Based on Kanye West’s latest interview, the superstar artist has fulfilled his Def Jam Records contract, isolating Ye from Def Jam for the first time in nearly 20 years. However, in recent days, it’s been revealed that the iconic label founded by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin has signed an artist that is also abuzz.

In June, it was announced that Snoop Dogg joined Def Jam as an artist and as an executive consultant. It gives Snoop a new home in a career with stops at Death Row, No Limit, Priority, Star Trak, VICE, RCA, I am OTHER, and more. While appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience, Snoop revealed the new Def Jam signing: Benny The Butcher. “I’m on Def Jam Records, right. I’m a creative consultant executive, and just to let you know that it don’t exist no more, I’m going to announce on your show that I just signed Benny the Butcher, and he is one of the hardest rappers up out of Buffalo, New York,” Snoop told Rogan. “So that’s showing that there are no more lines to be crossed. We are doing what we’re supposed to be doing.” Snoop sealed the news with Benny’s catch-phrase: “The Butcher’s coming.”

“No MC Has Been Better Than Benny The Butcher The Last 2 Years

On social media, Benny confirmed the deal with a photo of him signing the contract. “Signed my major deal, finally,” he wrote, paying tribute to late producer/mentor DJ Shay. Benny also mentioned Griselda Records and his imprint, Black Soprano Family. Benny shouted out Gunn and Conway by name, his BSF roster, as well as Roc-A-Fella Records alum Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua, Self Scientific MC-turned-executive Chace Infinite, and Roc’s Hank Fortener. In 2019, Benny inked to JAY-Z’s Roc Nation management alongside his cousin/band-mate Westside Gunn. That same year, Benny, Wes’, and Conway The Machine teamed to release a Griselda group album on Eminem’s Shady Records. WWCD was later named among Ambrosia For Heads‘ best albums that year, as was Benny’s The Plugs I Met.

Throughout his indie career, Benny has released handfuls of projects through Griselda and BSF, and many of those releases have been distributed independently. Apart from the 2019 group album, released through Shady/Interscope, Benny has not worked with a major. The news comes on the heels of The Butcher joining Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes on Snoop’s new Nottz-produced video single, “Murder Music.” That song will appear on Tha Doggfather’s November 19 Def Jam compilation, The Algorithm. Earlier this year, Benny partnered with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met 2.

Kurupt Details The Classic Death Row Songs That Began As Freestyles

This album arrives as Snoop is making a play for another executive post. Appearing on Gillie Da Kid and Wallo’s A Million Dollaz Worth Of Game recently, the Long Beach legend said, “I think all of Death Row should be in my hands. I should be running that sh*t. Just like I’m [in] a position at Def Jam, Death Row means more to me because I helped create that. I think they should give me that and let me run that shit with the merchandise out, with the music all over the world. [I would add] some new West Coast acts.” When the label was launched by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight during the early 1990s, Snoop became its flagship home-grown act. After two albums and a compilation at the label, he left acrimoniously in 1997 when his contract was sold to Master P’s No Limit Records. Shortly before that transaction, Dr. Dre relinquished his ownership stake. In 2009, Knight lost Death Row to bankruptcy, where it began a journey across new owners, including eOne and Hasboro toy company. In recent years, Snoop has begun wearing his label medallion again. In the interview, Snoop alleges that artists like YG, Roddy Ricch, and Ty Dolla Sign, would have been good fits for the legacy label—who plans to release more shelved material soon.

On the latest episode of What’s The Headline (embedded below as video and audio), the Ambrosia For Heads team unpacks the union of Benny and Def Jam. The conversation examines what Def Jam’s infrastructure offers Benny, and what a hardcore MC like Benny offers a label very much in transition. Earlier this year, Benny and Griselda appeared on DMX’s posthumous return to the label, Exodus. For a label that’s been instrumental to the careers of MCs like Pusha-T, Redman, Method Man, JAY-Z, and X, it will be curious to see what happens with Benny—who self-released the 2020 Hit-Boy-produced Burden Of Proof, featuring Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Big Sean. That album cemented a spot on AFH‘s best of 2020 list.

Snoop Explains Why He Loves Suge Knight & How They Rebuilt Their Bond (Video)

Other topics covered, including the aforementioned Ye interview and the critical health of U.T.F.O member Kangol Kid.

The time codes for episode #67 of the What’s The Headline podcast are as follows:

0:00 Intro
1:30 The Kanye West Drink Champs interview is one of the biggest Hip-Hop events of the year
2:40 The early media coverage of the Kanye West interview focused on click-bait topics
9:50 Breaking down Ambrosia For Heads’ approach to reporting Hip-Hop news
14:26 Why What’s The Headline did not cover part 1 of the Kanye West Drink Champs interview
20:40 It was no coincidence that Kanye opened up on Drink Champs
22:40 Kanye has had other great interviews that have been overshadowed by negative headlines
24:00 People have used Kanye’s mental illness to inappropriately dismiss everything he says
30:15 Ye says Talib Kweli, Big Sean, John Legend and others betrayed him
33:40 Kanye West says Black people are born into a vote
38:50 Ye breaks down the forces exerting control over people
40:40 Does Kanye undermine himself with some of his own statements?
41:50 What Kanye West and Elon Musk have in common?
43:30 Kanye West speaks in detail about Black empowerment
49:50 Ye speaks about why the term “rapper” has become derogatory
51:50 Kanye West says artists have a responsibility to make redemptive music
54:43 How Kanye West and Drake should settle their beef?
1:05:09 How this interview will change the perception of Kanye West’s Donda album
1:08:22 Is Kanye West’s Drink Champs appearance the best interview of 2021?
1:12:16 Why are people responding differently to this Kanye West interview than they have in the past?
1:19:00 Benny The Butcher has signed a deal with Def Jam Records
1:26:46 Snoop Dogg wants to run Death Row Records
1:31:50 Three 6 Mafia will face Bone Thugs-n-Harmony on Verzuz
1:33:00 UTFO’s Kangol Kid has stage 4 colon cancer
1:34:15 New music from Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic, Joell Otiz, Malik Moses, Your Old Droog, J-Tek, and more.

Griselda Have Made A Sequel To A Mobb Deep Classic

AFH readers can catch regular discussions about the culture on our What’s The Headline podcast. What’s The Headline has recent interviews with AZ, Blu & Mickey Factz, Kurupt, Evidence, Skyzoo, Pharoahe Monch, Prince Paul & Don Newkirk, Statik Selektah, Lyric Jones, The LOX, MC Eiht, Havoc, Duckwrth, photographer T. Eric Monroe, and Lord Finesse. All episodes of the show are available to view or for listening wherever you stream your pods.

#BonusBeat: AFH’s most recent interview with Benny The Butcher, covering The Plugs I Met: