The Plugs I Met 2
by Benny The Butcher & Harry Fraud

From Mercury TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/24/2021 20:21 | #267693

(Excellent east Coast Gangsta Rap EP. I like the old school flow and feel of the whole project and some of the songs are really incredible and stand outs. I am a bit late to the Benny The Butcher/Harry Fraud/Griselda party, but this was an excellent introduction.)

Before this afternoon I had never heard any Benny the Butcher, nor any Griselda, nor did I know anything about the major players on this album or scene. To say I am out of date on almost all things Hip Hop would be an understatement.

Today I listened to The Plugs I Met 1 and 2 several times. It was excellent and I enjoyed every minute. The style of Benny is right up my alley. Vivid, grimy tales of the street, unrelenting yet dexterous flow, I gobbled this up.

At the end of The Plugs I Met there is a nice Coda to the story, the woman leaving the voice message seemed relieved that Benny had found a new profession and she no longer had to worry about cops coming and knocking in their doors. It was a touching and smart way to end that project. With this sequel, it seems the vivid tales of that life is more from the p[erspective of someone looking back on the old days. The progression seems to make sense as I listen.

The Plugs I Met 2 I feel is better in almost evry way than the first. The production is bigger and more epic, and while the rapping is the same level of badass, I found myself vibing with it more. The features on 2 are not quite as great as on the first one. Still, even in this regard, there are some amazing guests here, especially the Chinx feature on album standout "Overall".

The production is so beautiful, truly gorgeous. I adore the sadness of the track "No Instructions". The horn on the opener "When Tony Met Sosa" took the already near perfect track to another level. The entirety of "Overall" is transcendent, but those deeeep bass tones are god tier to my ears. The female vocals that dominate the track "Survivor's Remorse" creates such a lush and emotive vibe. There are so many cool little details on this album/EP and I suppose I feel Harry Fraud did awesome here.

The rapping, well, I like them. I don't have much nuance in my rapping critiques in general. I am pretty basic. But I know when I hear some old school flows and, like Dylan once said, I know what I like. Benny is cool as hell and at times I'll hear a turn of phrase or a moment of lyrical imagery that will blow my mind. I am glad I have finally discovered him, cuz he is amazing.

Overall, this was great. I like short albums. This is is short, no filler or fat, every track is good to great. The peaks ("Overall", "Plug Talk", "When Tony Met Harry", and "Survivor's Remorse") are some of my fave tracks of the year. So far this is easily my fave Hip Hop album of the year.

Album Rating: 82.44
(742/9)

1. "When Tony Met Sosa" - 87
2. "Overall" (featuring Chinx and Teyonahhh) - 74
3. "Plug Talk" (featuring 2 Chainz) - 79
4. "Live By It" - 74
5. "Talkin' Back" (featuring Fat Joe) - 71
6. "No Instructions" - 89
7. "Longevity" (featuring French Montana and Jim Jones) - 87
8. "Survivor's Remorse" (featuring Rick Hyde) - 88
9. "Thanksgiving" - 93

From LebowskiRams TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/19/2021 16:36 | #267516

Production is stellar but Benny's anti-Jewish line in the first track and Fat Joe's wuhan virus line turned me off from this. Disappointing af

Benny the butcher's keep showing consistency, another great record with nice bars.