Atlanta has Outkast, and Detroit has Drego & Beno.
Describing themselves as the “rap virtuoso,” their energy is unmatched.
On top of being incredibly versatile, it’s their ability to sing, rap, dance, and f##k the club up that fans can’t help but gravitate toward.
Drego & Beno met when they were 9-years-old, and they’ve been tapped in ever since. The content in their lyrics ranges from their upbringing in the streets in the D to everyday life experiences we all go through.
AllHipHop: Drego & Beno, what’s the dynamic between you guys?
Drego: I’m more so of a lyricist, I like to make sense. If it don’t make sense, I’m prolly not gon’ say that s##t.
Beno: I’m more of an entertainer type of guy. More of a showoff, I like to entertain people.
AllHipHop: Being from Detroit, what were you seeing growing up?
Drego: I mean, we seen everything you could probably think of. Hustling, shootouts, killing, everything. It just makes you aware of stuff. If you’re from Detroit, you can make it anywhere ‘cause you know how to get out of any situation. I really don’t be just a deer in the headlights, you gon be gettin’ the f##k out. You gon’ know, “oh yeah, s##t’s about to go down. It’s time to go!” You ain’t just gonna be chillin’, bulls##ttin’, not knowing what’s going on. That makes a Detroit person stand out, they can blend in anywhere they go.
Beno: I seen positive things. You saw hustles. The same thing bro said. It’s good things about the city, it’s getting built back up. Back then it was live, but for a couple years since ‘04, it just went down the drain.
AllHipHop: What happened in ‘04?
Drego: Pistons won the championship.
Beno: Start of ‘05. After that, our city damn near went bankrupt for real.
Drego: We’re known for making cars down there, that’s why it’s called Motor City. Like GM, Chrysler, Ford, they all damn near went bankrupt. They took a lot of money and a lot of jobs from everybody down there. The recession really hit us hard. It hit us real hard, properties went down. Everything went down.
AllHipHop: How did that affect you guys?
Drego: Man, we had to struggle. We had to figure it out. It was really hard for us at first. We had to grow up, learn how to make money, learn how to save it. Learn how to go for what we know, not let nobody tell us nothing wrong.
AllHipHop: Talk about enlisting Shoreline Mafia on the intro of “Meet Us Outer Space.”
Drego: Shoreline Mafia, I love them man. They got the vibe. Their shows is the vibe. Everything about their movement, I love it. They interact with their crowd. They the ones out here, we love Shoreline Mafia. It was big to get Detroit onto Shoreline Mafia and show them how they get down here in LA — and vice versa.
Beno: Shoreline Mafia are lit.
AllHipHop: Did you guys record that out here in LA?
Beno: We recorded that in Detroit, swear to God. It was just a vibe for real.
Drego: Ask them how high we get.
AllHipHop: High off what?
Both: Lean.
Beno: Lean, percs, weed.
AllHipHop: Ohgeesy told me he can’t record high.
Beno: He probably can’t! I record better when I’m high.
Drego: We record better when we high. I’m learning.
AllHipHop: A lot of artists say that. Do you need substances to record?
Beno: It depends on the vibe. If I’m already in the mood to rapping, then probably not. I’ll just go in there after smoking.
Drego: We were in an intense session with Yachty and we didn’t have no drugs like that.
AllHipHop: Yachty doesn’t do drugs right?
Drego: I don’t know what he does. I don’t think so, not for real.
Beno: He was sipping lean.
Drego: Little bit, he don’t really do it. He’s not harsh on the drugs. After that, I’m like “man, we have to practice recording not off no drugs. We gotta be ready for whatever comes to us.”
AllHipHop: Were you like itching?
Beno: Damn near.
Drego: Hell yeah. We had to dig deep down in to get that s##t done.
Beno: That s##t was like rehab, swear to God. [chuckles] That s##t was like rehab f##king with Yachty.
AllHipHop: Did you guys come out with a banger?
Both: We got a whole tape with him.
AllHipHop: Do you worry about promoting drugs?
Both: No!
Drego: You gonna do it if you do it. If you can afford it. Everybody can’t afford what we do so if you do it, that’s on you. We’re not telling you to go get you a cup, we’re telling you about our life and what we do. We tell you about the stuff that we don’t do with it so it’s on you if you wanna do it. We’re not promoting it. We’re not telling kids “go get you some lean” or nothing. This is what we do, this how we vibe. This how we stay sane.
AllHipHop: Are ya’ll lit right now?
Beno: I’m sober right now, this is our natural vibe. But when we off the drugs, it’s a world. It’s outer space.
AllHipHop: I interviewed Peewee Longway right here, he kicked the cup.
Beno: He probably did s##t. Peewee on other drugs though. That’s my mans, I f##k with Peewee heavy.
Drego: He silly as f##k.
AllHipHop: You guys think you will kick the cup anytime soon?
Drego: Nah, we can’t. We’ll die. It’ll damn near kill you trying to kick the cup. That’s such a harsh drug.
AllHipHop: You guys are young but are you concerned at all, down the line?
Drego: We ain’t trying to quit.
Beno: I’m trying to get endorsed by this s##t. I’m trying to get endorsed by codeine and promethazine. [chuckle]
Drego: Swear to God, on the floor. I got a heart problem. I ain’t trying to quit, s##t makes me feel so good by myself.
AllHipHop: That’s how I feel with Backwoods.
Drego: On God.
Beno: Weed? I go crazy for weed. I’ll smoke that all day. I probably smoke 30 blunts a day. 30 of them bi##ches, no cap.