Hit-Boy previewed his upcoming single with Benny the Butcher, “Timeless,” on Instagram and included a note of encouragement to fellow producers. The beat, he revealed, was initially crafted in 2011 for Kanye West and JAY-Z’s Watch The Throne. Almost 10 years later, the instrumental will instead give way to verses from Benny, Lil Wayne and Big Sean and land on Hit-Boy and Benny’s collaborative album, Burden of Proof.
“Aight so I wanna let all my producer Homies know you should never give up on any of your ideas,” the mega-producer wrote on Instagram, along with a clip of Sean rapping over his vocals on the track.
“The beat for This new [Benny the Butcher] single ft [Lil Wayne] and [Big Sean] dropping tomorrow was made in 2011 at the Mercer hotel for jay z and Kanye west #watchthethrone [but] it wasn’t picked.”
Hit-Boy admitted he was frustrated when JAY and ‘Ye passed on the beat and instead opted to include his “Ni**as In Paris” instrumental.
“I was actually hot I made a beat this good and they picked something like ni**as in Paris which was one of my more simple beats,” he wrote.
However, Hit-Boy noted the rejection “was a blessing in disguise,” as “Ni**as in Paris” went on to earn him his first-ever Grammy Award for “Best Rap Song.”
“I needed [‘Ni**as In Paris’] at the time to open more doors,” he reflected. “9 years later it’s Benny single #timeless Sean snapped on that ‘I know labels thats up B’s that owe me M’s.’”
“Timeless” is due this Friday (Oct. 9) and will be followed by the full Burden of Proof later this month. The album will follow Benny’s recent joint offering with DJ Drama, The Respected Sopranos, and Hit-Boy’s self-titled The Chauncey Hollis Project. The producer also joined forces with Dom Kennedy for Also Known As earlier this year.
See Hit-Boy and Benny’s “Timeless” previews below.