#23 - Benny The Butcher

four years, I'll say about three years. He's really beginning his respect since Tanna Talk came out, like three Tanta Talk three. Sorry it's late, man, my head's off fucked up anyway. Benny having himself a stellar twenty four months, stellar hit boy, having himself a stellar twenty twenty, and I would almost say historical twenty twenty in regards to what he's done and how he's touched the culture this year. We can talk about Detroit two, we could talk about

King's disease. We could talk about him and Dom Kennedy's joint projects together. We can talk about his solo project Chauncey Hollis Bro talked about all the other projects that he's produced on t He Grizzly Shit. I mean, the list goes on and on. Shout out to Big I was gonna say, shout out to Big Sean, Shout out to Big Sean, a shout out to hit Boy. He produced the entire album Burden of Proof, and uh man,

I'm just I'll just love where hip hop is right now. So, but Benny the Butcher is the first official guest, or no, I'm sorry, the first official see listen, man, y'all gotta excuse me. It's like three am right now. I'm tired as a fuck. If y'all can't tell. Benny the Butcher is the first repeat guest we've had on the podcast. I say that because when him and the Black Soprano Family dropped their mixtape, I had them on via Zoom. The zoom shit is whack. It is what it is.

We had a dope convo, then even doper conversation. Now got to do the face to face thing. Also, there's a freestyle that is coming with this. Gonna start doing freestyles, man, because why the fuck not? Bruh, you feel me? And Benny the Butcher's kicking that shit off. So how about them fucking apples. Go to my YouTube page. Just type in Bootleg keV on fucking YouTube. Hit that subscribe and

you know, thank you, thank you. But Benny the Butcher back on the podcast talking Burden of Proof, talking all kinds of fly shit. Salute to him. Only person I gotta get on this motherfucker now is Westside Gun and I'm working on it. Also working on HARMANI Caesar, also working on Bowlie James, trying to get the whole fucking Griselda to show up and show out. We're trying to be like, you know, the fucking you know, I'm just I'm just trying to be just somebody who really represents

that shit. And you know, that's just where I'm at with this music shit. I'm like, man, listen, I'm gonna represent the shit that I really fuck with. And that's the bars if you know me. So, Griselda, Benny hell of an album. Burden of Proof is out. Shout out to our sponsors before we get into the interview. You got a shout out to vapin. Go to vapincbd dot com. Make sure you use the keyword bootleg CAV. You'll get

twenty percent off of all your favorite CBD products. You could get lotion, you can get cartridges, all of that. Give them a follow as well at vapin on Instagram. Also shout out to odd Socks. Make sure you go to odd socksofficial dot com. Listen, man fly socks, comfortable socks, all the licenses you could ask for. Literally, Mike Tyson, old dirty bastard, pimp, c fucking Cereal top Ramen bitch like et I got chucky socks, fam fucking tap in.

Go to odd socksofficial dot com. Keyword bootleg CAB save twenty percent. I apologize that this intro was very unguided in rambly. That's I apologize for that. I'm tired. Let's get into the interview Benny the Butcher Yo Boutle Cab Podcast Episode number whatever the fuck whatever episode. It is technically second appearance on the podcast because we did something on Zoom with the with the with the black soprano fan. Right, Benny the Butcher is here, Yes, sir, I'm in the

building this time though he's in the building. This is the way we like to do it. Man I don't do zoom for a lot of people. We did zoom for you and for Action Bronson, so you know, I had to make a couple exceptions, but we got Benny here. Burden of Proof is officially out and damn put Hey look man, you I feel like, yes, sir, the whole crew has been active all year, but you just kind

of saved all the AMMO for like the fourth quarter. Yeah. Man, I just to be honest with you, because I'm always honest. That's the only way not to be. I would have I would have been put the album out, but it was just so dope that we wanted to find a home force so we could do something extra with it, So we could do something special with it. We want to line everything up with it. So that's why we held on to it. But we could have been put this shit out. You know what I'm saying. It was

a business decision. You know what I'm saying, talk about because I was. I went to a couple of the sessions when you and Hit were working at Chalice on this project, and I remember when he like he told me like, no, we're gonna do like a whole situation.

And I didn't even realize like I knew Hip Boy was, Like I mean, of course, all time great producer, He's been a friend of mine for a lot of years, but like he really got in in his bag like on some shit that like we probably ain't used to hearing them all, Like how did they get like the chemistry and the relationships start with you and hit Boy? Oh man. So just by him reaching out to me and telling me to come through, let's work already gave me an idea of what type of person he was.

You feel what I'm saying. He didn't have to do that right, right, because this was like late last year. Yeah, So I come out just kicking it with him, you know what I'm saying. He you know, you know you know what I'm saying. I'm very humble exactly, and I'm kind of like the same way, you know what I'm saying. So it was like it was like the synergy was just there, you know what I mean. I enjoyed working with him. I love the direction he gave me when

we're working on these records. I like working with like producers instead of like just the beat makers. And you know what I'm saying, I fed off his energy. You know what I'm saying. He got like I'm coming through. I'm seeing rappers do there? Oh yeah, everybody there right right right right right? Uh nah crazy. I bumped into a hold just a lot of people there. So it's like, Okay, I like this energy do I'm Kennedy my boy. He

