It would appear that JAY-Z has taken quite the liking to Benny The Butcher, a widely regarded frontrunner in the “best current lyricist” category. It’s not entirely surprising, given Benny’s lyrical content and hustler’s ambition mirroring Hov’s own, especially during the Reasonable Doubt era. Not to mention the fact that The Butcher is signed to Roc Nation, thus keeping him firmly in JAY-Z’s camp.
As such, fans have concluded that a collaboration is all but inevitable. The only question is — whose album will house the first duet between The Butcher and JAY-Z after an earlier attempt fell through? Rumors of a new Hov project, his first since 2017’s 4:44, have begun to build up momentum. It’s certainly worth noting that JAY has been more active on the musical front these days, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him capitalize before the end of the year. As for the Butcher, he’s already dropped off one album with The Plugs I Met 2, but Tana Talk 4 remains on the horizon.
Kevin Winter/PW18/Getty Images
As for whether or not the pair have been cooking up new music, it’s certainly possible given the frequency of their meetings. In fact, Benny recently came through to share a picture of their latest meet-up, as snapped by photographer A Tribe Called Hip-Hop. “Hope these rooftop meetings never turn into jail visits,” captions Benny, teasing a few bars. “It only put a smile on my face when the scale tippin.”
Kevin Winter/PW18/Getty Images
Check out the picture below, and sound off if you’d like to see JAY-Z and Benny The Butcher hitting the booth.