This week, DJ Scream and Big Bank served up another helping of the “Big Facts” podcast! Rapper and Buffalo, New York native Benny the Butcher stopped by the studio to talk about working with Drake, JAY-Z, and more.
First up, Benny got things started by discussing his introduction into the music industry, and how his path to discovery was different from the traditional artist, whose claim to fame was usually by way of an A&R executive. “The deal that Westside Gunn did with Shady Records, you wouldn’t see us if maybe that didn’t happen, but my situation is different. I wasn’t signed to Shady; for me personally, nobody. Ain’t nobody was doing that shit for me,” he explained.
“West allowed me in those rooms. He was doing interviews and shit like this, and he allowed me to sit in a corner. He was having meetings with Paul Rosenberg. I was sitting in a corner and went from nobody knows me, just thinking I was security or some shit to ‘Oh the nigga rap too’ to me building up a reputation and my relationships with niggas, and spinning back around when it was my turn.”
The “War Paint” emcee definitely considers himself a student of the game, telling Bank that one of his best attributes is being a good listener. “I’m like anybody else. You might tell me something about myself [and] I won’t like the shit, but I’m going to listen to it, and that worked out for me being like that,” he added.
Benny later cleared up some rumors regarding a potential collaboration with presumably hip hop’s public enemy number one: Tekashi 6ix9ine. In a now-deleted tweet, the Griselda rapper revealed that someone he thought was 6ix9ine’s manager allegedly reached out to him about doing a verse for the “GUMMO” emcee. Barely remembering the person that he spoke to at the time, Benny explained that the whole incident turned out to be a prank in the end. “But, you know, before I posted that and said anything about it, I sat on it for like three days,” he disclosed. “Cause I’m like, ‘Did this nigga really hit me?’ I’m like the audacity of these people. It wasn’t that nigga, it was just this funny nigga, it was this funny Instagram nigga playing.”
And just to make things clear, Benny said he would never work with 6ix9ine — not even for $10 million. He added, “I wouldn’t have been able to show my face. All I got is who I am. Imagine if I done took that money and then came in here, how you would have looked at it.”
Next up, Benny discussed his rap collective, the “Black Soprano Family” or “BSF” for short, with himself, Rick Hyde, Heem, LoveBoat Luciano, Jonesy, FlexxBaby, Young World, and DJ Shay; and how that group came about.
After several stints in prison and failed record deals, Benny explained that following his last release from prison, he told himself that he wanted to return to the rap game with something different.
“I just wanted a clean feel. I wanted like some letters, you know what I’m saying? And just like boom, it came up, ‘Black Soprano family: BSF,’” he revealed. “But, it’s really the same niggas it was when it was just Buff City Entertainment. Rest in peace, my nigga Shay. He passed away. I was signed to him. He a local legend. It was Buff City Entertainment, that was his shit, but I came, switched it up, Black Soprano Family.”
Back to the topic of clearing up rumors on the internet, reports say Benny is sitting on a record he did with Drake, and to that, Benny said, “It’s true.”
The rapper also revealed that he’s in no rush to release it either, a choice he admitted wasn’t easy to make, but it’s not without reason. “It’s hard, but it’s really not that hard because it’s levels,” Benny said. “Shit! It’s a record from Drake. I want it to work for me, you know what I’m saying? So it’s a build-up thing. It’s not just about getting it and throwing it out, it’s about timing. That’s Drake — Aubrey Graham — so even if you got a record with that nigga, you can’t just throw it out.”
Speaking on another legend, Benny talked about his dealings with Roc Nation and even getting the opportunity to talk to JAY-Z. He shared some of the gems he grasped from those conversations, including going back to fix certain tracks when advised by the Brooklyn native.
“He called me right out,” Benny admitted. “The part that I punched in, that I could have done, but I punched, and he called me right the fuck out. I’m like he ain’t taking no break on a nigga, he letting a nigga know. So, I can appreciate that.”
If you liked what you heard, stay tuned every week for another episode of “Big Facts” next week. Also, don’t forget to watch the latest show above!