always chilling through there, you know what I'm saying. So that type of energy there, you know, I like that. Me and you were talking and we were talking how this is your most commercial sounding project. Obviously we know Griselda, and that's why I think it was so dope for you to pivot away from, like, you know, kind of the typical Griselda sound because you know, hey, like it works, it's great, that's what we love. But I just thought it was dope just to see you kind of step

out of your comfort zone. Do you how do you feel about sonically where this album is and are you afraid of any sort of like you know, man, Riselda fans are crazy and they're extremely like I feel like they're a little like anytime you have fans that are like that with co followings, they feel like you're like you're theirs. Yeah, they feel like they feel like, you know, what I'm saying, you're theirs. They feel like, you know, like we hope you get to where you at, so

don't change on us. And ah, but I understand where the're coming from. But to be honest with you, I am Griselda. You fee what I'm saying. So I could I am the Griselda sound if our mother fucking spit on the song Nigga, that's the Grisela sound Because I am Griselda. I'm ben Ney the Butcher, one third of Griselda that helped build this ship and put it where

it's at. You know what I'm saying. What I brought to the table definitely played a part in to where the gang at to day, you know what I'm saying, Just like Western, just like Conway. So I don't I mean, I am Griselda. So I don't understand it when when they when they say that, they just typically they love that dark ship with uh deer and you know what I'm saying, that is our coreus sounds. So they kind of don't want us to you know what I mean, But it's their fuck y'all. Don't big y'all do them

blew us up? So big y'all y'all did it. Y'all blow us up so big that you know what I mean, that we gain different opportunities and and and let me say this, and I was saying this before the album came out. Uh, a lot of times we would cross the bridge. But nine times out of ten, when people work with us, they come on your You bring them to your world. So more of me sounded like the

the mainstream artists you are usually here. Hit boy work with he's going to sound you know what I'm saying, He on, he on his gutter shit because he's a chameleon. He tapping into his exactly. It's a new challenge for him, you know what I'm saying. It's like, Okay, I'm Griselda Niggas tapping with Benny. Let's do that. Let's see, you know what what I mean. So and it's worked out exactly and it's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah, give me for for people who will be good. Okay, Now I was gonna say

for people who don't know. Man, let's kind of like go all the way back, Like we all know you're from Buffalo. M hm you were you born in Buffalo? Yeah? Yeah, when like kind of give me like a little background of your childhood, man, Like how did you come up? Like what like what made you first get into rapping? And like what what like like how old were you when you first like really kind of made the decision to do this ship like all the way man growing up.

Growing up was dope. Man. I was born on my Ti Avenue on the East Side. I moved to the projects and we was always having our cousins over and always watching TV and watching the movies and stuff like that. So I always was in love with music. Like I used to love Wild Wild West. That was my song, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, but that used to come on. My mom used to call me, like, Yo, your song going, you know what I'm saying. So I

always loved that. We used to standing right in front of the TV and just, i mean, act out whatever they was doing in the video, you know what I mean. So I always had that love for music. When I was inspired to do it, I just I'm like, damn, I was above average. I was better than average. So it was something that I wanted to pursue. Like when I was about fifteen. It's a group from my hood named Killer Brown, and it's just like older dudes from my hood. When I say older, a few couple years

older than me. I grew up with these dudes, went to school with them, and these was my homies to this day. They had a rap group called Killer Brown from my block Mountain Avenue, and they performed at the Apollo. They used to do all the back to school shows. They used to do, like regular shows. The Warrens robe was always put together. So I come from that, you know what I'm saying. It's a long line of that,

like from my neighborhood. I mean, yeah, so when you were about fifteen, you started to take this rap shit serious. I do. I think that it's important that people realize, like, man, this You've put in so much work over the years

and this was not like some overnight success shit. Like I'm sure at a certain point in time, I mean, was there ever a point in time where you get like we're close to giving up on the rap shit, because like, yo, man, like you know, it's like I said, it's a marathon out here, especially being from Buffalo kind of having that underdog mentality coming out of that city anyway, like well being a hustler, being a hustler and being so in love with this business and being so hungry

and wanting to pursue it so bad. I did have the runnings and then out of prison, and I didn't tell myself that I'm about to lead a rap game alone. I never said that. What I told myself is that, you know, you might not never like make it big, you know what I'm saying. And I was okay with maybe getting it to a point where I was just making like local music, I mean local money off of it, you know what I'm saying. Long, if it was like maybe you know, like ten bands a month off music

would have been good. I would have been good with that, or maybe even less, as long as I could have made music and feed my family because I was just so sick of the street shit and all of that. So if I could have made it to that point, I would have been happy and felt like I was successful.

So I didn't never even need all of this. Yeah, me telling people like, if you can like pay your bills off of music, like you're successful, he might not be like platinum or exactly like most people just go to work every day and to do they hate and that's how they how many you say you went to prison a few times. What was the longest stint you did in when you were locked up? Two years? Two years? What year was that? It's two thous This is two thousands.

