It was only a few years ago when it seemed as if Benny The Butcher was the third man to the duo of Westside and Conway. As the Hall N Nash collaborators became the frontline of Griselda, Benny was right behind them, studying and plotting for his time in the limelight. Following WWCD, West carved out the next generation of Griselda while Conway launched Drumwork and Benny began building the B$F empire. However, after making such pronounced strides independently, Benny’s major label debut, Everybody Can’t Go, feels like a natural progression into the big leagues.
Everybody Can’t Go vividly represents the culmination of work that led to this milestone in his career, from incarceration to rap stardom and the hardships and near-fatal experiences in between. Although most rappers could fall flat on a major label debut, finding themselves navigating the murky waters of radio play, streaming services, and social media frenzies, Benny The Butcher harnesses his strengths and delivers a fierce entry in his catalog that attempts to live up to the legacy of the label’s flagship artists.
Hit-Boy & The Alchemist Come Through With The Assist
Before it even landed a release date, Everybody Can’t Go looked like an Album Of The Year contender on paper. With Hit-Boy and The Alchemist behind the boards, Benny formulated a recipe for success alongside two renowned producers with whom he’s built a strong rapport. Hit-Boy previously locked in with Benny on Burden Of Proof while The Alchemist played a significant role on Tana Talk 4. But on Everybody Can’t Go, Hit-Boy and The Alchemist work in tandem to effectively bring out a concise body of work that encapsulates the divide in Benny’s aura: the bleak mafioso stories that have become a foundation to his rags-to-riches tale and the stunning accomplishments that have gained the faith of OGs like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg to carry the torch. Whereas The Alchemist allows Benny to bask in vivid flashbacks of childhood trauma, the Buffalo-born rapper sounds victorious as ever on Hit-Boy’s beats.
The Alchemist Soundtracks Hardened Buffalo Tales
It’s as evident on “Jermaine’s Graduation,” the intro track produced by The Alchemist. The icy piano-laden production dishes a rush of nostalgia as Benny delves into the perennial cycle of addiction from a firsthand account. “... Teary-eyed and gullible/ I lived with a mother who struggled through/ Addiction, I know every side to drug abuse,” he raps with gruff delivery. In many ways, it’s the foreword to a hustler’s memoir, where personal anecdotes often serve to unpack the degrees of separation between the addicts and corner boys and the plugs and bosses. These revelations are a launching pad for some of his most compelling storytelling, as well as braggadocious sh*t talking.
It’s The Alchemist’s production that often catalyzes Benny’s emotionally potent moments on the album. “TMVTL” is another highlight with stellar production from The Alchemist. The famed producer concocts his signature hazy and hypnotic soundscape for the first two stories; the first finds Benny divulging prison stories involving a woman named Jasmine Dickens who smuggles contraband for an inmate; the second, a fatal falling out between two brothers over a woman. The third verse strikes a more personal note as Benny alludes to the infamous Wal-Mart shooting in Houston and evokes a gruesome image of the retribution inflicted on the perpetrator over a sinister beat switch.
However, these grim moments are few and far between. The Alchemist’s production often welcomes cameos from Griselda’s mainstays, such as “Griselda Express” which reunites Westside Gunn and Conway, along with a verse from Rick Hyde. Then, Armani Caesar, the First Lady Of Griselda, brings a fun and sexy offering on “Buffalo Kitchen Club.”
Hit-Boy’s Golden Touch
As Benny explained, Everybody Can’t Go describes the reality that not everything is for everyone; the rarity of bypassing the inevitable outcome of the streets and eventually, maneuvering away from it. Or, on a more surface level, the ability to achieve success without compromise. On that note, Hit-Boy has undoubtedly helped shape Benny’s trajectory since they first linked up. On Everybody Can’t Go, Hit-Boy helps highlight the career highs of the past few years. Songs like “Big Dog,” despite its relatively lazy hook, further establish the rapport between Benny and Lil Wayne, whose Dedication mixtape served as inspiration for the B$F Gangsta Grillz mixtape. Then, on songs like “Bron” and “One Foot In” with Stove God Cooks, Benny puffs his chest, asserting his dominance in the game. Benny persistently reminds spectators that consistency and longevity are the major keys to success.
Contrasting The Alchemist’s muddy, ethereal beats, Hit-Boy ensures a level of crispness that came across on the aforementioned singles, “Bron” and “One Foot In,” which serve as a testament to Benny’s evolution. On songs like “Back Again,” Benny The Butcher collides with Snoop Dogg for an ode to gangsta rap’s 2000s reign under Dr. Dre’s dominance. Meanwhile, Jadakiss and Babyface Ray bring a distinct East Coast flare to “Pillow Talk & Slander,” which finds the three artists confronting the heightened sense of paranoia that comes with status and how loyalty and trust become an anomaly.
A Hustler’s Manual
Everybody Can’t Go ultimately opens up a new chapter in Benny’s career from a perspective he was never able to tap into until now. A few years ago, labels might not have looked at an artist like Benny The Butcher as a viable signing and that frustration alone has seemingly put a fire in his belly. “Got the labels calling you/ They fly you out to talk to you, low balling you/ And kinda still doubt if they could market you,” Benny states in “How To Rap.” Though appearing towards the latter half of the album, it serves as a thesis statement to his album.
The album exposes the many battle wounds Benny accumulated, the downfalls, doubts, and obstacles that he faced in his climb to the top. It’s a story that parallels the great Mafia tales, though its ending is an anomaly compared to those that end in death and whose sacrifices become obsolete outside of those who find inspiration in these tales. Benny negated a tragic ending, leaving the streets and applying the same principles from hustling to establish himself as a heavyweight in hip-hop.