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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Moving Base O.T. – Self-Titled review

Moving Base O.T. is an east coast hip hop duo consisting of Fuego Base & O.T. the Real. The latter of whom has been making noise in the underground for the past several years now whether it be The Irishmanor Maxed Out & the other made his debut over a year ago signing to Black Soprano Family Records & becoming Hartford, Connecticut’s Biggest Since Camby. O.T. eventually signed to B$F, enlisting araabMUZIK to produce his debut for the label Zombie last fall. Fast forward 8 months later, he & Fuego are teaming up to put out their debut together.

After the “Real Sopranos” intro, the first song “Arithmetic” starts off the album jumping over a raw boom bap instrumental talking about every dummy wanting to be an earner as well as 2 rappers getting stuck 1 night & it wasn’t them whereas “Battle Scars” featuring Benny the Butcher finds the trio morbidly cautioning that those who think they’re safe are done in actuality. “Hometeam” keeps it boom bap talking about jumping bail & breaking the bond while everyone else was playing Pokémon, but then “Bodies” goes rap rock to catch 1 body after another.

“Overpass” featuring Rick Hyde tensely advises to let the junkies free since it’s already rampant out here leading into “Pirouette” featuring Allstar da Great grimily talking about a brick that’s all natural & a bitch breaking her neck after taking a sniff. “John Doe” featuring Sule brings the trio together over kicks & snares airing out dudes driving their girls’ cars like they own it themselves just before “BrownStone” aggressively tells the listener it’s either us or them & to pick a side. “Keith Sweat” ends the LP ruggedly detailing how strong the coke is.

These guys have always crossed paths with one another since obviously they’re both signed to the same label, so I wasn’t opposed to the idea of bringing both of them together throughout the duration of an entire album & hopefully Moving Base O.T.’s debut here is the first of more to come. The production is consistently centered around the traditional east coast boom bap sound, 75% of the features bring their own flavor to the table & each MC elevates one another lyrically.

Score: 4/5

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Struggle Mike – “Honor” review

Struggle Mike is a 42 year old producer, curator, record executive & audio engineer from Buffalo, New York who introduced himself at the end of 2019 off the strength of his full-length debut Great Escape followed by Next Up as well as Wall & Progress. He eventually kept his consistency going on Ties & Struggles until signing to Black Soprano Family Records as an artist after becoming an A&R of theirs, who put out his previous couple albums IYKYK & IYDK last spring showing considerable improvements above his previous output. And with that in mind, I had a feeling the 9th LP in Mike’s could plausibly become my new favorite of his.

After the intro produced by DJ Benoit, the first song “Escobar” by Benny the Butcher & Heem brings them together over bongos from the late DJ Shay talking about feeling as if they stuck in the game whereas the title track by Lo Profile alongside Lucky 7 & Smoke Bulga goes boom bap to boast about getting bills like the Buffalo team. “Sleepless” by B.A.R.S. Murre, Eto & GoToMar$ hooks up solemn keys with kicks & snares seeing what type of man you are in daylight prior to “Body” by Jeru the Damaja, Lucky 7 & Planet Asia dustily reassures everyone how they do it all day everyday.

“Work” by Benny the Butcher, Chase Fetti& Rick Hyde keeps it boom bap talking about growing up in a society that’s already doomed within itself & after the titular interlude, “China October” by Boons & Heem mixes a Chinese sample with kicks & snares so they can get on their east-side grimy shit for a few minutes. “Gandolfini” by O.T. the Real & Rick Hyde gives me a bit of a bluesy vibe to the beat doing shit themselves when no one else would, but then “Quick” by Flames Dot Malik & Rick Hyde jumps over guitars to talk about being hustlers.

As the end of Honor draws closer, the penultimate track “Parasite” by Fuego Base & Rick Hyde goes drumless with both of them explaining everybody getting shot like they generous on top of still riding with guns since the rap game stays sketchy & even hiding from paranoia off the drugs that is until “Well I Do” by Heem & Sule ends the album returning to the boom bap for 1 more time going at the throats of the heartless that maintain a Tin Man posture & boasting about the whole Black Soprano label being cut from the same cloth.