I was in three. I was in I was in high school in oh three, Yeah, that's where I was supposed to have been. So O three did a couple of years, obviously, what were what were the charges? Attempt to distribute lying like like I lied about my name? What's that? Oh? Yeah? Giving false information you can put over like I don't. I did it in federal court. They already had me on the I was on a run for some other ship. So when I got caught up, I'm not knowing how this federal shit go. Like when

they got you, they fucking got you. I'm thinking, I'm about to lie about my name and leave some crazy ship. So I lied about my name. They made me put my I remember the fake name I gave them. They made me put my hand on the Bible, raised my right hand. It's like, state your name. I stayed my name, I said, Benny Lyman. Before I can get my hand down, the DA was like, actually around her, his name is such as set my real name and there you go

new charge. Damn. So they was just they already had you. Yeah, they just set me up to do that. Damn. So you didn't want to be slipped when you was in for two years? Was that a time? Because you know, we all talk about we had a fraid O banging here and he was kind of talking about how like prison kind of helped reset his mentality there. I feel like there's really no you know, there's there's certain ways

to look at the prison shit. For the most part, it really doesn't rehabilitate anybody, but there are situations in which, you know, people come out with a new mentality, Like how like do you think that it helped you at all? Like going in there? Like, I know, you're fucked up to say that any time I ever went behind that wall, I needed it. You know what I'm saying. You know, the people who watching this interview, they know what kind of people person I am, and they know what kind

of person he is. If you're watching his interview, if you've ever been to jail, you know you needed it. It's fucked up to say, but it's almost like it if that wouldn't happen, you might have died or something. Definitely, or would have ended up doing something to give more time, you know what I'm saying. So you know, everything happens for a reason. I'm a firm believer in that. And I was just young, doing shit, not thinking I'm untouchable

and catching a federal case at eighteen. You know how the federal case you know, that's that shit is you gotta do what seventy percent of the time, no matter what, right, it's a fat case, it's something like that. They change it every time, right right right? Uh, you know, they come with their bullshit. So it's like if the Feds are coming at you, it's not like yo, man, like good luck. That means that they're not They're not coming at you unless they got you exactly nine times out

of ten. So so after going through that, like I kind of knew more like, man, you better if you're doing that, you better, boy, because when they come, they go you know, or I knew certain people who had a fair case and they're like, Okay, I got this case. I'm about to do this. I'm like, no, don't do that because they will lose you. You know what I'm saying, You will never see a family again. So I knew even though I was high headed still at times, but I still had that. I got to learn from that.

So you had to you had to do fed time those two years. Was that a I heard our federal prison is supposed to be like nicer than other ones. Yeah, yeah, okay, boom, I wasn't. I ended up going to a camp, a federal camp. I was in there with Emory Emery Jones. Okay, yeah, same federal camp. And basically I remember I got to US. I got to US, I got to the Atlanta USP and I was talking to my bunkie. He was telling

me about the Atlanta camp. He was like, yeah, yeah, I was at the camp and you know what I mean. I went to the mall. I left. He talking about leaving the prison and going toward a mall, and I'm like, I'm not even paying attention because they don't even sound real, so I'm thinking, like it's just cap or whatever. So I ended up making it to a spot a camp

and people are leaving the jail. It got a gate around it, but it's like no gun towers and it's got and it's like the perimeters is next to a medium medium security prison and it's a camp, a minimum security person. You know what I'm saying. For people set who's on their way home. You know what I'm saying. Emrie was there at the end of his bed. Uh So, yeah, people deleat the motherfucker. That's what people do. And I left my baby, mama, Cam, I left, I got some pussy.

I brought ship back into jail and everything had a cell phone, all type of shit. Jordan's Henny every So you could have well first brought into Bazookah. So at that point in time, they're not considering that ship contrabandy. Did you have it tucked? Hell? Yeah, they didn't know we had that ship. Where do you hide the bottle of hennessy? Uh to be honest with honest with you, we held it. Okay. First, it's a team of us. Shout out my man, say man, my man, sway, my

man adjusts. Those are dudes I was locked up with, uh sam man. He used to he used to be like a porter, so he used to like do the trash. So he used to like hide the ship under the trash can. He's the only person who trusted who touched the trash on the unit. So he used to hide this ship under the trash under the trash lining. Yeah, hell yeah. So what we did it was glass bottle though, so what the fuck is glass doing on the prison?

Con do it? After we drink the bottle, he'll put the glass in the pillow case, break it up, break it up real fine, and dispose of it. So it's just crazy. But damn, that's crazy. So you got to leave, get pussy, bring ship back in. It was kind of like, you know, like, I mean, that shit sounds and she sounds crazy now, mind you. Even though this is a camp,

this is still prison, still fucking prison. So it's people in here who who who've been in here for twenty years, who never didn't no shit like that in twenty years. It was just niggas like that in there who just wanted this for me to tell the story. Okay, oh, young young blood. So I heard you left yesterday. Man, I wasn't out there. Can I smell your fingers? Like these niggas is they can't believe I was just out there like that. You know, back in here, these niggas

been down for twenty joints. That's crazy. Ay, So you said you were locked up with Emory, did you guys have a relationship. When you were locked up together, Emory,

you know, he was a dude. Everybody bothered Emory because they knew it was like, Yo, this is you know, I mean that was homes man, and we know when this nigga go home, he was going to be even though he came in, he came home and he worked for his and he became for sure man, Oh for sure, I mean yo, man, like let like you know, obviously we don't really know exactly what happened, but he kind of you know, he took that on the on the chain for them. You definitely definitely, uh you know what

I mean. I really let him live, you know what I'm saying. But we knew of each other, We knew who each other was. So like, were you because in prison, you know where like were you like known as a rapper there? Like were you like where their cipher's going on? Like or was it something that you did you just kind of like didn't advertise to people? Man, Hell yeah, I advertised. That's nothing that I couldn't hide. See now, in federal prison, they got things that they call cars.

