- Benny The Butcher-Summertime Butch
Benny The Butcher has made a wave this year stemming from his Def Jam debut, Everybody Can’t Go. Not everybody in the street can rap like every rapper is not street but Benny is the posterchild for street rapper’s. He has an impressive run with his Plugs I met and Tana Talk series. Bringing lyrical rap to it’s golden age; The Butcher coming.
Surprise albums are a trend nowadays and with artist like Beyonce, J.Cole, & Drake, none of their surprise albums have me aroused like Benny’s. According to Hip Hop DX (2024) “ On Twitter now known as X, Benny The Butcher announces new album “Summer Time Butch” Dropping on Aug 9" (Setaro, 2024). Social media is an outlet for releasing music and with the Griselda movement, Benny managed to keep underground rap alive.
Underground rap is important for the culture because there are people who do not like mainstream hip hop but prefer underground music. Those people like I define this as art. Nothing but lyrics, lo-fi sounds, along with soul samples. Benny The Butcher is a fine addition to the cornerstone of hip hop known as Def Jam.
A 10 track album, I will delve deep into each song and remind the world why underground hip hop is important. Hip Hop is an interesting hobby but eccentric sound that can be very good for the soul.
- One Verse Butch- Benny The Butcher delivery is very smooth and very reminiscent of Jay-Z before he met Beyonce. The hustler raps about how he holds it down for hip hop with his old school bars. Bars like “I’m a soccer dad now, I told my baby to call me pops/I had to babysit these blocks. Push my Mercedes Benz in Crocs. Benny is being witty with his wordplay talking about running drugs from one spot to another.
- The Most Feat. Ray Moon- A look back at a hustlers tale. Benny raps about doing the most and being the most underrated hustler in the game. Clever bars like “Sometimes every hero gotta make villian moves/ These whips just rewards for what I motivate ninja’s through”. Benny is giving hope and inspiration to every hustler out there in the world. Ray Moon delivers a chorus that is catchy for the streets.
- Sundress & Sandles (Interlude)- A skit reminding the fans, the streets, and the industry Everybody Can’t Go.
- Knightfall- This song is a reminder of the Plugs I Met. A popular series that Benny released. He is dropping deep rhymes like “Don’t ask how I’m religious. Bury half of our forgiveness/I’ts like soulfood Sunday how we pray gather round them chickens”. Benny is being clever by doing an entendre about soul food, dinner, and chickens. Depends how you listen to it, there is two meanings behind that notable line.
- Summer Time 24 (Ed Lover Mix) Feat. Ed Lover- Benny is known for bringing vintage artist out of retirement. Move over Will Smith, Summer Time 24 is the new summer anthem. It may not be a party anthem but it is what the hustler’s do every summer. Notable verses like “Back in my town, it bareely started and the tension is strong/I’ts like something telling me to kill when the weather is strong”. Describing a summer in Buffalo, Benny let’s you know the hustle don’t stop.
- Kitchen Table- A story about Benny’s kitchen table and how the hustle started. Stories about guns, drugs, & violence; Benny delivered a strong tribute song for the hustler’s. Lines like “Coke resi on it like the table at Charlie Sheen’s house/ My hood you might walk on your porch and see the fiends out”, Benny keeps the dark side of rap looking pretty.
- Peachtree (Interlude)- An interlude for Benny to bring real rap back.
- The Blue Building Feat. Amber Simone- Gangster stories are amazing especially if you know how to deliver them bars. Benny rides the beat like a Cadillac driving through a residential area. Benny drops lines where he spits “I just feel like after the Lord bless ya/ and you make it out in one peace, everything else is extra”. Benny drops wisdom getting his inner Nas on. Note that Benny studied the greats to get where he needs to be.
- The Warehouse 3 Feat. Rick Hyde, El Camino, & Fuego Base- The Black Soprano Family cypher is amazing. Hip hop needed a nice cypher and this is one for the books. Benny ends the song in a stiff form rapping “As man we come in peace but if it’s beef. that’s tomahawk state/ We do Porsh v.s Ferrari like the Kentucky Derby Race”, Benny made punchlines connect reminding the world what New York rap sounded like. Benny dropped more punchlines in this song to the point, he became word play king in my book.
- Higher Feat. Lindsay Niccs- Ending track and outro where Benny count’s his blessings. Dropping verses like “I’m on a new level like a moving elevator/When I jumped in, I levitated like Elgin Baylor”. Benny is known for name dropping legends because he is one. Benny makes classics and this is one for the books.
Overall
Like Benny said when he dropped back in January, Everybody Can’t Go. Benny The Butcher reached his upper echelon with smooth delivery, hardcore bars, along with numerous punchlines. Benny The Butcher keeps dropping classics and he is relevant in this new generation of hip hop. Benny dropping two albums in one year like DMX in 1998 proved he can hang with titans in this rap game. This is vintage music 20 years down the road and for those to study, Benny The Butcher managed to make a blueprint like Jay-Z in 2001.
Live from the Stove Top,
Andrew Kenekham AKA Articles by Andrew
Follow Twitter: @AndrewKenekham
Follow Instagram @ThisIsDruskiDru
Reference
Setaro, S. (2024) Benny The Butcher Announces Surprise Album “Summer Time Butch”:Get Ready Retrieved from hiphopdx.com/news/benny-the-butcher-surprise-album-summertime-butch
