Tana Talk 4 - Benny The Butcher
Intro:
Benny The Butcher & his Griselda peers have been representing Buffalo, NY proudly. This time around he’s delivering the 4th installment of his Tana Talk series. Benny is known for his grimy lyrics & wordplay. Based on his previous work, it’s not hard to see why he’s been able to transcend the '“underground” label without being seen as a sellout. With that said, let’s see if Tana Talk 4 lives up to the rest of the iconic series.
Strengths:
Benny’s voice is powerful & has a lot of impact on delivery. That, along with his NY accent, adds character & commands attention. His flows shine clear, especially over the more traditional NY rap beats. Benny attacks each beat with engaging rhyme patterns, but he also still manages to stay versatile as well (Ex: Thowy’s Revenge).
Lyrically, Benny sounds extremely cold & calculated. His technical ability is in top form as expected, but he’s also getting better with making catchier songs/choruses. While at most times sounding confident, there are moments & lines where Benny is menacing with some violent imagery. It does seem to match well with the themes of Tana Talk 4.
More Strengths:
The “Coke Rap” sub-genre has been dominating the underground scene recently. With Benny being one of the more recent artists popularizing that type of sound, he knows actually how to paint the necessary image for the song with his words. He’s believable & reflects a lot on his life before & after becoming famous. There are basic codes & ethics on Tana Talk 4 that anyone can live by, and he promotes a hustler lifestyle on the album.
There weren’t too many thoughts I had about the features listed for this album. I believe that J. Cole, 38 Spesh & Stove God Cooks had the best performances on their songs. The song Tyson vs. Ali was an insane idea & truly fits what the song stands for. What is the point of comparing both Benny The Butcher & Conway The Machine?
This album mainly has the traditional Griselda style of beats you’d expect. The drums on every song sound vintage & punch through the mix at the right amount (Ex: Super Plug). Lots of the beats have dark or luxurious piano work; which could be intentional due to the Coke dealing theme. Whether it be sample-based or not, the Griselda producers give the rappers exactly what the fans want & need.
Overall:
Buffalo should be proud to have a rap star like Benny that can put together quality pieces of work like this one. Tana Talk 4 gives Benny The Butcher fans exactly what is needed without any filler. There are little to no real weaknesses given on the album, and the quality of production shows how much stature he now has in the genre. Hopefully, he’ll be coming back around with another project very soon. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to Benny The Butcher’s new album with the link below.
