Benny the Butcher – “Summertime Butch 2” review

Here is the 18th mixtape from Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. We got Summertime Butch last August & only a couple months following Excelsior, a sequel to Summertime Butch has arrived.

“Jasmine” featuring Westside Gunn was a drumless opener immediately after the “Summer Feelin’” intro talking about the state of rap being the same since 2Pac got killed almost 3 decade ago over a Daringer beat only 4 days after West performed during the AEW World Tag Team Champions The Hurt Syndicate’s entrance at All Out IV last Saturday during their defense against JetSpeed & former AEW World Trios Champions The Patriachy whereas “Hood on Fire” featuring Bruiser Wolf finds the 2 coolin’ down their respective streets after they started getting hot.

Benny rubs his success in the faces of all his detractors on “Told You So with a Mike WiLL Made-It instrumental backing him & after the “Where’s Butch?” skit, “Summer ‘25” orchestrally boasts that you can find him outside. G Herbo joins Benny on the cloudy trap crossover “Why Would I?” wanting to find a reason for forgiving the people who’ve switched up on them as their popularity in music continued to grow just before “77 Club” keeps giving the middle finger to naysayers calling him washed talking about the analytics never lying.

“Gold Plated Leica” featuring O.T. the Real brings the pair together to flex their dope line from Pittsburgh to Austin while “In the Wall featuring Bun B gets back on the trap vibes thanks to Cory Mo talking about having drug money for everyone. “Pandoras” featuring Duckman & Elcamino begins the last 5 minutes or so of Summertime Butch 2 with the trio bringing up the fact B$F’s been making the whole rap game play follow the leader all decade up to this point trying to save a few regardless of the Everybody Can’t Go lesson while “Lo Lo’s” sends off the tape with a Bink! heater advising to trust what you see & let your eyes be the proof.

The original Summertime Butch EP still remains the most polarizing entry in Benny’s discography over 11 months since it initially came out because a large crowd of people felt like he was on autopilot that whole time, but Summertime Butch 2 clears both the predecessor & Excelsior as a result of more consistency within the production & a tighter list of guests compared to the previous EP he gave us over a couple months ago.

Score: 4/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Excelsior” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher returning after 9 months for his 9th EP. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. Coming off having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist produce his Def Jam Recordings debut Everybody Can’t Go along with both Summertime Butch & Buffalo Butch back-to-back, Excelsior’s looking to refine the styles of those predecessors.

After the “Corner” intro, the first song “I’m the Program” is this symphonic boom bap opener suggesting you gotta laugh at life sometimes whereas “Sign Language” works in a vocal sample thanks to Harry Fraud living in the moment since too much going on. “$ & Power” featuring Skylar Blatt dabbles with trap courtesy of Daringer wanting those 2 things while “Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge” featuring Boldy James talks about the B$F artist currently behind bars. “Toxic” featuring Styles P returns to the boom bap to unite the Butcher with the Ghost until “B$F” featuring Fuego Base & Sule ends by repping their set.

With Excelsior, Benny continues to cement his place as one of the most important & vital voices in hip hop today continuing his evolution becoming reactivated in summertime mode with the streets watching & the culture listening. Some have jumped off the porch early & understood the game instantly, others took a lil time & some needed their hand held in every aspect and was only good at riding coattails. Then you have got people like him who’re The Chosen Few.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benny the Butcher & 38 Spesh – “Stabbed & Shot 2” review

Here we have the 2nd collaborative LP between New York rappers Benny the Butcher & 38 Spesh. One comes straight outta Buffalo becoming 1/3 of the core Griselda Records trio & the other hails from Rochester. There was even a point in time where Benny was signed to TCF Music Group years before Griselda went on to take over the underground altogether & they’ve worked with each other numerous times over the course of their careers. 6 years later, they’re linking back up for a sequel to Stabbed & Shot.

