I Can't Call It: Tana Talk 3 - Benny the Butcher

"I heard they sick about me rapping about the drugs I stretched..." - Benny

Let's cut through the BS...I already know what half of ya'll are thinking, "another Griselda album? All they do is talk about drugs and shooting people." And you know what? You're 100% right. But guess what? They're dope as hell when it comes to doing what they do. Plus, let's not sit back and act like they don't have bars & quotable for days while selling all those drugs and shooting people either. And those bars and quotables are all that matters to me. Plus those Griselda dudes are official so don't act like these are just some random nut ass niggas rhyming about what their man's man did (like some of ya'll fave rappers have been doing for year) cause they're mos def rapping about what they know. So when word got to ear that Benny was dropping his debut album "Tana Talk 3" on Griselda produced by Daringer and Alchemist, anybody who knows me KNEW I was gonna be all ears for this jawn.

"Tana Talk 3" sets off with the Daringer produced "Intro" featuring Keisha Plum who's Buffalo's version of ATL's Peaches and has Benny doing what he does best which is spazz the f&$k out, "I'm from a cold city Westside Gunns and Conways ain't no Biggies, when niggaz barely 20 and rick they all done drove Bentleys/roll with me come to my hood where niggaz know Benny, hit bougie bitches with rich fathers like Nicole Richie/I touch base it go quickly but I ain't no Griffey, we rockstars like Bo Diddley with hoes I'm so picky/the flow simply like coke it keeps your nose drippy, unload bricks right off the yacht until the boat empty." And that spazzing just continues on "Goodnight" with bars like "we were nextelers now we're XXLers, making deals with label execs our check mailers/one of the best that's a bet I don't swear never, I can read a sucka nigga like a New York best sellers/we jetsetters street nigga we just dress better, eating lamb ain't no dressing on my sald just feta" and "Scarface vs. Sosa Part 2" has Benny telling cats "these rappers quick wih these subliminal verses, what you want cause all that pistol talking giving us urges" and why at the end of the day "everything relates back to drug dealing."

"Fast Eddie" and "Echo Long" got Daringer showing he's got more then loops in his arsenal and gives Benny the perfect soundscape for Benny's tales of hustling and "97 Hov" is the PERFECT explanation of what this album is all about, "I wan born in 84 but I'm like 97 Hov, I wen platinum off a brick I cooked on 97 stoves" and when the beat switch comes in?!?!?!? Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan listen. Ya'll should already know that the first single "Joe Pesci 38" is BANANAS while "Who Are You" featuring Royce has Daringer going back in his loop bag & has Royce & Benny playing who has more quotables. Royce checks in with "I'ma rob you in a ride so clean, I ain't even gonna rob you blind nigga I'ma rob you clean" while Benny checks in with "I'm the wrong rapper niggas wanna target after, I'm like Bob Backlund mixed in with Marvin Hagler." "Fifty One" and "Rick" are both stupid, "Langfield" has just more Benny quoatbles with "was a orphan streets adopted me but they gave me back, was a 80's baby momma raised me she was slanging crack/foggy memories okay I'm thinking let me take you back, I remember clear as day when I caught a shave of crack" and the album ends with the Conway featured "All 70's" which has both of these Griselda soldiers losing their minds but my fave banger on this album is the Alchemist produced "Rubber Bands and Weights" with Benny going in "tough talk but they don't want issues, all they talk is gunplay but they don't own no pistols/sat down at a meeting manteca on the menu, red laser on the nickel turn a hater to a hindu/if you used to being broke then this paper gonna offend you, niggaz either dick riding or they paid for their credentilas/I was young the plug told me just be patient I'ma hit you, shit slow just work with me just take what i can give you/I took that doubled back and got greater I continued, cause my loyalty as good as any favor I can lend you/you can hate but I'm official I don't break cause I'm not brittle, that's real G shit if you a gangsta I commend you."

Here's the thing, we all make exceptions for certain artists based off how nice they are. You know how many folk I know who one second say "I don't wanna hear nobody yelling 24/7 talking about robbing people" but then turn around and know EVERY SINGLE WORD of MOP's "Ante Up?" Or what about the folk (including myself) who talk about "I don't wanna hear drug rap all of the time" but SWEAR by Pusha T. And don't even get me started on all these shorty's who can't stand all of these naked IG models and all these half naked female rappers but won't pay their mortgage and car note for two month to cop tickets to be front row to watch Beyonce perform half naked in a thong for 3 hours. Sooooooo, all of that to say that if you have an extra get outta jail free card aka make an exception for a new artist card laying around, I beseech you (yeah I had to get biblical on ya'll) to use it on "Tana Talk 3." Cause if you like that '97 drug dealing Hov, then you'll absolutely LOOOOOOOOVE the Butcher...you can bet money on that.

4.5 outta 5 mics