For any B$F fan who slept-on the last couple LPs that Mike curated a year ago, you’re gonna wanna give Honor a listen since he pretty much elevates everything that made IYKYK & IYDK his finest curations thus far to a whole different level. We’re instrumentally treated to a prominent boom bap sound that a lot of the label’s artist bare with a hint of drumless, leaving most of the mic time in-house with the exception of a couple established veterans & a few collaborators from previous material.

Score: 4/5

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Heem – “Bars & Noble” review

Here we have the sophomore full-length studio LP from Buffalo, New York emcee Heem. Catching my attention in 2020 after becoming of a protege of Benny the Butcher & signing to his MNRK Music Group imprint Black Soprano Family Records, he He also made a few appearances on the label’s showcase EP prior to dropping his debut mixtape Long Story Short & a debut EP High Art. And with his debut album From the Cradle to the Game celebrating its 1-year anniversary last weekend, it makes sense for him to follow it up by releasing Bars & Noble.

“46 Long” is a soulfully drumless beginning to the album fighting his demons with weed & Hennessy maintaining his chemistry with the killaz to whereas “Lanova’s” featuring Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese brings a jazzier boom bap flare to the table thanks to Scram Jones lethally going off top for 2 & a half minutes. “Super Gangsta” featuring Illy Foo makes a murkier turn within the instrumental talking about never backing down, but then “Pookie’s First Love” stripping the drums to profess that this crack shit got a hold of him.

Benny joins Da Steemer for “Billy Goat” hopping over a grand trap beat from Ill Tone to get back in action just before “1000 Watts” samples soul music yet again talking about doing this shit for the trenches & all the real ones that stay on the block. The title track makes a turn into eerie boom bap territory getting real with y’all leading into the dusty, hair-raising “R.N.S. (Real N***a Shit)” featuring Jay Worthy calling bluff on those who be cappin’ about the way they living.

“Life of a Gangsta” gets on his mob shit over a grim beat with kicks & snares while “The Oath” featuring Boldy James & produced by the late DJ Shay makes a soulful turn instrumentally vowing to never quit. The funky “7.62” breaks down exactly how dark & cloudy it is on his side while the piano-boom bap “1 Mic” talks about getting his mind right & his money up. “Me vs. Me” wraps things up with a soul sample dismissing any competition.

On the contrary to the idea of Heem hunkering down with a singular producer like Scram Jones or even DJ Green Lantern to fully produce an entire project for him which I think would be incredibly dope, Bars & Noble regardless stands as an enjoyable sophomore effort from the Black Soprano Family Steemer keeping the label’s continuous grind going. The production is primarily boom bap with some drumless & trap undertones, we have a brief yet mostly solid guest list & they help Heem give a dedication to the Day 1s.

Score: 3.5/5

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Duckman – “Black Soprano Eskimo” review

Anchorage, Alaska rapper Duckman releasing his debut mixtape through Black Soprano Family Records after making a name for himself in the Alaskan hip hop scene by putting out the full-length debut A Bag Boy Story: Welcome to the East in the summer of 2016 followed by the sophomore effort A Bag Boy Story II: Back to da East only 11 months later & his 3rd album The Slim Show the Christmas after that. He would subsequently put out 3 more LPs in The Adventures of Quack Poppa, Off the Grid & Off the Grid 2 until signing to B$F at the beginning of 2024 & is coming off of B.A.R.S. Murre’s comeback effort Jewelry Store Shootouts by introducing himself as the Black Soprano Eskimo.

The intro gets us started with a symphonic trap instrumental tellin’ those who’ve never been to Alaska not experiencing 20 hours of darkness & that he isn’t your average $1M person whereas “Ghetto Gospel” featuring Elcamino works in a ghostly sample mixed with hi-hats to talk about being on the brinks of being heirs to the throne. “Karma” takes the soulful trap route instrumentally talking about trying to get some paper out it leading into “Cost to Be the Boss” vibrantly getting boastful.