After the “Still Better” intro, the first song “1st of April” produced by V Don starts with a dreary boom bap instrumental talking about being staples in their corners whereas “High Stakes” finds the 2 showing off their street ties maintaining a dark atmosphere to the beat. “Thruway Music 2” is a sequel to a highlight off the first Stabbed & Shot continuing where the predecessor left off prior to “Who Really the King?” talking about people acting like family when that isn’t an action word over strings, kicks & snares from Chup.

“Center Stage” heads for a soulful direction thanks to Harry Fraud reminding us that they actually be living that life just before the 2nd & final single “Brick Specials” comparing their lifestyles to that of a lit movie. The lead single “Jesus Arms” featuring Busta Rhymes was a step above the b-side from the Bink! beat to the mobster-themed lyrics, but then “Hometown Hero” talks about their statuses in Buffalo & Rochester respectively.

Dave East & Klass Murda join Benny & Spesh on “Bad Guy” pointing out the fact that some don’t show you love until you start catching Ws while “Money Counter” hooks up some sampling teaching us that jealous friends happen to be the most foolish in the circle. “Internal Affairs” featuring O.T. the Real brings the trio together over a raw Daringer instrumental bringing it hardcore while the STREETRUNNER-laced “Intent to Sell” gets back on the hustling tip.

The song “Coke Runs” featuring Ransom gets the encore of Stabbed & Shot 2 going by making it clear that you haven’t seen the impressive traits that they all share in the past while “Watchlist” gives off more of a jazzier vibe to the beat talking about making $100M requiring risk. The closer “Power” featuring Elcamino finishes the Stabbed & Shot sequel talking about power becoming the cause of separation in the room while “ICE” looks at both sides of the streets they played. The titular freestyle lastly shows a back-&-forth chemistry from them for 3 & a half minutes.

Much has changed in the interim in the past 6 years including the respective statures of Benny & Spesh as they have both grown, elevated & evolved. Stabbed & Shot 2 though has made it’s case in being the rare sequel that surpasses it’s predecessor with Benny returning to his roots by reconnecting with the TCF founder to go on another round of paper chasing shooting for a sound that can only come from experienced street hustlers.

Score: 4.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Buffalo Butch” review

This is the 8th EP from Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. Coming off having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist produce his Def Jam Recordings debut & my album of the year so far Everybody Can’t Go, we’re now being treated to Buffalo Butch only a couple weeks after the previous EP Summertime Butch.

“Penny & Shaq” featuring 38 Spesh starts off the brief 3 track offering hopping over an extravagant beat comparing themselves to Orlando Magic veterans Penny Hardaway & Shaquille O’Neal whereas the For All the Dogs outtake “Buffalo” featuring Drake finds the pair linking up over a sample-driven instrumental from Boi-1da talking about the fact that it’s more when you earn it being iller than the illnesses haters be wishing on them. Lastly, the closer “Hard Way” featuring Fabolous officially rounds out Buffalo Butch on some boom bap shit letting it be known this fly shit ain’t cheap whatsoever.

We’ve only gotten 2 EPs from Benny this month & 3 projects from him in 2024 altogether if you include Everybody Can’t Go, but I still happen to prefer Summertime Butch only because it’s a little longer than Buffalo Butch although that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the 3 songs he dug up for us here. As opposed to the summer theme of the joint from 2 weeks ago, you only get 8 minutes worth of material shedding 16 minutes off the last one centering itself around Benny’s hometown mentality.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Summertime Butch” review

Buffalo, New York emcee Benny the Butcher putting out his 7th EP full of summer anthems. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. Coming off having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist produce his Def Jam Recordings debut & my album of the year so far Everybody Can’t Go, we’re now being treated to Summertime Butch.

“1 Verse Butch” starts us off with the Butcher over a piano/boom bap hybrid speaking that slick, street, intellectual drug shit whereas the soulfully dusty “The Most” talks about making it out of the hood alive & taking a lot for him for that to even happen. After the “Sundress & Sandle Season” interlude, “Knightfall” keeps the kicks & snares in tact advising not to let any static stop your business & the only single “Summer ‘24” gives off a symphonic boom bap flare instrumentally looking to shut the block down.