They would take you, they would take you to wherever it state you from. When you get on the compound and they're like where you from, I say Buffalo. They'd be like, okay, we'll take you to the We would take you to the New York car. So that's what they did. They took me to the New York cars. Niggas from Brooklyn, hirelm Bung Bung bung. You feel what I'm saying. Uh, even though New York is one place you don't already know how that is. It's territorial, you

know what I'm saying. You know, niggas, niggas, niggas, you know how New York niggas is. They looked at me like this, niggas from Buffalo exactly. So I caught that vibe, you know what I mean. And then I just I really just on my own, you know what I mean for a second till niggas see me coming back with that big bag of commissary all the time, they see the you know what I mean, They see I'm moving with a certain way, so you know, niggas get in

my business. They start talking to me then about prison. Once you it's about open up doors in prison. When I first get to jails, I never let nobody I used to never let nobody know I rap, because I know I'm about to wrap my ass off and then the whole jail gonna be on me. So I took I took like two months oft before letting people know I rap, cause nine times out of ten, I'm always

like the most professional rap nigga there. Now, through throughout all of this, I had a video through the time in jail, I had a video on b et Uncut, So I was always the you know what I mean, the most professional. I had flyers, I had all type of shit CDs and so niggas like, oh no, he

really rapped, you know what I mean. So it's nothing that I and this one jail, they had a spot where niggas wrapped every Friday night, so everybody would just being there, just going going in every Friday night when niggas a meet up on this comment to be a whole bunch of niggas in every rap. I went to that shit like three times, buried that shit, and didn't go for the rest of the time I was at that jail. Damn, that's crazy. So you're in prison, this

is O three to five ish. Let's just say that ballpark. Can you talk about because I, you know, I have my my history with taking ls in life, and what is the biggest L you ever took in the streets? Do you remember whether it was something that got caught up in the mail or you know, I you know, there's different ways that things he getting mm hmm. Well now when this happened, I was locked up. But this

is the team I'm saying. Before I go to jail, we was moving doing what we do, and then I got this new and I'm only I'm only in jail for a violation, so I'm about to come back home. So I leave the organization and I go to jail, and then I hear the news like ah, man, I'm like fuck, so when I like come home, we're like starting for scratch basically, like yeah, like shit. It's crazy too because being in LA and just kind of knowing like what packs will move for, like you probably get

the most for a pack in fucking Buffalo. Hell yeah, yo, the person who got caught with that is probably still in probation for that ship right now. That's a lot of weight, man. Yeah real, would you guys ever like come it was a female too? Oh yeah, that's I mean, that's held it down. That's kind of the go to, right, you get to check this down, and you know she held it down and it wasn't her first rodeo neither.

And then the forming of Griselda, you being officially involved with Griselda, Like fast forward, you get out of prison. When when when was that something that like you know kind of started to like become like official or the Griselda thing. Yeah, it's a whole different time. I'm coming out. This is later. Yeah yeah, okay, Uh, West and Conway and me, we always been doing our thing for you years.

It's just evolved into different things. Like we was all fucking with DJ Shay, Yeah, rest in peace, DJ Shay. We was all signed to Shae, and then I kind of like stayed with Shae, but I kind of like I was with Shae's company. Then I kind of like brought Shae into my company. I learned a whole lot from him. I kind of like he he like learned so much from him. He like catapulted me to start my own shit and he just helped me. Same thing

with Wes and Conway. They was doing they own shit over there, but we was always doing songs together and like twenty sixteen, that's when I noticed it. Twenty fifteen, that's when I noticed what the fuck they had going on. But around that that happened to them. And you know, people asked me this question, but I was brought in on Groselda. You know what I'm saying. By the time Wes brought me in, the Shady deal was right there.

You know what I'm saying. I was put in on that when he knew when he found out he was about to get the Shady Deal, he was like, oh shit, and we go get my cus. You feel I'm say so he put all the pain in to get to that point, you feel what I'm saying, him and Conway. So when I got brought in around that time twenty sixteen,

I'm just hungry, ready to go, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, I feel like you were kind of you know, watching those freestyles back then, Like you know, I just remember I forget which I think it might've been on Static show.

You had to fucking the Shan McCoy on, you had the Buffalo Bills had and I was like, you know, obviously it was about gun and Conway at the time, and then like yo, this dude, Benny is crazy, and I almost felt like every time you had the opportunity, you were like, Yo, I gotta I gotta like show my ass on these fucking freestyles. And that's what it was. And them dudes always motivated me to do that before, like yeah, you know, you gotta kill this shit, you

know what I'm saying. Yeah, Yo. I feel like Tanner Talk three was such a very important moment in your career.

