Drake and Benny The Butcher‘s “Buffalo Freestyle” collaboration has finally been released, three years after it first leaked online.
Benny had been teasing a hook up with Drizzy even before that, but the track is finally here as part of the Griselda star’s new EP Buffalo Butch, Vol. 1.
The finished version sounds very similar to the snippet that surfaced online a few years ago, with Drake and Benny trading verses over a moody, skeletal beat.
The 6 God takes the first verse and makes reference to former labelmate Nicki Minaj‘s rear: “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.”
Benny’s verse also sees him reflect on his rise to stardom: “Soldiers is dead, spilled blood over this bread / Had my family thinkin’ I’m in over my head / Baggin’ up breathin’ chemicals, when a key was the pinnacle / Now at my high schools giving speeches, speakin’ political.”
Listen to “Buffalo Freestyle”below and stream Buffalo Butch, Vol. 1, which also features appearances from Fabolous and 38 Spesh, here.
Benny The Butcher previously addressed why the song had not been released after it was expected to be included on Drake’s 2021 album Certified Lover Boy.
“Drake is Drake. He’s the biggest artist in the world, so ain’t no telling where that song gonna land,” he told Connected. “We got the song, I played it for all the homies. It’s a vibe and he gotta place that where he sees fit to it.
“I feel like it definitely would have fit in and definitely would have mixed things up, but I also see why he didn’t put it on [Certified Lover Boy].”
Last year, the Buffalo, New York native spoke to Joe Budden about his frustration over the long-shelved song.
“I was pissed, I’m not gonna lie. I was pissed, man,” he vented. “It’s a fucking Drake record! It was surely my biggest record … And the record’s just sitting in my pocket.”
He added: “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.”