My favorite track here “Kitchen Table” hops over a smooth Harry Fraud beat continuing to discuss the dope game & after the “Peachtree” interlude, “The Blue Building” brings the soul vibes back in the fold mixed with hi-hats from STREETRUNNER playing more than simply a distributor role. “The Warehouse 3” featuring Elcamino, Fuego Base & Rick Hyde is this guitar-laced successor to both “Warehouse” tracks off Fuego’s debut Biggest Since Camby & “Higher” luxuriously ends the EP taking y’all to a greater level.

Everybody Can’t Go still remains my album of the year so far 8 months later & yet, Summertime Butch still stands out on its own going for a completely different vibe than the Def Jam debut did at the very beginning of 2024 telling us the biggest lesson Benny’s learned. The balance between boom bap & trap remains prevalent, he’s simply giving us 24 minutes & 8 songs for you to enjoy with only little time left of summer itself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Everybody Can’t Go” review

Buffalo emcee Benny the Butcher ending the first month of 2024 by releasing his 4th full-length LP & major label debut under Def Jam Recordings. Being in the game for 2 decades already, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Harry Fraud came in for a sequel to the latter following the mature Burden of Proof & finally, Tana Talk 4 took it back to the basement a couple years back. But for the butcher’s Def Jam opus, he’s having Hit-Boy produce half of it & leaving the other half to The Alchemist.

“Jermaine’s Graduation” sets the tone of what’s to come with a luxurious instrumental explaining that he doesn’t need a trophy because he is the trophy whereas “Bron” goes into a triumphant boom bap direction likening himself as the LeBron James of this rap shit. “Big Dog” featuring Lil Wayne works in this reversed loop talking about being too dogs, but then the title track featuring Kyle Banks on the hook giving back to the game accompanied by a soul sample & some kicks & snares.

Meanwhile, “T.M.V.T.L. (Trust More Valuable Than Love)” has some dynamic production throughout expressing the importance of trust over love just before “Back Again” returns to the boom bap with additional vocals from WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg talking about being gangstas. “1 Foot In” featuring Stove God Cook$ starts the 2nd leg of the album admitting he was a foot out the game after that freestyle with Funkmaster Flex over a hard-hitting beat leading into “Buffalo Kitchen Club” featuring Armani Caesar blending these piano chords & hi-hats together reminding that nobody fucking with them.

“Pillow Talk & Slander” featuring Babyface Ray & Jadakiss sees the trio telling their older selves to watch out for these hoes over a rich trap instrumental while “How to Rap” takes it back to the basement showing everyone how it’s done. “Griselda Express” featuring Conway the Machine & Rick Hyde begins the encore of the LP by saying they ain’t stopping on top of a solemn beat & “Big Tymers” featuring Peezy ties things up with 1-last trap cut boasting their current statuses.

A lot people who started with Benny or played a part ain’t make it since some are no longer with us, in prison, taking other paths or others that just weren’t built for it. With the help of Hit-Boy & Uncle Al, he puts the biggest lesson he took from that on full display for his major label debut. The production is versatile, the guests match his intensity & the Butcher inviting y’all to his world.

Score: 4.5/5

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Black Soprano Family Records – “Long Live DJ Shay” review

This is the 2nd showcase compilation from Buffalo independent hip hop label Black Soprano Family Records. Founded in 2016 by Benny the Butcher of Griselda fame, the roster has significantly grown throughout the years with the likes of Duffel Bag Hottie to Rick Hyde & even battle rap icon RJ Payne. The label has maintained a distribution deal with MNRK Music Group since everything was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic a couple summers back & put out an eponymous debut EP hosted by DJ Drama not too long after, but is following it up in the form of Long Live DJ Shay.