I feel like that you were putting out dope projects prior to that, but I feel like that that was like the project where like you really like started to really like step into your own as far as acknowledgment in the industry, you know what I'm saying, Like, do you remember like that, like that album coming out, Like did you have the feeling that like things were gonna change after that, because it felt like that album comes out Obviously Plugs I Met was really that project, but

I feel like Tanna Talk three was like kind of your coming out party, if that makes sense. Yeah, and that's what happened for But did I see it? Yes? And no, I see I didn't see it because this is all uncharted territory for me. I really don't know what to expect. You feel what I'm saying. I know Conway doing good numbers on the West is like I said, they brought me in. That don't mean I'm a you

know what I'm saying. So, but I did believe it because you know, the niggas was telling me that, like, Yo, watch watch the when tend to Talk three drove watch this. I'm telling you, everybody I played that for before it came out had the same reaction as when it came out, like, Yo,

this shit is crazy. So that having that tape done for about a year or so before it came out, I played it for everybody, and my confidence was already up before it dropped because I played it for people for a year, played it for Ray and he was playing it. Uh, used to play it, play some ship for Roy's. Just played it around my peers and ship

and everybody fucked with it. Now, I remember Green Lantern like telling me pretty early, like yo, like Conway's dope, but like Benny's like special special, and yeah, like I feel like that that project really kind of solidified kind of your path that you're on right now. And obviously Plugs I met is a fucking classic. That's my ship. I mean, it's a classic, that's my ship. I don't say that very lightly, right right, right, So you can't call and I mean, that's a classic project and and

and on that project one of the best. I mean, dude, the record with Push is like one of the best choke rap songs ever created. Like it's like sh it's like all like it'd be like if someone was I'm going to cut you off. I tried to call that song, uh drug dealer anonymous too. Yeah, they ain't let me, you know what I mean. I sent it to get I sent it in, turned it in and labeled they and they called it and I think somebody from somebody's side it was like, yeah, he can't do that, don't

call it that. And I'm like, eighteen wheeler. Eighteen wheeler. Of course, when when did you when you wrote your verse for that record, did you know Push was getting on it? Mm hmm, so you kind of like you like that, you were like, yo, I gotta come with that talk. That's one of the that's one of the few records that I knew the person was getting on when I did the joint, But I did I knew that for Black Thought too, So you gotta when you

know Black Thought at Pusher getting on two different records. Yeah, yeah, those are jedis Man right. So that's why y'all want to know why I'm rapping like that on them songs because I know what I know where them shits is landing at. You feel what I'm saying, So I remember and push up like yo, I needed it. He's like, nah, I got you. I'm like, oh shit, I'm like, yo, load this up shape, I did that shit immediately fire. You know what I'm saying. We were talking to like

how disappointing it had to be. You were supposed to go out on the world to Russ. You're on Russ's album, you know, shout out to Russ for just giving so much free game, and I think, shout out to the big dog russ Man. Russ a great dude, But like, how did that happen? Like Russ and Benny on the record. When that track listing dropped, I was like, I want to listen to that song with listen row song. You

know what I'm saying. But like, like obviously respects you as an MC, and Russ doesn't get enough love for his capabilities an MC as well. He don't we listen. We actually got a record. I don't know when he gonna drop this record, motherfucking Russ, Bennie and black Dog and it's just going. We just and we both like we all rapping long. Wow. You feel what I'm saying. It's almost like a five six minute song. Everybody's rapping long. It's a crazy song. Wow. I feel like it's gonna

be a moment when it come out. Damn crazy. Yeah, he just tapping with you on DM because he's obviously a fan of your ship. Yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying. You just tapped me on the DM. Like Russell get enough credit for like his lyrical ability. Sure could do anything, and he gives free game to everybody. So no matter where hit the career path, no matter no matter where that took him, he still got the ability that he got so he could notice it in others.

You feel what I'm saying. So a person don't gotta be all big and nothing like that. He just reaching out for the sport of it. Like I like this, dude, Yeah, we should work. So shout out to Russ because I love and niggas do that and and help niggas with opportunities and I do the same thing. What I'm saying I reach back to I mean, listen, we talked about this on Zoom, but you know two records in the camp with Drake two, So that's it. I mean, listen, you just dropped an album that got to come out.

Wayne and Sean on it talking about him all the time. Drake records. I mean, like we think of how many times that guy's jumped on someone's records and change their life. You already got your own ship, you know what I'm saying, But like to have Drake, like whose hands is is it in? For those records to come out? Is it in his hands? Is it in your hands? Is it? Like? What? Like I'm assuming one's coming out with his ship. One might come out on your ship, Like whose hands is

that in? Oh? Yeah, that's that's the plan. Uh. He put one out and I'll put one out, you know what I'm saying. Even if but trust me, I feel like because you know, at the end of the day, this is a business. You know what I'm saying. It's records that I didn't put on my album because it wasn't it wasn't cohesive with with the album, not saying that the records was bad. Records are crazy. I can't

wait to put them out on something else. Yeah, but maybe if people don't get those records, I'm pretty sure they get they get a record with Bro. You know what I'm saying With me and Bro. You know what I'm saying. I feel like it's something that he want to do. But I feel like I'm did you body, Drake? I don't think I hell no, did he? I mean, Drake's a smart guy. He's obviously a fan of you, so he has to come with his A plus game to hop on a record with Benny because you know

the discussion will be like, Yo, Benny washed Drake. That's what the first thing people people are gonna go to see who got who? I'm not gonna lie. He's he's like one of the most like comfortable person like he's a Jedi. Yeah you know what I mean. So he's like he's he said his verse first. Like a lot of times dudes be scared to see you the record with the first one that already because they feel like, what you're gonna do when you come? I mean, he's

confident he like, huh, what you wanna do? What I'm gonna do exactly? You know what I mean? And I like that type of energy and that just let me know a lot about him, man. He I mean, he played his game the right way. Are there hooks on either of the records or we just talking straight? Bars M. I think the record that I got control of without that that he letting me rock with is bars on there, you know what I'm saying. The other one is is bars too. I'm already talking too much. Y'all going to

