By Jamil Weeks

Griselda has been one of the most powerful movements in the past 10 years. During that time, they have grown in popularity and visibility with each passing year. The only thing missing from the Griselda camp to place them in the same league as Death Row, Bad Boy, and Roc-a-Fella are hit records. Griselda created a signature underground sound but has made efforts in recent years to expand their sound methodically. Most notably was 2021’s Burden of Proof from Griselda’s golden child, Benny the Butcher. The album was produced entirely by Hit Boy and earned Benny his first gold plaque. The three headed monster, known as Benny, Conway the Machine, and Westside Gunn, grinded their way to major label deals to plant their Griselda flag in the music industry. In the case of Benny, he chose to sign with the iconic Def Jam Records to increase his audience and take his career to the next level. Benny stirred up interest in his project by promising his new album would be the hardest album released by Def Jam since DMX’s 1998 debut. Since that bold claim, Benny released a couple of singles that drew a mixed response from bloggers and fans familiar with his Griselda catalogue. Benny seemingly waged a war with “rap nerds” over the negative criticism received from the released singles like it was part of his album rollout. Still, the album remained one of the most anticipated albums of 2024. The wait is finally over. Benny’s Def Jam debut, Everybody Can’t Go, is finally here. The question remains if Benny is leading us to a place we want to go with this album.

The singles Benny dropped before the official release of the album drew ire from loyal Griselda fans. With Benny hyping up the album on social media and Def Jam sponsoring the project, many people were expecting energetic and impactful singles in the vein of Puff and Biggie’s “Victory”. What we got was the first single, "Big Dog", produced by The Alchemist. Many hip hop heads felt the feature sicario, Lil Wayne, overshadowed Benny on his own single, and they also loathed the hook. I felt it was a good choice for a first single to get people excited for the album. Unlike most critics, I loved the uncharacteristically up-tempo bounce vibe from The Alchemist instrumental and thought the hook was appropriate for a single with mainstream aspirations. The Hit Boy produced second single, “One Foot In”, did nothing to raise people’s expectations for the album. Despite Benny talking about balancing street life with rap career pursuits and featuring a verse from Stove God Cooks, the song failed to establish a firm buzz for Benny’s debut. Expectations for Benny’s album was too high for anything less than an instant classic song. The album was pushed back from late 2023 to January with Benny and company going back to the drawing board. Benny and Hit redeemed themselves in the eyes of rap listeners with “Bron”. Benny was in his bag rapping over a thunderous, bass-heavy Hit Boy beat while likening his ascendance in the rap game to Lebron James’s career. Suddenly, everything was right in the world again. With Hit Boy and The Alchemist going half and half on Benny’s debut, Benny had all the momentum leading up to his January 26 release.

Hit Boy is probably the most versatile producer in the game right now, and possibly ever. Hit is known for his capability of making beats for artists with virtually any style or rap. Following up on the success of Burden of Proof, Hit’s role was to show Benny’s adaptability over more commercial sounding songs. Outside of “Bron”, this formula is evident on “Back Again” where Benny recruits Snoop Dogg for the hook. The east/west connection showcases Benny’s artistry as he experiments with different types of flows making sure he hits those pockets like he was playing a game of pool. Another stellar Benny/Hit record is “Pillow Talk”. Featuring two impressive verses from Babyface Ray and Jadakiss, the song serves as a warning to watch who you place your trust in. Hit lends Benny some East Coast flavor on “How to Rap”, where Benny lays out an instructional guide for promising rappers on song making. For the most part, Benny and Hit carry their chemistry over from Burden of Proof for well-rounded production. However, Hit closes out Benny’s debut with the forgettable trap infused “Big Tymers”, which is Benny’s most blatant attempt to reach a younger demographic. The song sounds like a forced attempt to make a record catering to the radio. Nothing wrong with an artist trying new things if executed correctly. The Peezy-assisted song features Benny singing the hook and spitting with a more contemporary flow featuring the same tired themes of grinding and haters not wanting to see him do well. The only miss on the album, this Hit Boy track probably should have either been left on the cutting room floor or re-sequenced on the album instead so it would not be the last song you hear on the album.