The intro kicks it all off with a sinister boom bap instrumental from the late DJ Shay himself & Fuego Base popping in during the last minute or so after a spoken word piece from Westside Gunn going at B$F’s opposition whereas “Shay Face” by Benny & Rick Hyde works in some piano chords to remind everyone of their authenticity. “297 Parkside” by Elcamino, Rick & Stove God Cook$ brings a high-pitched sample to the fold thanks to Camoflauge Monk paying homage to the titular street in NY prior to “Danger Zone” by Heem, O.T. the Real & Ricky grimly talking about spending many nights in the titular space.

Meanwhile on “Pandemic Flow”, we have Conway the Machine & Cory Gunz accompanying Rick Hyde over some spooky Uncle Al production to brag how crazy they go leading into the Heem solo cut “Bastard Child” declaring himself as such over a flute-tinged boom bap beat. After the “Sit Down with Preemo” skit, Benny returns alongside Heem & Ricky for the dusty “Times is Rough” laced by none other than DJ Premier confessing they’re running out of reasons to sympathize just before “Mustachios” by Boldy James, Chase Fetti & Heem brings a guitar & hi-hats into the fold talking about the mafia lifestyles they live.

“Li-Lo” by Elcamino, Krayzie Bone & Loveboat Luciano comes through with a summery love anthem that Ill Tone helped put together & the song “Bigger B$F” by Armani Caesar, Benny, Heem & Rick following the “Respect to Shay” interlude sees the quartet ruggedly bragging about their increasing profile. The penultimate track “Brody” by Elcamino & Heem has a more soulful tone to it confessing that the streets made them who they are today with “Mr. Pyrex Man” by Benny ending the album with a glistening trap instrumental spitting that hustler shit.

If you enjoyed the self-titled EP that B$F put out a couple years ago, then you’re probably gonna like Long Live DJ Shay even more. The production has improved, everyone on the label roster sounds even hungrier than last time, the features are all well-picked out for a good majority of the album & I think it would all make Shay more than proud.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benny the Butcher – “Tana Talk 4” review

Benny the Butcher is a 37 year old MC from Buffalo, New York who’s been making music since 2004. However, it wouldn’t be until 2016 where he alongside his cousins Westside Gunn & Conway the Machine would take the culture by storm off projects like Tana Talk 3 & The Plugs I Met. Last year alone, he teamed up with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met II in the spring & then Pyrex Picasso in the summer. However, he’s finally linking back up with Daringer & The Alchemist for his 3rd full-length album as well as the 4th installment of the Tana Talk series.

“Johnny P’s Caddy” kicks off the album with a soulful Alchemist beat & J. Cole joining Benny in talking about deserving to be where they are now & their cribs being like an old show on the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned MTV whereas the Stove God Cook$-assisted “Back 2x” follows it up by bringing the coke raps back & Daringer taking the instrumental back to the basement. “Super Plug” works in a dejecting beat talking about how his only wish was to get his close ones rich just before Boldy James tags along for “Weekends in the Perry’s”, where he & Benny jump on top of a chipmunk soul sample addressing how it’s always been.

Meanwhile on “10 More Crack Commandments”, we have The Butcher delivering a stellar sequel to “10 Crack Commandments” that would make Biggie proud down to the spoken word outro from Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy leading into Conway coming into the picture for “Tyson vs. Ali” talking about how everyone compares the greatest to the greatest nowadays on top of some dusty drums & pianos. “Uncle Bun” goes into a more suspenseful direction as a Benny & 38 Spesh toss the mic back & forth with one another, but then “Thowy’s Revenge” incorporates a horn sample talking about how he went & got it.