get these soon, baby, listen. We just we're talking too, because I think that everybody's waiting for you and jay Z to work together ever since the rock Nation thing. Ye, everybody was. Everybody was thinking whole was gonna be on burd and a proof. I was seeing it in the comments. I'm like, yo, I hate the let the people down, especially when you put the tape over the name when

you drop off. Because the big Sean verse happened, I didn't hear I heard that record without Sewn on it, So that Sean versus rather recent, right, Yeah, Because hit Boy played me that record, it just had Wayne on it. People just knew it was whole I kind of think people knew. I mean I kind of think like we knew people was gonna think that. So that's why it's like, Yo, tape the name we played into that. Yeah, for sure, is that something that like obviously everybody wants to do

a song with jay Z. Everybody does. You have a direct line with Hoop like you, but you also don't want to be the guy that just asks for the verse. You kind of wanted to just happen. Yeah, of course I wanted to just happen. But I'm not gonna lie I act as big homie for the verse because it's like you cannot like not ask for the verse, like you got to let them know, like yo, you know what I mean. But it's something that was gonna happen.

I was saying this, if I was to get a whole verse, I would be the the person who got one of the quickest hovedn't hand versus out like that, and he don't hand him out that quick. When people get a whole verse, you're already a legend solidified in a game by the time you get the verse nine times out of ten. And I'm not at that point yet. You know what, I'm saying maybe, but I don't know, you know what I'm saying, maybe, I don't know. I know I know that he wanted to do it because

we spoke about it. Yeah, but is the time? Is the time right? Maybe? Not? Facts. You were one of the only people who who weren't necessarily when the Griselda thing happened. You were not officially on Shady right, so Conway, Uh, you know, uh west Side and uh and the Griselda project came out through Shady, but you necessarily you didn't have that Shady like label backing, Like, did Eminem try to sign you later on after shit kind of started to get moving? Like was that was that there ever

any discussions if you coming over to Shady officially? Definitely? Definitely, Uh, Shady Records try to pursue me after after did you kind of like like like what made you kind of pass on? That was the fact that they didn't see

it from the jump? M N. I never took it personal because I immediately understood the business of it, but I kind of like I kind of like knew what the being under the Shady umbrella was and then it was like we was already under there, so like maybe let me get over here so you know what I'm saying, or go wherever. I like, don't put the cruise eggs in the same baskets, know what I'm saying. No, that's fair.

It would talk about the friendly competition between you, Gun and UH and Conway because I feel like it's definitely there, Like you guys are also you know, especially you and Conway on the MC side, but like quality of music, all three of you guys are out of here. Pray for Paris one of the best albums of the year. Guns dropped three projects this year, You're about to drop

your second. Conway dropped two, but shit, three projects this year. Yeah, but like, is the competition it seems very healthy and you guys were I always whenever you guys drop some shit and there's like those quintessential like Positi cuts, Expers three or whatever, it is like that's like my first record I go to. But like, is it is it competition? And is it like has it ever been to the point where you're like ship, like I got gone on

this record? Like I feel like when you have three artists on that level of rapping, hm, you know, it's gotta it's gotta be like steal sharp and steel. Now now is it? It's a competition. I can't look up here and say it's not competition, right, you know what I'm saying. But it's trust me, is healthy competition. And it's not like devious competition, right right, right, right right. It's like, uh, you know, you know what kin, we're gonna do. So you want to know what I mean?

So you want to you want to bring your ship too, and we go to the we go to the shows. You know what I'm saying, Like what the what the fuck this nigga be saying. He'd be like, uh, you know, they get crazy loud for Westside Gunship. You feel what I'm saying, They get crazy loud. So it's like he's like the Paul Hayman of the crew. Yeah exactly exactly. So it's just like everybody bringing their own ship. But man, when I hear the people loud at the shows for uh Wes, I want them to be loud for me.

You know what I'm saying. When I see the comments, yo, conwe dropped the classic, I want my shit to be classic too, of course, I mean. So it's like it's that type of shit and it's almost like, you know, just trying to keep up with each other. And shit, Yo, would have you and fred ever talked about doing the EP together? Hell yeah, cause you and Freddie we just have that discussion in there and it was like, Yo, like this shit is like it has been a very

long time. We have Kendrick, we have Drake, we have Cole. It's been a long time since we've gotten another one of those guys on that Mount Rushmore. And we were just talking like you and fred are like, I feel like got that chance. And Fred's obviously a OG was on the twenty ten Freshman cover. Yeah fire, Yeah, and

we know we wear them shoes in the game. And it's just dope to be mentioned like that, you feel what I'm saying, to be mentioned with the likes and be mentioned and the and that type of manner of being on a Mount Rushmore. But but you and Fred, I feel like you have got great chemistry. I know, he fucked You're one of the few people in the industry that he actually likes. That's my asshole, that's my fucking boy. You know what I'm saying. That's my boy. And we talk about that all the time. We need

to make that happen. I'm a call on when I finished this shit, we need to make that happen, you know what I'm saying. A little quick ep, just something for the fans, for the streets, and we have fun doing it. We had so much fun, all right, So burning the proof is out and we've talked with I mean, I've heard you talk about can to talk for Plugs I met too. I know I've heard you say maybe like what Plugs I met too? Is at what's next on the and is it done? Everything done? Every record

