe, though, then performing to it. It's like a sea of people, you know what I'm saying? It was like a sea of people.

That was crazy. Were you hyped on the reaction, though? Because we don't think of the rolling loud crowd as being the Griselda crowd. Griselda fans are going anywhere. They'll pull up, yeah. Dumb motherfuckers go anywhere. We owe all of this to them. Trust me, we have listening parties.

We have anything. We have anything we throw. Griselda fans are coming to that motherfucker. They're there front and center because we're their dirty little secret. and they want to show us off, you know what I'm saying? That's facts. I never seen you guys live. I feel kind of bad about it when I was sitting here thinking about it.

We did two sold-out shows back-to-back at the Novo. Back-to-back. That's a pretty big venue too, yeah. I'm saying, back-to-back, the day after day, the fifth and the six. That's kind of like, because that's the standard in L.A., there's like various levels of venues. But the big-ass sold-out Novo show? What's that, like, 2,000 people, something like that?

A lot of people. And we was going to do, on a Rust tour, we was going to, to do the Hollywood Bowl. That's another level. That would have been my biggest shit ever. That would have been my biggest shit ever. In terms of like a singular show and not a festival. Yeah, hell yeah.

But yeah, okay, and I drop merch every month. So this is for the people, the hating niggas who are at home caught on my bread. Add those up. You know what I'm saying? Add those up and you tell me if Benny hurting for bread. I want to know the phone number that you gave Rory and Mall to get the merch. I got you. I got you.

I want to be able to hit that line. I got you. That's my boy, Tony De Niro. boy Tony De Niro, man. All you got to do is text this nigger and he's going to send it. And he know if random people texting them numbers and shit like that. He knew it came from me. That's Tony De Niro, the creative director of Black Soprano family.

There it is. Okay. So we're lying in wait for this project. How long do you think we got to wait? Next month. Next month. They say early next month. You know what I'm saying?

I'm thinking like maybe mid, late next month, but next month. Wow. Burden approved. This interview will come out. These shit's come out quick, don't they? like next week maybe five year next month real shit that's crazy i'm ready for it yeah i'm on it let me see i'm on it man let me just show you some shit yeah a weird program where whenever like a griselda project drops or a boldy james project drops or something along those lines like i played in

the car like for like a week and a half straight before i take a break and then begin to revisit your i cloud storage is full don't say nothing oh there you go well you feel what i'm saying that's what i was talking about that's a big name was i lying was i lying was i lying it depends on what period of time when you say top three but yes definitely that's one of the most important ones that you could get no i'm saying real shit i respect it i'm saying let me see i got shit your iPhone storage is full too i's full i got you know listen i need a whole new phone just because of that my email is shot you need a new phone right you just got to go through delete some videos bong you know i'm saying it's in there i play it's in there i play for you after three minutes 37 seconds

oh yeah i got to hear that damn you know what i'm saying did he go first yep he always goes first. You know what I'm saying? Did he tell you? Like, hey, by the way, I'm going first. He that boy, he got to set the tone. I'm saying, you know, shit like that. Oh, I'm working. I'm working. You're an industry now, man, you're in the game. I'm working, man. Like I said, man, every, every, every move will be better than the next one. Buffalo. That's big for the kids in Buffalo. Every move will be better for the last one. Better than the last one. The kids in Buffalo are going to see all three of those and it's going to let them know you can do anything. Yo, you know what? I've been getting hate today for my city. Today? Yeah, I've been getting hate today.

today. What did you do? But usually from a small part, you know what I'm saying? You know, I used to be the underdog, right? And it's they like to, they like to get behind the underdog. Me, I love the underdog. I'm not the underdog no more. So they like to compare me to the up-and-coming niggas in the city.

But it's crazy because people in the industry, you seem like kind of the underdog because we're still looking and you're waiting for you to fully make the come up. I'm definitely the underdog. You're out of here. You're not approachable to them anymore. I'm definitely. the underdog. I'm the underdog in this industry. That's why I'm just happy to be here. I'm even

I appreciate you for even bringing me up here, bro. I'm just a street nigger who made it here and who's trying to do the right thing. And I'm very responsible with my opportunity. You know what I'm saying? These niggas kind of not responsible with their opportunities, you know what I'm saying? But I had to go through so much to get here. So, but at home, I'm not the underdog. And, you know, people, they, they, I don't, I don't put too many chains on, probably, or I don't know. So people, people, people, People want to got that Mayweather effect. Now they're looking for you to, you know how the hometown is.

They're looking for you to fall. But it's not the whole hometown. It's just a certain group of haters. I love Buffalo. Buffalo is a dope city. Shout out Lenova. Shout out Wayne Kings. What I'm saying?

Shout out the Grow House. Shout out the G's anything. You know how we do this shit. You know what I'm saying? Big Montana shit, $1,300, everywhere. That's facts. Shout out Buffalo. Mm-hmm.

