You never know when your life is going to change. Hip-hop has traditionally been considered as a space for young people. Two of this generation’s most influential artists, Chief Keef and Pop Smoke, both had their breakthroughs as teenagers. Nas released one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time with Illmatic at 17.
For Benny The Butcher, however, the breakthrough came at 34 in 2019 with the rise of his rap group Griselda, based out of Buffalo, New York. The group helped bring the grimy East Coast sound of rapping about selling cocaine over hard-hitting instrumentals back to listeners’ ears.
“He’s fam,” Wicked Money Family co-founder Iren “IG” Golder told rolling out. “East Coast represent. Bringing New York back, from the music to the production.”
During BET Hip-Hop Awards weekend in Atlanta, The Butcher spoke to rolling out about what hip-hop means to him, and what’s coming up next.
ATL Jacob is making his debut as an artist and his label has been signed under Republic Records. What is your message to ATL Jacob?
I want to say man he’s a hustler. He goes crazy. He and all his boys go crazy. That’s why I f— with them n—–. And as an artist, I’d be in the studio and that n—- playing s—, nasty s—. As good as anybody else I’ve heard, so I’m excited for him to do his thing.
What does hip-hop mean to Benny The Butcher?
Hip-hop means everything to Benny The Butcher. Hip-Hop is the reason why I’m here. You see I’m nominated for Collab of the Year. You see I’m nominated for Lyricist of the Year. It means everything. I’m going to be there on the red carpet tomorrow with my s— on like this.
What’s next for you?
Working with ATL Jacob, working with Symba. Just f— with everybody, getting game from the OGs, everybody. [Golder] is a hustler.