is clear, every sample is clear on it. Everything is done except the whole verse the Plugs I met too, Everything was done before Burton a proof. That's what I'm telling people, is like I could have dropped that. I held off on purpose, you know what I'm saying, because you know the fans be thinking a nigga not in the studio, But like I held off that been ready. We was really like moments away from pressing a button

on Plugs I met Too. But it was like, let's catch this lightning and a bottle real quick and then go catch that lightning in a bottle too. Can you kind of give me some of the uh, some of the game on your merch because I feel like rappers who are watching this day like they might be able to come up on some game with what y'all are doing in the merch game, and like what's the most y'all have ever? Like, what's the most you've made on

a merch drop in a month? Not to be in your pockets, but you know, for inspirational purposes, the most I ever made? It was like four hundred thousand, four hundred k on on a was it a hoodie? Was it a shirt or was it shirts? That shit is crazy? Four hundred thousand? Hell yeah? Did you you feel like I just did it? I just did a merge drop a couple of days ago. I know, shout out, those hooies are for the pirate cities, Go grab those those joints. Fire. Yeah.

I was so mad when I went to the fucking La show out here because the only thing that was left was like something you had for sale for four hundred dollars or something. I was like, fuck man, I think it was like a jacket or something, or something like fucking Butcher, like fucking Apron or something. Damn. Yeah, it was kind of crazy, man, all right, So we're gonna get plugs. I met two next, Yeah, that's coming next,

that's coming next. I got I got Fat Joe on their two chains on their French manten on there, Jim Jones on there. It's crazy. Obviously you have Black soprano family. Conway's got drum work music, Griselda's you know, obviously you know family, But like how important it is? How important is it for you to build your own imprint because

you know, the fucking mixtape was fire. Shout out the drama, shout out to the whole crew, hem, shout out to to Rick Hyde, But like, how important is that for you to kind of like I'm not saying break away from Griselda, but like have your own identity that's outside of Griselda. Uh, it's super important, you know what I'm saying. It's super important in an aspect of not me trying to have my own identity, but being in a position that I am, I got a responsibility, you know what

I'm saying. And Black Soprano family, it's really the family. And this is all dudes who are extended Griselda family. Like I seen Rick Ki make a tweet other the first time I met rick Y was with Conway. He came and they both reestyled on my shoulder. Conway exactly, you know what I'm saying. So, uh, rick Hay like recorded Doctor Birds, he recorded, like you know what I'm saying. So he these just like family. So they all had

their own relationships with Griselda. And you know, we like people compares to the Wu Tang klan, and we kind of are like the Wu Tang clan. We got a whole bunch of different niggas. And rik Ki just been around forever, and he and Conway damn there from the same hood. You feel what I'm saying. Me and heme's from the same hood. So it's like, you know what

I mean, it's just extended family. And these are dudes who These are dudes who watched us make it to where we made it at and got the opportunity now too to be a part of it. You feel what I'm saying. So it's super important that I take the responsibility, uh serious, and and make away some my some sort of guys who helped me get here could eat too. I think everybody asked, you know, the top rappers question, but give me your top five albums off the top

of your head. This isn't like a cement list. Just what are the five albums? Come? Come, come up? Okay, Okay, Uh, I gotta go, I gotta go, Reasonable doubt, Okay, my favorite whole album, I gotta go. I gotta go. Uh uh we Are the Streets, the Los album, The Locks, yep, I love that album. Uh, Life after Death big mm hmm, and I gotta go. Nas I Am Interesting, I Am, I Am, I Am the third album, I Am, I Am.

I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you a story behind that because I get that reaction all the time because I feel like it's either it was written or illmatic because everyone's answer, but I Am is I Am. When I came out, that's when I'm understanding music. So I went back to those you feel what I'm saying, That's when I'm under I'm fourteen. I remember buying that album vividly. Is a about that in TLC's fan mail as a kid. Yes, it all came out at the same time. I remembered

ninety nine. I remember that, you know what I mean? What's the fifth one? Man? I would have to say the fifth one is Butcher on Steroids. Go check that out. If you never heard Butcher on Steroids, go hear that. People always ask me what's my best album? I can never pick. I heard. I listened to that the other day and I had to stop. I had to be real with myself. Butcher on Steroids are some of my best best work. I'm saying that shit is up there,

but on steroids. Butcher on Steroids with Green Lantern, yoh, shout out to Green Man. Hey you you know what I love about what you guys do is like you guys will do a whole project with hit Boy or a whole project with Alchemist. You know what I'm saying, like mad madly whatever the fuck? Right? Uh? Is there any other producer that you would like to lock in with for that kind of You know, the hit Boy shit is crazy burning a proof out now go support it.