“I Did” has a bit of a Detroit trap flare to it admitting that he isn’t proud of a lot of the shit he’s done although he was standing on business just before the tape’s sole single “M.C.M. (Money Counter Music)” featuring Skilla Baby is a decent ode to counting your bread. “Cullinan” featuring Sauce Walka continues the soul sampling talks about losing it all only to get it right back while the cloudy trap fusion “Vlad TV” featuring Bonni Drip continues to run it up advising to stay out of the mix.

Fuego Base & Heem both join the Duckman for the penultimate track “High Noon” goes head-on boom bap telling a true story of violence & brutality revolving around the true Sopranos, but then “Locked” featuring Benny the Butcher & Rowdy Rebel properly concludes Black Soprano Eskimo with the trio over this exuberant Brooklyn drill beat talking about knowing people who eventually landed behind bars for making that dope money with the Butcher’s verse during the middle being my favorite amongst the 2 guests.

Quite probably the most exciting artist that I’ve ever heard out of the Alaskan hip hop scene has to be Duckman by far & his official B$F debut here takes himself to a higher level as an artist. Black Soprano Eskimo has a bit of a prominent trap sound to it with additional elements of Detroit trap, Brooklyn drill & a hint of boom bap discussing where he is now as well as his life involved in the biggest cocaine bust in Alaska history.

Score: 3.5/5

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B.A.R.S. Murre – “Jewelry Store Shootouts” review

New Jersey emcee B.A.R.S. Murre returning from a 4-year hiatus for the 5th full-length studio album in his discography. Signing to Black Soprano Family Records over a decade ago for his debut Chicken & Cake, he would continue to follow this up with Dead Nasty as well as Whimsical & Black Tanita respectively. However nearly 3 & a half years since the last LP Husky Marinara including the fact that B$F’s been growing as a label in recent years, Murre’s returning for some Jewelry Store Shootouts.

The title track has a funky boom bap flare to the instrumental talking about being on his way to Philly for a new piece until everything goes wrong whereas “Guess Who” featuring Rick Hyde & produced by Johnny Slash keeps it grimy asking to take a guess as to who they just served. “Like That” featuring Loveboat Luciano works in a flute with kicks & snares lookin’ to shake everything since it’s more than rap just before the symphonic/boom bap crossover “Beat Bleed” looks to son anyone who wants to step up to him.

“Gremlin” eerily likens himself to that of the titular mischievous sprite & after the “Stupid Motherfuckus” interlude, “Ralph Cifaretto” feat. Benny the Butcher finds the 2 ruggedly referencing the Sopranos character of the same name whom Tony eventually kills. “Uranus” featuring Elcamino brings a much colder atmosphere to the table instrumentally talking about being the new Patrick Swayze, but then “D’Lo Brown” turns up the rawness paying homage to the former WWE Superstar from the Attitude Era of the now Endeavor-owned division of TKO Group Holdings.

B.A.R.S. jumps on top of sinister piano chords clashing with the kicks & snares for “Boomin’” talkin’ about everything being a heater while “Cooker X3” featuring Fuego Base & even Lil’ Fame brings the trio together aggressively reminding that they done came up from a shady crew. “Yes Sir” featuring Heem comes together to grittily talk about their bloodline coming together & after the “Big G.M.” interlude, “Paranoid” gives me a mafioso/boom bap vibe admitting to switch up as a result of paranoia. Armani Caesar hops on the “Pumper” remix serving as the penultimate track for a Bonnie & Clyde anthem done in the signature GxF fashion & “The Coolest” ends the album by wickedly having the power to rule Earth.

Jewelry Store Shootouts has been in the making since for quite some time when you look at 10 of the 17 songs being released as singles over three course of 2 & a half years, but it’s most definitely a step above anything that B.A.R.S. Murre has done previously. You can hear how much he’s evolved as a lyricist over a decade of being in the game, it’s more well-produced & even the guests all add their own flavor for the latest member of the Black Soprano Family introducing himself to a wider audience in the underground.

