Buffalo, New York rapper and Griselda affiliate Benny the Butcher is older and wiser on third studio album Tana Talk 4, but he shows no signs of mellowing or diminishing in intensity. The records 12 tracks find Benny rapping circles around himself with intricate flows about drug dealing and street hustling that often lead to hard-earned life lessons. The instrumentals stick to an East Coast aesthetic, reshaping classic New York boom-bap into interesting new forms on tracks like the sample-heavy, mostly drumless "Weekends in the Perrys." That song features a blazing appearance from Boldy James, and other special guests include J. Cole on the anthemic opening track "Johnny Ps Caddy," frequent collaborator Westside Gunn on the atmospheric "Guerrero," and Diddy on the Notorious B.I.G. reinterpretation "10 More Commandments." Bennys storytelling lyrics are hardened and aggressive as ever, but he balances out his tales of street dominance and underworld dealings with moments of honest self-reflection. ~ TiVo Staff

Rovi