Benny The Butcher has opened up about his unreleased song featuring Drake being shelved, admitting that he was highly upset about not being able to capitalize on the collaborative record.
During an interview with Joe Budden on his Conversation Lovers Only show, The Butcher spoke on the track, which was first teased in 2019. The song never received an official release date.
“I was pissed, I’m not gonna lie,” the “Johnny P’s Caddy” creator said. “I was pissed, man. It’s a f**king Drake record! It was surely my biggest record… And the record’s just sitting in my pocket.” While Benny couldn’t give a concrete answer on why the track never got cleared, he says he understands how music industry protocol and red tape can affect a song’s release, particularly with the involvement of a star like Drake.
“I don’t know [what happened] neither,” he offered. “I can’t speak for [Drake] and his team.” The Griselda member also revealed that he’s been on the opposite end of the scenario where he’s had to pull the plug on certain collaborations in past instances. “I got schedules,” he said. “I might do a feature for somebody and they be like, ‘Benny, we ready to drop this Tuesday.’ And I’m like, ‘Ni**a, you ain’t dropping that Tuesday ’cause we holding off, I got this.’”
The self-proclaimed “King of America” continued, reasoning that timing could’ve impacted the decision to not roll out the record. “That’s the biggest artist in the world, so I understand his release schedule might be hectic or he might have people that be like, ‘We can’t drop that right now because we doing this.’ I understand that. He’s the name, but he represents a lot of people that he works with and his moves affect a lot of people, so I understand that part,” he said.
Despite his disappointment, Benny is adamant that he holds no grudge or ill will towards Drake or the OVO camp for their collaboration being shelved. He also reveals that Drake hit him up personally to inform him of the news. “I don’t take it to heart,” he added. “No way did I take it like, ‘Damn, he f**ked me over!’ I swear to God, I don’t take it like that because this is muthaf**king Drake, the biggest artist in the world. Even for him to hit me up personally, that lets me know where he at.”
While Benny The Butcher’s Drake-assisted track never made the big splash it was expected to, it has since leaked online under the name “Buffalo Freestyle.” However, according to Benny, the pair recorded multiple songs together, giving hope that the material created during those sessions could eventually see the light of day.
Currently, the Black Soprano Family leader is gearing up for the release of his Def Jam Records debut Everybody Can’t Go. The album, which is scheduled to drop on Aug. 11, Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, will include production by Hit-Boy and The Alchemist.
Listen to Benny The Butcher’s appearance on Conversation Lovers Only below.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XBnmWcp51ku6bD0micp6yVp8Gitc2mnKesX5eyr7rYZquhnV2XwrWvx56pZq2ep7KtscCsnJ1llKeurLGMnKalpJGXvLOt06Kmp2VhZ4B1g5VrbGttXw%3D%3D