In a highly anticipated release, Benny the Butcher has unveiled his new single, “Buffalo Freestyle,” featuring Canadian rap icon Drake. The track, which was previewed on Drake’s burner Instagram account @plottttwistttttt earlier this week, marks the culmination of a long-awaited collaboration between the two hip-hop stars.
“Buffalo Freestyle” officially drops as part of Benny the Butcher’s “Buffalo Butch, Vol. 1” project. The song had been teased for several years, building significant buzz among fans. The track showcases Drake’s lyrical prowess, with lines reflecting on his past and his journey in the industry: “I’m iller than the illness that these people wish me / Drake be Joshin’ around, but life wasn’t Nickelodeon or Disney, is you kiddin’ me? / My résumé is thicker than Nicki, I’m busy-busy / I remember doing halftime at Jackson, Mississippi / Wasn’t drivin’ Cadillac then, but shit still found a way to escalate quickly / Wanted people to miss me, changed sh-t after Nipsey,” Drake raps.
In a candid interview with Joe Budden last year, Benny the Butcher expressed his frustration over the delay in releasing the track. “I was pissed, I’m not gonna lie,” Benny admitted. “It’s a f–king Drake record! It was surely my biggest record… And the record’s just sitting in my pocket.”
Benny elaborated on the situation, revealing the challenges of coordinating with high-profile artists. “I don’t know [what happened] neither. I can’t speak for [Drake] and his team,” he said. “I got schedules. 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.’”
Acknowledging the complexities of Drake’s schedule, Benny continued, “That’s [Drake] 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.”
With “Buffalo Freestyle” finally out, fans can now enjoy the long-awaited collaboration between two of hip-hop’s biggest names.