BENNY THE BUTCHER, TANA TALK 4

By Leo Hewitt-Provost

03/11/2022

It’s finally here, after months and months of anticipation and infatuation, Benny the Butcher is here with the last instalment of the Tana Talk series with TT4, featuring heavyweights Diddy, J.Cole, Boldy James, his cousins Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine as well as Stove God Cooks and 38 Spesh. The project is entirely produced by The Alchemist, Daringer and Beat Butcha. 

It’s safe to say the track list that was revealed a few hours before the release of Tana Talk 4 was the topic of discussion on social media, Daringer and The Alchemist working together on production is the constant result of hard work over the years whilst Beat Butcha continues to develop his impressive catalogue on the back of Conway’s God Don’t Make Mistakes.

The 12-track project begins with Johnny P’s Caddy featuring J.Cole which served as the first and only single of the album and dropped at the end of January, with a music video along with it. 

Tana Talk 4 follows up with Back 2x featuring Stove God Cooks, fully produced by Beat Butcha and Daringer; both producers are bosses for this one. Benny is asking once more for everyone to stop comparing him to these inferior rappers. Stove God Cooks fits the production fantastically with the beat and the aid of the piano. SGC has been doing his own thing for over a year and he keep delivering on this song.

Super Plug is as ominous as it can possibly get. There is more on the production than what people will hear at first, as Benny raps about finding his plug and working with a connect, outsmarting the law, and providing for his family. Over The Alchemist’s production, Benny sounds crisp: “N***** want my crown and put on but it don’t fit.”

Weekend in the Perry’s features Boldy James and I couldn’t like this song any more that I do, after dropping Brickmile from Montana last year, it’s clear that both rappers have a strong chemistry together and Al knows too well the magic of loop samples will make up for a soothing track. Bo’s voice speaks for itself, soothing and nonchalant seem to be a recurring theme with Boldy James, a style he has mastered so well for over two years now. Benny tells the story on how he put people on and the result is simply splendid.

10 more commandments with Diddy:

My immediate thoughts listening to the instrumental was that both Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn would fit over it, which just goes to show how versatile The Butcher is. He’s giving us ten more crack commandments, as Biggie did 25 years ago. 

Diddy talks about everyone unifying and showing love to your peers. It’s easy for people to say how successful his career has been, but not many mention how much he has lost lot with this shit.

Tyson vs Ali with Conway:

The song is at first glance excellent, the standard of these two cats have been set so high for far too long, this track will go on as one of their best collaborations to date. As they both explain it throughout the song, they have been at their best for over five years but nobody respects that. It’s been a lot of hard work and consistent commitment that makes La Maquina and The Butcher above so many in this game. 

Uncle Bun featuring 38 Spesh:

Both Spesh and The Butcher go back and fourth over the menacing production, both are lyrically immense and dangerous with their demeanour. “I don’t fuck with no opps, burying them all, all I do is show-stop, track and trail the coke drop, I have seen it all, catch me at the boat dock, we ain’t boarding no yachts, just unloading raw.”

Thowy’s Revenge by The Alchemist is the first ‘unorthodox’ instrumental of TT4, and sounds different to everything else so far, the use of trumpets and clarinet make for a clear environment for Benny to rap over, mentioning his cousin Westside Gunn, the police and women being a problem whilst still having fun with it. 

Billy Joe by uncle Al:

The first Griselda tag can finally be heard and it feels like a relief, this is TT4’s best yet. “I counted half a million with my eyes closed, because this year I feel like 99’ Hov, I’m breaking records and setting milestones.” is both a nod to Jay-Z being on top of the game in 1999 as well as referencing his previous track called 97’ Hov on Tana Talk 3. 

Guerrero featuring Westside Gunn:

The instrumental sounds unreal, both Beat Butcha and Daringer need to get the respect they deserve after this joint. Benny mentions many of his tracks, from Burden of Proof to Tana Talk 3 and the people he has worked with along the way, reminiscing on how far he has come and how successful he wants to be, the new Def Jam artist is bound for newer things, as this is his last edition of the Tana Talk series. Westside Gunn makes a brief but impactful appearance. “Bitch I’m still here” is reassuring for Griselda fans to hear after Conway the Machine announced his departure from Griselda Records, although many know this is only business-related, and that- hopefully- we still get to hear the three masterminds working together on a constant basis.

Bust a Brick Nick, prod Alchemist:

“Let’s talk about this shit I did to become legend, because the money isn’t enough no more, I want credit.” is a perfect summary of Benny the Butcher’s career so far, as is most of what he says on here. He is aware of how much he has accomplished but the media outlets fail to portray that.

Mr Chow Hall is the the last track of the album. “They say West is the brains, Benny is the star and Conway the silliest with the bars, well I couldn’t agree more. […] “With that deal was for, my shit was ten times more, and that’s not disrespect at all, Conway taught me and made me a boss. […] and they both rich and I am too so shit, the advice wasn’t wrong.  

Tana Talk 4 is everything I expected it to be, from dope-selling to bragging and boasting, Benny the Butcher demonstrates his strength and the thrill and excitement of knowing how much content he will be providing with Def Jam goes to show that he has been grinding his whole career and he is due way more credit than he is getting right now. As for the Tana Talk series, it will live on forever, as he will cherish it for the rest of his life.