Benny the Butcher is part of a long line of New York rap cliques. Griselda took the music world by storm in the 2020s, thanks in no small part to Benny’s gritty rhymes and intricate wordplay. He helped to spark a movement alongside Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine. Benny is no stranger to the cliques who came before, however. The Buffalo rapper has praised the likes of Dipset and G-Unit in the past, but he felt the need to single out one artist in particular during a recent Instagram Story: Lloyd Banks.
50 Cent was the head honcho of G-Unit, but Benny told fans that Lloyd Banks was the real unsung talent of the outfit. “Lloyd Banks, one of the top n**gas ever,” Benny the Butcher stated. “That’s one rap n**ga that n**gas don’t wanna play with.” The praise didn’t end there. The rapper claimed that Lloyd Banks was unrivaled when it came to “bars” and inventing clever turns of phrase. “He got a million lines,” he added. “You be like, ‘How the f*ck I didn’t think of that.'” The praise makes perfect sense, given that Benny has worked with Banks before. They were two of the rappers featured on the Griselda posse cut “Element of Surprise.” Benny and Banks also linked up for the 2022 single “Living Proof.”
Benny The Butcher Has Worked With Banks Multiple Times
The admiration that Benny the Butcher has for the G-Unit rapper is not one-sided. Lloyd Banks hopped on social media (a rarity) in 2022 to praise the Griselda album WWCD. He posted the artwork and track list for the album, along with the message: “Shout to the griselda family. New Album out now WWCD sh*t is [fire emoji] and the production is incredible.” The rapper has undergone a critical reappraisal in the last few years, partially due to the attention he’s gotten from Griselda. He told Billboard that he was grateful to be in the position he’s in. He then likened himself to former Lox rapper Jadakiss.
“They make these boxes with certain artists like me and Jadakiss,” Banks told the outlet in 2022. “We haven’t been pushed out of them boxes. I don’t know what you want to attribute that to, but I’m grateful we passed the test of time.” The rapper also noted that he’s going to continue to put distance between him and his peers as he gets older and refines his craft. “Moving forward, I feel like my subject matter alone is gonna put me in a different stratosphere,” he asserted. “I care more about my sh*t than anybody else does.” Hard to argue with him or Benny.
About The Author
Danilo is a writer based out of San Diego. He graduated from the Art Institute of Tucson with a B.A. in digital media, and has since forged a career as a pop culture journalist. He covered hip-hop for Heavy.com, Rhyme Junkies and PopMatters prior to joining HotNewHipHop.com. Danilo’s top five is constantly changing, but Biggie and Slug from Atmosphere remain permanent fixtures. His favorite rap album of all time is “Late Registration” by Kanye West, and that stays the same.
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