004: "Said I'ma Be A Legend Soon, Shit, I'm A Legend Now..."
The Butcher wants his credit and recognition where it's due, and deservedly so
Griselda Records are quite possibly the most fascinating set of people active in the music industry period, let alone in hip-hop. The label’s come up is intriguing and impressive in equal measure. A stern combination of self-belief, raw hip-hop talent, artistry and nous have made them a force to be reckoned with as far as the landscape of hip-hop’s cultural zeitgeist is concerned. As captivating as they are from a business and influence perspective (where we could geek out for lines and paragraphs galore), it’s probably best to leave that to the experts. Have a glance at Dan Runcie’s memo where he touches on Griselda’s business model (btw, shout out Dan, his content is top tier and his Twitter is well worth a follow). I also came across a great thread detailing the Griselda come up really well too - it even caught the attention of Griselda’s founding member Westside Gunn - which I’ve linked below (shout out Tycoon as well).
So yeah, the Griselda gang brings you authentic rhymes, inspirational business acumen and the type of music that makes you screw your face and hit rewind. Perhaps they’re a throwback to the golden era, or they’re just comfortable with the sound, lane and pockets they’ve found whilst distributing and promoting their content and all things that come with it. Whatever it is, Griselda is here to stay, and they have a powerful catalogue of projects and an exceptionally talented roster to back it up.
Benny The Butcher is, to an extent, the golden boy of the label. Whilst most people familiar with the collective will tell you Conway The Machine is the best technical lyricist amongst them, Benny’s combination of timely delivery, macho charisma and ferocious-yet-equally-witty punchlines make him the member with the most star power. Boasting numerous successful underground mixtapes, he’s also adapted to more broad sounds with supreme ease of late, that can appeal to listeners beyond the hardcore rap scene - yet he still maintains the grit and ruggedness that he executed so well prior to his recent mainstream attention. On “Legend” from his 2020 acclaimed album “Burden Of Proof”, Benny drops numerous bars of wisdom demanding the respect, admiration and appreciation his (and Griselda’s) hustle and ascent deserves. In fact, The Butcher himself annotated the meaning behind his own hook on Genius.
“Said I’ma be a legend soon, shit, I’m a legend now…”
“I feel like I’m a legend now because of what I mean to my people…
…To my people and what I mean to my fans, they’ll tell you, the people who pushed me up to this level to get here, I’m a legend to them people. And that’s why I carry it the way I do.”
- Benny The Butcher via Genius.com
Humility is a great trait to possess. Those that have it on display have their praises sung from many corners, especially public figures. However, there are times where one can feel frustrated by “doing the right thing” or “playing it safe”. Every so often, you have to be assertive to get the rightful, warranted treatment you deserve - there is no harm in letting it be known that you are fully aware of the skills, qualities and determination you possess. Think about how Muhammad Ali, Cristiano Ronaldo or Steve Jobs were very clear with their personal visions and ambitions; they believed whole-heartedly in their ability to transcend their fields and propel themselves into the category of household names. Benny references another great example later in the song, comparing the reception to the height of Kobe Bryant’s greatness against that of Michael Jordan’s.
“But you know how it go, Kobe got his fifth title,
And somehow still live in the shadow of Michael,
Before it's over, give a ***** his credit,
Am I wrong? I want my bouquet when I can smell it…”
To summarise, give credit where credit is due. In terms of Benny The Butcher and Griselda Records, the fact that they’re operating in the music industry through an abstract business model is no easy task, let alone the success they have acquired from it. A number one, billboard topping, award winning body of work is not the measure of respect they look for, nor do they need it to validate their work; it’s the process, the playing of the long game on their own terms that does. And the best part? They’re not just surviving or existing for the sake of it, they are absolutely thriving and going toe-to-toe with all the big guns with a superior product. Pound-for-pound, their ROI is clear of their competitors who arguably have a plethora of resources at their disposal which they don’t (N.B. Griselda have partnered with major labels for distribution both individually and collectively, but this wouldn’t be possible without their initial grind). Legends soon? No. Legends now. They’ve made their community proud and shown that it’s possible to dream big. How can that be anything other than legendary? Oh, and their fans worldwide appreciate this and couldn’t be happier too. Benny is not wrong for wanting his bouquet now.
