When Freddie Gibbs dropped off Alfredo 2 with The Alchemist last month, there were a few antagonistic bars that fans believe were directly aimed at Benny The Butcher. On the album’s fifth track, “Empanadas,” Gangsta Gibbs broke down some of the chaos that transpired as part of long-running feud he’s had with Benny.
Those lyrics reminded longtime fans that Gibbs was still very much not a fan of the Buffalo rapper’s conduct – nor Jim Jones, but that’s a different conversation. However, a chance run in between Benny and Freddie in Paris earlier this year has given reason to believe a truce may be on the horizon — or full-out war. A video captured of the altercation also showed Westside Gunn moderating this run-in, but comments he made later implied that these two former collaborators are not out of the woods just yet.
The shift in Benny and Freddie’s dynamic is surprising, considering that the two rappers used to have a very good working relationship. The pair had linked for Benny’s “One Way Flight” and for the song “Frank Lucas” off Freddie Gibbs’ first Alfredo album. Gibbs had also been a frequent collaborator on projects from Griselda members Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn. With everything that’s happened, those days seem like a distant memory now.
For those following this feud over the past few years, it may have been hard to picture a white flag being waved between Benny the Butcher and Freddie Gibbs. Their vitriolic history includes a handful of social media jabs, lyrical taunts, physical beatings and other tense encounters in the outside world.
As Benny and Freddie maybe grow closer to burying the hatchet, the question remains: How did it even get to this point? Luckily, Billboard has the answers. Here is a full timeline of Freddie Gibbs and Benny the Butcher’s ongoing feud.