Benny is also no stranger to The Alchemist, as the pair have worked together on numerous occasions in the past. The Alchemist most notably co-produced half of Benny’s certified classic, Tana Talk 3. The Alchemist was tasked with keeping Benny’s day one fans fed by not letting that characteristic Griselda sound get lost in the Def Jam shuffle. Benny gets personal on the opening “Jermaine’s Graduation” where Benny reminisces on the struggles he overcame that shaped his inevitable success story. Fellow Buffalo native, Armanie Caesar, floats on the slowed-down bound record, “Buffalo Kitchen Club”. Armani brings some much needed energy for the ladies to groove with as both Armani and Benny rap with a rapid spit-fire cadence like many of today’s contemporary rappers. The arguable highlight of the album is “TMVTL” (Trust More Valuable Than Love). Here Benny flexes his storytelling talent as The Alchemist switches the beat after each verse. Another best song candidate is “Griselda Express” where Benny reunites with Gunn and Conway, bringing BSF affiliate, Rick Hyde, along for the ride. The posse cut features some the hardest verses on the album from Rick Hyde and Conway, who had the best verse on the song, with Gunn supplying the hook. The beat by Alchemist with the ear-piercing bassline and hard-hitting, thumping beat is a screwface-inducing record that will satisfy hardcore Griselda fans who are not particularly fond of the Hit Boy influence on the album. Would have made for a stronger closing track than “Big Tymers”.

The main problem with this album is Benny not showing enough growth on the album. Rather it be subject matter or failing to bring a sufficient amount of energy on certain songs, Everybody Can’t Go does not sound too much different from previous Benny albums. In a way, the album is a mash-up of the Tana Talk albums and Burden of Proof. You can make the argument that Benny’s previous efforts with both Hit and Alchemist were better than their work on this album. With this album being the first “baby” produced from the marriage between Benny and Def Jam, many were expecting more from both parties. Rather it be an album with a more grandiose sound or features from artists Benny would not normally collaborate with on a typical Griselda album, Def Jam did not seem up for the challenge with Benny's debut. News circulating that Def Jam was unable to clear records with Drake, Nas, and Scarface that were intended for this album left many people scratching their heads as to what advantage did Benny gain by signing to the legendary label. While the features on the album were great for the most part, Benny did not need Def Jam to score any of those cameos from those artists. Assumptions were that Def Jam was going to introduce Benny to an entire new demographic. As a result, the album undeservedly has an underwhelming quality to it despite there only being one lackluster song on the album. The album is nowhere near the quality of DMX’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, and, thus, comes across as false advertising in terms or what was promised.

While Everybody Can’t Go may not deliver on the hype that was proclaimed prior to its release, the album is another solid entry into Benny’s outstanding discography. Seemingly a balance between mainstream and underground styles with production from Hit and ALC, the album offers something for everyone on the album while still maintaining a cohesion between the two worlds. Expectations may spoil the impact of the album, but in general the album should be well received by all who enjoy bars and beats. Lyrically Benny has not lost a step while still being able to flirt with different flows on certain records. Too early to tell if this will be a contender for album of the year, but so far it is a banger of an album to be released this early in 2024. The album has enough dope records to keep people coming back to listen over the next few months. Time will tell rather this album maintains its status as one of the year’s greats or gets buried underneath the avalanche of weekly releases as the year progresses. The sturdy enthusiasm surrounding the album should be enough to keep Benny’s name ringing on social media for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this will be the breakout album Benny was hoping for, and any success will propel him into a different space in the music industry. The album is a great introduction of Benny on Def Jam and will leave you wanting to know where Benny will go next, as well as who will be invited.