Photo: BANVOA!
Ben Reilly has been the unsung hero of the underground Hip-Hop scene for a minute. His stage name may be inspired by Marvel's Scarlet Spider, but he's no clone. Ben is the real deal. After spending the past several years uplifting fans with his music, the Atlanta resident by way of Brooklyn, New York, is dominating the rap game with his debut album, SAVE!
"SAVE!, in concept, is something I came up with when I named myself Ben Reilly," he tells iHeartRadio. "I was in a group at the time, and I was like, whenever I drop a solo project, I want my debut album to be called SAVE!"
After gaining prominence with Abstract Media, Ben Reilly, a.k.a "Heroman," began to focus on his solo career with projects like Freelance (2021). His first-ever body of work comes with 13 tracks, including one of his most popular hits, "Maytag (Tax Free)." The song, which flexes his fast-paced flow and ability to hype up any crowd, went viral on TikTok and earned over 1 million streams within a week. Reilly celebrated the accomplishment by dropping a freestyle called "1M" over Lil Wayne's "A Milli." "Maytag (Tax Free)" remains his most successful song to date and has garnered over 53 million streams in total across various streaming platforms.
Ben Reilly followed up with other projects like Freelance: Charlie (2022) and Not Your Hero 4 Hire (2023). As he continued to churn out fresh music, Reilly simultaneously gathered the pieces to construct the concept for his debut album SAVE! He shared the album's first two singles, "Osborn Park" and "Happy New Year" in the final days of 2024 and spent 2025 hyping up fans with songs like "Don't Lose The Plot!", which is one of his personal favorites.
SAVE! arrived last November via Fourmatic Records/Third & Hayden Recordings. It contains 15 tracks, including "Rescue" featuring R&B singer Jai'Len Josey, "Bulletproof" and "Responsibility," which he says is "probably my most important song I've ever written." The track is a heartfelt reflection of his difficult relationship with his biological father and the men who tried to be a father figure throughout his life. Another song he recommends is "Hero Complex!" The song was inspired by a conversation he had with his mother after he got into a fight while trying to defend one of his female friends.
"My mom patches my band-aids up or whatever," Reilly explains. "And she's telling me, 'Yo, I think what you did was good, but I'm going to get to believe you have a hero complex because you keep throwing yourself in a line of fire to defend other people, but what's going to happen when you can't defend yourself anymore? You keep trying to save other people. What's going to happen when you need saving?' That's something that was applicable to my real life rather than music, and I just wanted to kind of tell that story in the music."
Since the album dropped, Ben Reilly has brought his authentic bars to life on stages across the country. Heroman kicked off 2026 by performing in six major cities in the U.S. for "The WALK… BEFORE YOU FLY TOUR," beginning in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. From there, fans followed him to other major locations, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Providence, R.I. He closed out the festivities in Los Angeles last week. The tour was an unforgettable experience for his family, friends, fans and, most importantly, himself.
"I want to just solidify my position in music, rap, and Hip-Hop," Reilly says. "I believe I am to be destined for greatness, and in the next five years, I will be doing what it takes for me to get to that point. Whatever accolades that I believe I can achieve, I'll get 'em."
During our interview, Ben Reilly expands on the roots of his debut album SAVE!, and his greatest moments on tour. He also discusses the influential acts that helped mold him into the artist he is today, his thoughts on the upcoming "Spider-Noir" TV series, and what's next for him. Watch our entire conversation below.