Griselda star Benny The Butcher‘s track record is nothing short of spotless still in the prime of his career.
With his third release of 2021, Pyrex Picasso shows Benny is in his final form — spitting over soulfully flipped Earworm samples and rock-influenced production. Meshing multiple genres into one, Benny still finds himself in his element — pocketed by the cleanest bars heard this year and with a hunger unmatched by any other emcee.
Wrote Pyrex Picasso 3 yrs ago and it’s better than they’re new shit
— BENNY THE BUTCHER (@BennyBsf) August 13, 2021
Potent and to the point, “Pyrex” is a 7-track sample of what’s to come from The Butcher, previously alluding to releasing Tana Talk 4 sometime this year. Enlisting BSF regulars in Elcamino and Rick Hyde — along with fellow Griselda rapper and cousin Conway The Machine — Pyrex’s allure is within the lyrical prowess and presence of Benny.
Rapping brutally honest bars with the voice of a poet, he hungrily speaks on his past riddled with drug-dealing in his youth — perfectly channeling his thoughts and struggles in his songwriting. On one of the project’s highlights “Fly With Me” with Conway, the duo speaks on never being satisfied, chasing the feeling of being broke to achieve what you’re striving for.
Detailing the harsh truth of his upbringing — revealing on “The Iron Curtain” that Conway gave him his first gun at 14-years-old — Benny is notorious for injecting true anecdotes that seem unbelievable. With tracks in “PWRDRL” featuring Elcamino and “Food The Block,” heavy guitar melodies and 80s-inspired piano riffs allow Benny to breathe and attack over the track, speaking on his tough upbringing in the streets of Buffalo. “This is street gospel right here,” he says on “Iron Curtain.”
Gave niggas the benefit
Talked it out when I could’ve paid killers to finish it
Grave diggers that’s generous (Uh-huh)
From a corner store, now we made niggas with businesses
In courtrooms, I ate with them same niggas they mentionin’
My album, I wrote down cocaine dealin’ definitive (Okay)
You had to play the game to really spit that articulate
The word about my name is I paint them pictures meticulous
And rode with a brick on the train, feelin’ adventurous
Benny The Butcher — “Food The Block”
The Butcher’s been on a tear as of late. Releasing the sequel to the critically-acclaimed The Plugs I Met with Fraud in March, Benny and BSF member 38 Spesh also dropped the 10-track mixtape Trust the Sopranos May 21. Additionally, he and Fraud put out “Sink” a few weeks after Plug 2‘s release. His discography spans over the course of nearly 10 years, as his magnum opus Tana Talk 3 is universally loved by both fans and critics alike.
His second official studio album Burden of Proof (released Oct. 2020), was spearheaded by Grammy-winning super producer Hit-Boy — earning Benny higher praise and more mainstream attention in the process.
With his fifth project in less than a year, Benny solidifies himself once more as one of hip-hop’s premium lyricists — painting yet another grim self-portrait on Pyrex Picasso.
Listen to Benny’s latest effort Pyrex Picasso below!