And shout out Griselda. Shout out West. West. West. with me. Right. But he had to do something. He wasn't going to come. I wrote a whole Conway interview that we didn't get a chance to do because he had to dip back home. But that almost happened a couple weeks ago. Right, right, right. I still got it. I still got it written down. It might have to get spruced up. But I had to mix it up here and there. You know what I'm saying?

You never know he might be fucking an R&B bitch by time you enter into next time. To throw her on the list? Exactly. A couple more millions we got to ask about? Exactly. But West was going to come down. He kicked with me. Right. I'm saying. That's good. You're out here. Your boys falling asleep on the couch because you got You're working them too hard. Snorriaga. Ricky's like, not me. Oh, that's Mick.

That's Mick knocked out over there. You know, the time difference to be fucking us up. We've been up since like seven in the morning. Yeah. That's why I know I'm not a rapper because I'm not ever outside my house past midnight since COVID hit.

Because when I see a rapist still in the studio until seven in the morning, I'm like, bro, I get up at seven in the morning. That's just seems so foreign to me. Man, it ain't shit to do. And you know what? Rappers really worked at night, overnight. I learned that by getting in this industry.

I guess you call him an industry. I learned that from there. All the big names, they call me, like, come through the studio. It's always that. Niggas calling me to come through at 11-12. Right. Like, niggas are starting at that time. Yeah.

And I'm saying so that's how they work. That's normal. Yeah. I've been that dude falling asleep on the couch in the studio too much. That nigga, two chains. That's how he worked. T.I. I work with him a couple times like that in the middle of the night.

Yeah. Man. I don't know Like if T.I hit me Like come to the studio at midnight I think I'll be like Yeah We're gonna have to do this another day

I don't know man At midnight Shit I'm gonna have to go get a Red Bull Just fucking take that to the face You definitely gotta get that You gotta be ready You gotta be ready When you get in the studio with these niggas

I would warn them I got about an hour and a half in me bro Two chains is an animal He's gonna go He's gonna go He's hungry And he's still rapping With a chip on the shoulder

You know what I'm saying And those things you wouldn't know about him unless you worked on shit with him or you kicked it with him. You know what I'm saying? He's an amazing soul. Being around him, the energy you get from him. I only, I kicked him one time in Wyoming at that fucking Kanye party and just kicking and talking to him and shit. It's just like, wow, like this is, this guy should be president. Not real shit.

You know, he has a smart dude and his whole run. But I'm like going to two chains. Like, you got presidential vibes to me. Now, he is smart dude. He is smart dude. Benny, two chains? anything could happen. Not real shit.

Me neither. I'd love to hear with a punchlines on that one, man. You might have to go extra hard. You know, listen, let me tell you how I met Big Brother. I was outside. I was in a backstage, like, of the Meek Mill Future Tour. Right. And then I seen Big Bro come back there.

He got his niggas with him. They deep and shit. He back there. He lit up like a Christmas tree. And then I'm like, oh, shit. It looked like he was walking towards me. I'm like And then somebody

like interrupted him Stopped him before You know he too changed Somebody slapped him up Took a picture or something like that I'm thinking like that He looked like he was walking towards me and shit And then after he slapped him up

He was he came straight to me He's like yo niggas respect what you doing I'm like oh shit I mean exchange numbers And we tapped in And he always He's gonna hit me back when I hit him He gonna pick up the phone

He's gonna support so Shout out to the big homie And he's one of the niggas If he ever need me You could call me That's crazy I feel like you're kind of a guy at this point

If two chains is putting on a new project tomorrow, he might be like, you know what? We need some Benny the butcher energy on the shit. I am. I can't wait until he put this shit out. You're a mercenary. On motherfucking college grove. You know what I'm saying? The little Wayne and two chain shit.

I'm on that. There you go. Real shit. We need that. Crazy. We need you on the next DJ Khaled album while they had it. I need that. I feel like, I feel like Cala the smart dude.

I kind of feel like because he fucked with was hot. You know what I'm saying? He fuck what was hot. And you know, Griselda is a vibe. You know what I'm saying? I feel like he would tap into that vibe. I think he would do something. And he's like a curator, like,

he would like put us with somebody who we haven't been with you. Right. I'm saying, I feel like he, I feel like Calid, you know what I mean, he's going to make that play. Yeah. I love to see what he cooks up for that one. There it is. Yes, sir.

Ben of the butcher. No jumper. Appreciate your time. No, all love, man. All love, man. Thank you very much. We ain't slapping up no moment. Man, COVID-19.

Closed. fist bump we back on it social distance and all that man all that shout out Buffalo shout out Griselda all the fans BsSSF 716 I love y'all big Griselda forever you know I mean black sopranos no jumper coolest podcast on world took us on YouTube SoundCloud iTunes like comments subscribe nojumber.com if you want support appreciate you man let's do it let's go