Released: 2024 • Features: Stove God Cooks
“One Foot In” by “Benny The Butcher,” featuring Stove God Cooks is a raw examination, a hard-hitting narrative of the struggle to escape from the underworld to the more legitimate world. It’s a bold statement of the gritty realities from navigating life in the drug trade, seeking new beginnings in the music industry, and the constant pull between these two worlds.
Starting off, Benny references his street cred and history in the drug trade with lines like “I whipped that powder to glaciers and found the Oasis”—this is an allusion to turning a challenge into an opportunity. This line, “I was one foot out the game after that freestyle with flex” refers to the transition from hustling to music after his freestyle with Funkmaster Flex, a renowned DJ on Hot 97, a popular radio station in New York.
The line “I was one foot in the door at JAY-Z house with West” signifies his entry into the mainstream hip-hop industry, meeting influential figures like JAY-Z and Kanye West.
In the chorus, the phrase “One foot in and one foot out” is a recurring theme, expressing the difficulty of fully stepping into a new life while the past still lurks. “Playin’ hopscotch with ‘caine” symbolizes the dangerous and precarious nature of dealing with cocaine—a slip-up could lead to serious trouble.
Stove God Cooks’ verse continues the narrative with lines such as “Cocaine water waves, still splash ’til we sea sick” and “These bricks, I’m a legend.” These both illustrate the hazards of life in the drug trade, from the turbulent “waves” of cocaine to the notorious reputation earned through dealing drugs.
However, lines like “Sitting in these label meetings like, ‘This shit feelin’ like a set-up'” acknowledges the new challenges they face in the music industry, hinting at the pitfalls and manipulations that artists encounter.
Ultimately, “One Foot In” delivers a powerful commentary on the harsh realities of transitioning from underworld to mainstream while reflecting the intrinsic tensions and cycles that characterize such a journey. It’s a testament to the strength and resilience required to survive and the courage to pursue a dream, despite the potential for failure and relapse.
