“I’m from where they drop outta school, but still get laid in chalk…” -Benny, “Just Like Rome”
If you’re a rap music fan that keeps an ear to the street looking for “who’s next” (especially if you lean more towards lyrically inclined MC’s, and less towards the syrupy sounds of lean-lovin’ rap stars that can’t remember hip-hop before auto-tune)…you may be starting to hear some chatter about a movement happening up in Buffalo, NY.
While Buffalo has some catching up to do before it can compete with New York City as the mecca for classic hip-hop, there is no denying the raw talent that we maybe haven’t seen from a rap collective since the emergence of the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 90′s. One of those talents goes by the simple name of Benny. Not Lil Benny, or Benny 300, or Benny Capone or anything glossy…just Benny (or B.e.n.n.y., if you dig up some of his earlier work). The simplicity of the name is a testament to the quality of his work, which evokes a reflective story-teller, as weary of the street tales he has lived as he is of ending up as just another victim. On his new project, My First Brick, Benny lets us into a world of drug dealing, conflict, and surviving incarceration.
Often found dropping stand-out verses alongside his allies over at Griselda Records (Conway, WESTSIDEGUNN, and super-producer Daringer - take a dive into their catalogues as well, they all make their presence felt on MFB), with My First Brick Benny has put together an introspective project that captures what it’s like to be living an illegal life in a low income city in America today. This tape isn’t a glorification of criminal activity, it’s a signed confession to a higher power. Benny is following in the foot steps of Beanie Sigel, The Lox and (dare I say) Nas to prove that “gangsta rap” has just as much merit as an art form as “conscious hip-hip”. Yes, you can be an ex-con, guilty of profiting off of morally corrupt actions…and also be a gifted writer.
In addition to My First Brick, I have posted some of Benny’s best rewind-worthy verses below. The well-crafted, honest bars from this Buffalo soldier really paint a dark, but spiritually hopeful picture of a cold place where family and community are required to provide enough warmth to survive Benny’s harsh environment. At the risk of offending both Game Of Thrones fans as well as residents of Buffalo, NY, living “beyond the wall” means that even if you didn’t ask for the lifestyle you ended up with, you can still make the best out of a bad situation, learn from mistakes, and come out a stronger person because of it.
You should jump on the Benny bandwagon now (Ben-wagon!? ugh, sorry), and thank me later…
“Shower Shoe Lords” - Westside Gunn ft. Benny
(“…all I needed was a trap spot, scale and a plate / I ended up on a flat cot, cell upstate” - The verse that warranted the need for this post. In my opinion, one of the best verses of 2016.)
“Beloved” - Conway ft. Benny & Mach Hommy
(A standout cut from Conway’s Reject 2 album, perhaps when I first said, “DAMN, what’s going on in upstate NY!?” To me, this might as well be a taste of Buffalo’s “Protect Ya Neck”.)
“Bon Jovi” - WESTSIDEGUNN ft. Benny
(Again, another great verse out of nowhere, as Benny makes his presence felt after the beat change on an already dope WESTSIDEGUNN track. )
“About Me” - Trust Gang (Klass Murda, B.e.n.n.y. & Spesh)
(“In the projects my momma put the lights in my name / pure white on my plate, I had ice in my veins”…this verse was an omen of more cold-blooded verses to come. Benny is not only affiliated with Griselda, but also Black Sopranos Family and Trust Gang. Part of my thought process on the whole Wu-Tang comparison thing is that I can see these crews overlapping more in the future ala Wu/Sunz Of Man/Killarmy, etc.)
“Pissy Work” - WESTSIDEGUNN ft. Benny
(“It was never handed to me, grindin’ was mandatory / I don’t got no game it’s just these bitches understand my story / speaking for my people every time they put them cameras on me / learned it from the gang, nah my momma never planned this for me / pretty soon, you gotta pick a side, commit a crime, you get confined / you kill one of us, and only get a fine / you hear this, and probably get the vibe / of 9-8 Kiss & Styles, ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Hov, ‘It Was Written’ Nas…” - yup, that I do! Salute)
Benny’s new project, My First Brick, is available now:
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