But is there another producer outside of Darren j'r, outside of kind of that you would want to lock in with? On? I think you and Primo would be crazy. That's what I was about to say. I want to lock in with pream Man, I want to lock in with Ninth, I want to lock in with just just be crazy. You know what I mean, and yay too. What I'm saying. If you don't get elected president, maybe you have some time. Are you voting for? Can you vote? Can vote? I'm

not voting. I'm not. Yeah. You you know. I was talking to Conway and he was kind of explaining to me the like, you know, his trip to Wyoming and all that shit. Did you like your relationship with Kanye? Is there one there is? There was that more him and gun? Or yeah? It was more him a gun. I'm a shout out ya yo know what I'm saying, because they invited me, but I mean that was more. I think he like him and they did something together,

but I was more him a gun. Can you talk about because I know you got to get out of here the rock Nathan, the Rock Nation guys waving waving at me, the man with the ponytail real quick, man, because I think it's important for anyone who's listening or

watching this to kind of inspirational purposes. Man. You you know I just saw your daughters like going to college, right like you're a fucking father, You're I want I want you to kind of give me, you know, your take on the perseverance that it took for you to get to this point, because I think a lot of people look at you as a new artist and look at you like man, like you a grown ass man with realized responsibilities in this world, and like you're just

hitting your peak. And I think a lot of people they're they're they're in it for the quick nut, and once something doesn't happen that they expect to happen as quick as they'd like it to happen, they give up and they walk away and question what they do, Like like your as a whole kind of you know what,

what drove you the whole time? Man? And like just my hunger for it, and uh, knowing I had the talent, I always felt the responsibility to my talent because even when I was in and out of jail, or even when I was on the corners trapping, or even I was serving niggas who wanted to who was my fans? Like, Yo, man, you still rapping and I'm like, damn, I was just in a studio earlier. Nigga asks me, Am, I'm still rapping,

and I thought I had shit on lock. You know what I'm saying in the town when Nigga asks me, is I'm still rapping. So I always felt that I always had to answer that, and I feel like far as my perseverance and everything, it's like people hear it, but they don't. They don't really take it for what is worth. Everybody want to do the cute shit. Nobody literally when they get in this game, have discipline, you feel what I'm saying. Discipline themselves and learn the business,

you know what I'm saying, that's the higher part. Nobody want to do niggas. These niggas selling all these records, they still don't know the business. Nigga know, they still don't know shit, you know what I'm saying. Get on TV and they look like experts. These niggas don't know nothing. So I did everything step by step because I couldn't get in the records from Drake and pushing all them niggas and that Wayne, that wasn't an option for me always, So you had to earn that exactly exactly. So I

did it step by step. I really did it the higher way. And you know, dudes don't want to do it no more, but it's the most that's the most valuable way to do it because it's always gonna be there. You put a brick on top of a brick that you know what I'm saying, it's still you gonna go watch exactly. So it's like this is something physical when I know what I'm doing, This is physical because the

knowledge never go nowhere, you know what I'm saying. The experience that you got from that hard work and never go nowhere. And I felt like I just had the discipline, and I tell I tell my team that, like the number one thing is you got to have discipline, not enough to hang around those dudes who gonna get you some bullshit when you can't be here. You got to have enough discipline not to take the easy money over

here when they're offering it to you. You got to have a discipline and not to be over here fucking with these bitches over here, instant grand bitches, screenshot your messages and all that weird shit. You gotta have discipline in this game and now to get you fired. And I'm saying when I was talking to Conway, we were talking and he was like, you know, when it comes to the Griselda, you look at it like it's a body. I'm the hard gun is the brain. And then he's

the muscle. What can you give me one thing? What's the biggest thing that you've learned from Gun? Because I feel like he is a genius. I feel like we have we have seen very few people come through this music industry to have his understanding of marketing. He's just he's just a smart dude, man, and right, I learned a lot of I learned a lot of marketing from him. Obviously, I learned I learned a lot of just just do it. It's just about doing it, like you could do what

you want to do. There's no blueprint for this. Ship do it. You got an idea? Do it? You know what I'm saying? Uh? What else? I mean? Just just ship like that? Will there be another Griselda album? Hell? Yeah for sure? Yeah? What was she gunn too? I heard? You know what I'm saying. I think you want to call it that? Well? Was she ain't gonna do too? What was shein't gonna do too? You guys gotta have so many fucking records? Just yes we do, Yes, we do. Hey,

I want to. I want to. I need to drop the Me and the Bennie and Conway project, Like that's what really, what we need, that's what the fans want, That's what our fans want. Dom for real and me and Conway we talked about it before too, you know what I'm saying. You know, niggas got their obligations and it kind of was gonna get in the middle of the obligations, not saying that we gave a funk about that.

When you guys are each independent, that's like, you know, I know Conway's got a shady album that's supposed to come up at the end of the year, but like, YO know we're talking about when we talked. When we talked about it, then how many how many songs do you guys? Have you guys like, have you guys officially worked on records for that project or is it just

kind of like been talked about. It's been talked about, so you guys haven't like, like, I think it should be you Conway and just pick a producer to do the whole joint, whether it's Darreinger. I think it really should be Darringer, just for the fans to I think, so if it's gonna be YouTube, it should be Darringer.

Just do it for the fans. Bro. Yeah, we weren't having no other way that we we of course we would do it with Darringer and uh we we haven't done that because like that's a three four day thing. You know how to Griselda projects be we get we get together and we locked the fucking Have you guys talked about a name or anything. Yeah, you guys will sell so much fucking merch when that ship drops. Shout out to Conray. Hey man, Benny, I appreciate you. I know you gotta get baut Of here. Album is out,

Burden the Proof, go support it. Uh, Plugs, I meant to come in before the end of the year, just on the way, Plugs. I meant to before twenty twenty one. Uh no, not before twenty Yeah, we go on top of January on that. Okay, the pressure is up. I told people a couple of months ago. After June and July is everything is mine. I've been killing features. I'm about to I'm about to be smoking shit with this Burden Approof and I'm doubling back. I mean, boom Benny,

appreciate you, bro, I love my boy. Let's go