Benny the Butcher talks Griselda movie 'Conflicted' and how he's recovering from shooting

Rapper Benny the Butcher makes his acting debut in the new movie Conflicted which co-stars fellow Griselda member Westside Gunn.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Benny talked about his approach to acting and how the film mirrored his own past, some of which was spent in and out of jail.

“When you come home, you’re really on an island. You're by yourself because you're dealing with things that nobody else is dealing with,” he said. “So it was like, you got to distance yourself from everything negative.”

As for his acting chops, he said he felt inspired by Denzel Washington, and the characters he’s played onscreen.

“Who wouldn’t want to play one of the parts Denzel plays?” he said. “[Acting] was something I was really willing to put my best foot forward with, taking acting classes and everything.”

Watch more from the Butcher in the interview above.

Video Transcript

- Hey, yo, what happened uptown this morning, man?

- I love [BLEEP] knowing nothing moving over there, unless it's through us.

- If y'all not hitting me and Styles for the work, find another block!

KEVIN POLOWY: Let's talk some "Conflicted," though. This is the debut feature film from Griselda Records. The story follows this ex-con in Buffalo trying to get his life back together after a five-year prison sentence, only to be lured back into the game. I mean, how much of the plot and the details were sort of, like, taken or inspired from your own stories?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: Man, a bunch. Because you know, Hunter, that wasn't my character, but I identify with that. And that was my situation at a point in time as for Deuce King. You know what I'm saying? And it's hard reentering yourself back into society when all your friends are doing the same thing. I've been locked up so much that I came home, when I-- first time I came home, dudes had money for me, they was happy to see me. Second time I came home, same thing. Third time, it was a little. By the fourth time I came home, they wasn't even calling me. They wasn't even checking on me. Like, I'm like, yo, you ain't hit me. I've been home for like a week. They like, oh, all right. I mean, they didn't even care.

So it was like, when you come home, like, you're really on an island. You're by yourself, because you're dealing with things that nobody else is dealing with. You left your kids, you're trying to reenter to being a parent, a husband, a boyfriend. So it was like, you got to distance yourself from everything negative. You feel what I'm saying? And it's hard.

KEVIN POLOWY: Do you feel like acting came pretty naturally to you?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: In a sense. But no disrespect to the actors who put their time and work in. Only because off the camera and everything, I'm a silly person. I got a big personality. But to be honest with you, being on set with Deuce King and being on set with all the other actors, is like you come to an arena and you see everybody bringing their 100%. You're like, OK, that's what it is. So it made me comfortable to bring my 100%, instead of being shy. I was in a setting where everybody was bringing it and they was working on their lines, and that's what I needed the most.

Who would I want to play, like one of the parts Denzel play, you always wonder, could you do it? And it was just something that everybody think about it, but it was something I was really willing to put my best foot forward with. Taking acting classes and everything now, so--

KEVIN POLOWY: I don't want to ignore the elephant in the room. I know you're recovering from a gunshot to the leg from an attempted robbery in Houston. I mean, how you feeling? How's the recovery coming along?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: I'm good. I'm getting my leg and my foot back together. I've been doing a lot of therapy. So I've been getting better and better. You know what I'm saying? This is an injury that's going to take some time to heal, but I'm definitely going to be back to myself real soon, real soon.

KEVIN POLOWY: I mean, how scary was that situation for you, though?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: To be honest with you, really, it was a situation, but I didn't, like, fear for my life in the middle of the situation. Because I know, I didn't feel like they wanted to take my life. And I'm saying so. You know what I mean? I've been through a whole bunch of [BLEEP]. You know what I mean? And if I was them, I would have did it better than what they would have did it, so--

[MUSIC - BUFFALO BILLS, "BILLS MAFIA ANTHEM"]

- We the mafia. We the mafia, Bills Mafia. We the mafia, Bills Mafia! We the mafia!

KEVIN POLOWY: Yeah, so like, as you mentioned, you guys dropped a line of official merch. I got it right here. I'm a paying customer, as you can see. It combines two of my favorite things, Buffalo Bills football and Griselda. Benny the Butcher. There was a lot of buzz about this gear because, like, in place of the football you're holding a Pyrex, which is a little nod, of course, to maybe some illicit activities in your past. How in the world did you guys get away with this? Like, did the team have to approve that?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: Yeah, you know they approved it. You know, they like it. You know what I'm saying? I feel like they're just buying into my brand. You feel what I'm saying? It's like, you know, people could take it and make it a negative thing. But like I said in a song, I said, I put a Pyrex on a merch to make sure that I stay grounded. Because I had a dirty one on the stove when the jakes found us. You feel what I'm saying? So it's a thing that represents my whole life and how far I came, and where I'm going. You feel what I'm saying? You know me, the Butcher coming! Yo, and I want everybody to know to be on the lookout coming soon. That Cole Beasley featuring Benny the Butcher. Like, it's happening.

KEVIN POLOWY: Are you serious?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: It's happening.

KEVIN POLOWY: It's happening?

BENNY THE BUTCHER: He sent me so many dope songs. Right now, I'm just trying to pick which one I want to record, but it's definitely happening.

KEVIN POLOWY: Are you breaking news for me right now? Because I've been asking for this.

BENNY THE BUTCHER: I'm breaking news. I'm breaking news. I'm breaking news.

KEVIN POLOWY: This is happening. I've been waiting for the Beas-Benny collabo. Yes.

BENNY THE BUTCHER: Oh, it's happening.