Benny The Butcher and 38 Spesh Want to Make Sure They’re as Fit as Their Rhymes
Between the somersaulting rhyme schemes and breath control exhibitions, it doesn’t take much more than a cursory listen to Stabbed & Shot 2 to see that Benny The Butcher and 38 Spesh’s bars are in tip-top shape. Years into their career, the two rhymers are operating at peak efficiency — the joint result of practice and rap muscle memory.
“We’ve been [working together] for so long that we fully understand each other,” Spesh says. “We damn near become one when it’s time to put something together.”
It has been a while. The first Stabbed & Shot dropped six years ago. Its title, a nod to their respective monikers — Benny’s the knife and 38 Spesh is the gun — suggests typical street rap fare, but the pair flesh it all out with their vivid detail. They say they’re able to keep things fresh by infusing it all with new perspectives.
“Each year I grow and I look at things in a different way,” says Benny, who notes a transition from the streets to the industry as a conduit for the change. “Your kids get older, you meet new people because you’re in different rooms.” Spesh agrees. “As the perspective changes, your approach changes,” he says. “We say the same things, but we say the same things in a different manner every time. Your perspective changes as you grow.”
Growth is a reward for aging. Unfortunately, that’s a gift Black men don’t always receive. There are a multitude of systemic issues that lead to economic disparities between the Black community and the white community. Those inequities trickle down to things like mental and physical health, too. As they continue living into middle age, and in the face of other rappers dying prematurely, Benny and 38 Spesh are looking to reinforce their own well-being with healthier eating and exercise practices.
“I really need to start eating more healthy,” says Benny, who’s long dealt with asthma. “Black men, period — men period — when we get to that age, we should keep up with our doctor visits. We should eat healthier, we should work out.”
For his part, 38 Spesh has already started the process of developing more enriching day-to-day self-help and fitness practices. “I’m on a strict diet,” he says. “Right now, I don’t eat no beef or no chicken. I’m a pescatarian. I’ve also been on a strict daily workout routine for the last few years. I take health serious — and my mental health as well.”
“We should put our kids on to living healthier so they can instill that in their kids earlier than we did,” adds Benny. “That shit is serious.”
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