It's easy to feel like Benny The Butcher has something to prove, as evidenced by his upcoming album Burden Of Proof, which arrives in full tomorrow. Yet those who have been keeping track of the Griselda run for the past few years can attest to one simple truth -- Benny The Butcher is easily one of the best lyricists in the game right now, and that's hard to dispute. Perhaps that's why he's opted to close out his album with "Legend," produced by Hit-Boy, a statement unto itself.
Off the bat, it's clear that Benny intends on letting his bars make a statement. "Gave my life to the game, had my mama concerned, it made her calm when she saw what I got in return," he begins, over Hit-Boy's soulful, minimalist production. "Broke my flow down, they still can't describe it in words / And all the work they say they put in, I gotta confirm." And in what might be the most surprising turn, Benny actually drops four verses on this one -- truly shocking, considering that two-verse songs have become the new normal.
It's one of the many reasons Benny is so important to the game right now; not only does he preserve the glory days of the culture, but he does so while putting his own, decidedly modern take on that golden era classic sound. Look for Burden Of Proof to hit streaming services at midnight, and be sure to support The Butcher accordingly.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Yo, fifty thousand in the drawer, at the W with some bitches
And every time I score, it's a W for the villains
I'm somewhere in the hood, elbow rubbin' with all the dealers
Sayin', "Because of you, we ain't been this comfortable in a minute'