Score: 4/5

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Elcamino – “The Game is the Game” review

Buffalo emcee & singer Elcamino following up his Black Soprano Family Records debut They Spit on Jesus with his 15th EP. Blowing up in 2017 off his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, his profile increasingly grew after being followed up by Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018 along with dropped 2 studio albums & a few EPs the year after that. They Spit on Jesus was the first Camino project that I had covered since On the 3rd Day & that much like No Weapon Formed Against Me was an improvement over some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent years. Fast forward 5 months later, Real Bad Man’s being enlisted throughout the duration of The Game is the Game

“Give Them Hope (Curtis)” is a piano-driven opener saying he was more of an understudy for Ghost that constantly took notes whereas quasi-jazzy “Chest Wrestlers” talks about not having time for fake aggressive coke-snorters. “Champagne Pisses” featuring the B$F general himself Benny the Butcher works in these strings, kicks & snares asking if anyone fears not making it to the finish line just before “Fashion Week” featuring King Ralph finds the 2 brothers showing off their big mafia statuses.

Meanwhile, “New Levels” talks about being long way from a crook with all the sacrifices that he’s taken on top of some vibraphones leading into “C’mon Nephew” goes into soulful territory to pen an open letter to his nephew forgiving him for some bullshit he pulled some time ago. “No Fighting” featuring Boldy James is an organ/boom bap crossover likening themselves to scramblers, but then “Expensive Cloth” brings to funkier flare airing out those who want him to be more of a target.

Rick Hyde joins Elcamino for the penultimate track “Melrose” pushing near the encore of The Game is the Game discussing their elevations over pianos, kicks & snares that is until “Sllick Talk” featuring Player K rounds out the EP by hopping over synthesizers calling themselves shooters trying to score as well as telling y’all that we should be seeing the way both of them be living now.

If you enjoyed They Spit on Jesus as much as I did 6 months ago, you’re probably gonna like The Game is the Game almost as much if not more than the LP that officially introduced Elcamino to the B$F roster. Real Bad Man continues to further cement himself as one of the most in-demand producers the underground, the guest-list is equally tight & Camino’s just breaking down how it be out here.

Score: 4/5

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Sule – “Written on Wide’s Corner” review

Sule is a 29 year old emcee from Englewood, New Jersey whom Benny the Butcher signed to Black Soprano Family Records at the end of 2022 after putting out 7 EPs over the course of a decade. He’s also notable for his guest verse on the Biggest Since Camby closing track “White Lives Matter” produced by Havoc formerly of Mobb Deep, which was one of my favorites off that LP last spring. However, he’s releasing his first official body of work through B$F in the form of his 8th EP clocking in at 24 & a half minutes long as well as 9 tracks.

“Tommy Bundy” begins with a sample-laced boom bap instrumental from Nyckles & Harlem Zone who did the majority of the EP likening himself to the late DMX’s titular character in Hype Williams’ directional debut Belly whereas “Made for It” featuring Benny works in more kicks & snares with an symphonic flip asking if you were built for this shit if you got it but lost it. “Courtesy Inn” brings some pianos into the fold talking about his mother never having to worry ever again just before the jazzy “Jodie” tells the tragic story of the titular character.

Fuego Base & Inspectah Deck of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan comes into the picture for “Wu-Sopranos” returning to the boom bap bringing it to y’all raw lyrically, but then “Crown Vic” featuring The Hoodies finds the trio keeps it grimy flexing their powerhouse statuses. “If a Brick Could Talk” has an eerier boom bap atmosphere detailing the hustler lifestyle while “Y.N.G.A.W. (Young N****s Got a Wave)” makes a 180° with its trap beat & boisterous lyrics. “Marlo Scamfield” ends the EP with kicks, snares & a shimmery loop referencing the character from The Wire.

Black Soprano Family is constantly putting on their ever-growing roster & Written on Wide’s Corner completely takes Sule to a new level, as it’s by far the best thing he’s put out to date. I think the production here mostly grounded in the traditional boom bap sound with trap undertones is stronger compared to his previous material, it has a short yet solid guest list & the Englewood emcee sets out to make his hometown a landmark.

Score: 4/5

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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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