There is a lot for us to learn and unpack from Benny’s thoughts and philosophy in these bars and the song. Whether we go off recent memory or dig deep through historical archives, we can reference many an occasion where people were not paid their respective dues. The arts in particular has a track record of creators not being appreciated during their time, obtaining retrospective success and developing cult followings. From Vincent van Goh struggling to make ends meet while alive, to Jane Austen having to publish some of the world’s finest literary work anonymously, or even Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”, the examples of fine artistic craftsmanship being ignored and preventing creators from enjoying their success in real time are there for all to see.
The arts are not alone in this, and unfortunately some things may just never change. A more recent example of this took shape a little over a week ago in the world of professional sports too - right here in England. Our entire country approached the evening of 11th July with hopes, fears, anxiety and excitement for our gifted selection of football players to bring their first trophy home in over half a century, but at the risk of touching on wounds that are still sore, the less that is mentioned about the match and it’s result, the better. However, regrettably, the events and fallout that followed on from the Euros final were even more gut-wrenching and painful to stomach than the disappointment of the result itself, as three of the country’s most talented players, who are even more impressive as individual human beings, were subjected to the most disgusting, loathsome and despicable displays of racist behaviour after missing decisive spot kicks in the penalty shoot-out. Acts of idiocy from a range of uncultured swines tarnished that evening and England’s impressive campaign, but it’s imperative to point this out:
Marcus Rashford’s philanthropy, social campaigning and selflessness need no introduction - he is a fine role model, a credit to his family, country and community
Jadon Sancho, beyond being a supremely talented football player, is a brave and ambitious young man who had the balls to move to a new country, culture and environment to improve his craft and widen his horizons in his teenage years - something that he will deservedly benefit from in terms of his career and his life
Bukayo Saka is as accomplished academically as he is athletically, displaying maturity beyond his years as he seamlessly grows into his status as a national treasure with superb morals
The point is, even if these men didn’t play football for their country at the highest level, they’re legends in their own right. Regardless of the result or their responsibilities on the pitch, who they are and what they represent solidifies them as people that need to be cherished. Some things are timeless and will make their way into their rightful podium, it’s a case of when and not if. These are the same principles that Benny The Butcher raps about, where he is determined to not let his art be defined by the suits on the awards panel or casual listeners who don’t appreciate the context of what he and Griselda Records stand for.
So when we apply this wisdom ourselves, our objective thought process must remain consistent at all times - past, present and future. Van Gogh was always a legend when alive, despite not being as acknowledged as he is in death. Jane Austen was always a legend whether her work would have been traced back to her at the time or not. Saka is still a legend with or without scoring the winning penalty, and will remain so for as long he lives.
Why?
Vigorous identity. Purposeful lifestyle. Firm logic.
Legends now.
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
WhosAria
A Word On The Song/Artist
I can’t sing Benny or Griselda’s praises enough. They were on my radar for a while but I never had a good chance to plug into their work in detail. I suppose finally having time to tune into all of their discographies was one of few major plus points for me personally during the lockdown periods (and catching up with music in general). With time on my side, the deeper I dug, the more I was blown away by how impressive they are from all angles. Benny’s mixtape/EP game is imperious, and now that he’s two albums deep with his debut “Tana Talk 3” and last year’s aforementioned “Burden Of Proof”, he’s got enough skillsets on display to appeal to any hip-hop fan’s taste buds.
His beat selection for Burden Of Proof was immaculate, and the chemistry he has with Hit-Boy, who produced the entire project, was a pleasure to listen to and immerse myself in. A great listen from top to bottom, and “Legend” is one of my favourite tracks on the project - a great one to close the album off with. The Butcher certainly came through with this track as he has done elsewhere on the album and throughout his career to date, with his confidence as infectious as ever (no surprise from a man who once told us he “was born in ‘84 but I’m like ‘97 Hov”).