“Billy Joe” brings an organ into the picture to describe the shit he be doing within the first 3 days of every month while the song “Guerrero” with Westside Gunn finds the 2 on top of a futuristic boom bap instrumental with some amazing wordplay. The penultimate track “Bust a Brick Nick” viciously attacks those who haven’t been the places he’s been to even though the beat is opulent as Hell & lastly, “Mr. Chow Hall” ends the album by confessing what’s been on his mind lately & the instrumental here is just spine-tingling.

Much like Conway did with God Don’t Make Mistakes a couple weeks back, I think Benny gave us some of the best work of his career with this album. From the vivid street imagery to Daringer & The Alchemist’s production, every one involved kills it at picking up where the previous installment of the series left off while recapturing that sound.

Score: 4.5/5

Benny the Butcher – “Pyrex Picasso” review

This is the 6th EP from Buffalo emcee Benny the Butcher. Getting his start in 2004 off his debut mixtape Tana Talk, it wasn’t until 2018 when he dropped his Daringer/Alchemist-produced debut album Tana Talk 3 under his cousin Westside Gunn’s independent powerhouse Griselda Records. This was followed up with The Plugs I Met & the Hit-Boy-produced Burden of Proof but just 5 months after teaming up with Harry Fraud for The Plugs I Met II, the butcher is now proclaiming himself as the Pyrex Picasso.

After the “1st Name Basis” intro, “Flood the Block” is a bit of a celebratory kickstarter talking about drugs & clocking dollars whereas “PWRDRL” with Elcamino has a bit of a rock feel getting on their mafioso shit. The title track with Conway the Machine works in some keyboards & dusty drums talking about getting rich just before Elcamino returns with Rick Hyde for the symphonic “‘73”, saying their competitors will never be them. “The Iron Curtain” works in some haunting organs spitting that street gospel & the closer “Fly with Me” with Conway the Machine has a soulful vibe talking about being hustlers.

It’s no secret this dude has been working hard on the Tana Talk 4 double album for a while now & I think Pyrex Picasso serves as a fresh lil’ appetizer before the main course despite being recorded 3 years back. Chop La Rok & Rare Scilla do their thing behind the boards for The Butcher to let his flashy lyricism come in to play as it usually does.

Score: 3.5/5

Black Soprano Family Records & TCF Music Group – “Trust the Sopranos” review

This is a brand new collaborative compilation between New York independent hip hop labels Black Soprano Family Records & T.C.F. Music Group. One operates as an E1 Music imprint owned by Benny the Butcher & the latter being founded by 38 Spesh. The pair have been working together for a long time now (case in point: Stabbed & Shot), so it only makes sense for them to bring their crews together for Trust the Sopranos.

The opener “Immunity” by Benny & Elcamino kicks off with a succulent instrumental from Rick Hyde as the 2 go on about having their block under control, but then the Camino solo cut “Corner” is a horrendously sung R&B ballad despite the luscious 38 Spesh production. We later have Che Noir, Klass Murda & Ransom detailing their lifestyles on the angelic “Price of Fame” before the latter teams up with Benny to talk about fake people on the piano-laced “Spineless”. Ampichino & Spesh come together to talk about their lives being like a movie for the victorious “Tokyo Drift” whereas the Heem solo cut “Long Story Short” is him jumping on alluring boom bap beat saying that he’s about to take shit over.

Ricky accompanies Heem on the cinematic “Load Up” to talk about their homies mobbin’ while the song “Love Left” by Benny, Che Noir & Klass Murda is a smooth heartbreak anthem. The penultimate track “Blue Money” by Benny, Elcamino & 38 Spesh finds the trio talking about getting it out the mud over an organ-laced instrumental from the late DJ Shay whereas the closer “Silent Death” by Chase Fetti & Rick Hyde is an airy ode to murder.

It was only a matter of time both labels would come together given their intertwining history & the end result is pretty decent. Benny & Spesh always bounced off each other well on projects like Stabbed & Shot and the Cocaine Cowboys duology, but the TCF artists (i.e. Ransom & Che Noir) outperform the BSF signees throughout the half-hour.

Score: 3/5