Hands down, Benny The Butcher remains one of the most consistent and compelling voices in hip-hop today. His sound carries the grit and soul of ’90s East Coast rap, but his persona—a no-nonsense, street-seasoned anti-hero—feels timeless. While Benny may have never reached mainstream superstardom, his body of work stands tall alongside rap’s elite. Now, with the surprise release of his latest project, Benny once again proves that raw lyricism, authenticity, and calculated storytelling still matter. If you consider yourself a real hip-hop fan, this drop should have you pressing play immediately.
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TOP 3 SONGS
Honorable Mention. B$F (Ft. Sule & Fuego Base)
I’m not going to lie—after hearing this track, I immediately found myself Googling Sule and Fuego Base. Both artists absolutely bodied their verses, delivering cool, calm, and collected performances laced with clever punchlines and disrespectful bars—all delivered with effortless swagger.
That said, don’t sleep on Benny The Butcher. He sets the tone early with one of his grittier performances to date, dropping aggressive bars about his international tour grind, smuggling blow across borders, and defining darkness in a way that’s colder than most could imagine.
All of this unfolds over a dark, throwback beat that channels prime Roc-A-Fella energy—grimy, cinematic, and built for bar-heavy verses.
Man, posse cuts these days are so much better.
3. $ & Power (Ft. Skylar Blatt)
Very respectfully, anytime you get to hear Benny The Butcher switch up his flow, it’s a rare treat. On “$ & Power,” he delivers exactly that—using a dynamic, start-and-stop cadence that feels surgical and sinister. Rapping over a beat that could’ve easily soundtracked a classic Halloween film, Benny sounds like a ghostly drug dealer creeping through the city in a luxury ride, hunting for opportunities.
Skylar Blatt holds her own impressively, mirroring Benny’s flow with her own twist. She takes a moment to show love to her supporters while keeping her bars fierce and focused.
In a project packed with street-certified heat, “$ & Power” stands out as one of the most unique tracks—a haunting blend of cinematic production, eerie swagger, and tightly-wound performances.
2. Toxic (Ft. Styles P)
“Toxic” is one of those tracks that’ll have you wishing The LOX and Griselda came up in the same era. Backed by a crafty, classic-sounding hip-hop beat, Styles P and Benny The Butcher go bar-for-bar about street operations—from the illegal goods they’re cooking up, to stubborn plugs, to sonning the competition without breaking a sweat.
What makes this track so addictive is the chemistry. Styles P, a certified legend, raps with a cocky swagger, gliding over the beat like he’s just having fun. Benny matches that energy with a touch more grit, delivering his bars with that signature cold-blooded sharpness.
Their back-and-forth exchange is smooth, entertaining, and raw, like watching Luka Doncic and LeBron James on offense together. Definitely not defense, though.
1. Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge
Powered by a chilling, cinematic ‘70s mafia-style beat, “Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge” channels that classic Griselda aesthetic—icy smooth but heavy with menace. Benny brings his signature sly delivery, loading every bar with sharp punchlines and vivid street imagery. He raps about staying battle-ready, flipping bricks, moving through the hood with comfort, and flexing with elite-level chains, women, and cars. It’s vintage Benny: confident, calculated, and cold.
Boldy James joins the fray with a calm and methodical verse. While his laid-back approach adds a contrasting texture, it slightly dulls the track’s momentum. His bars touch on looming indictments and chasing money by any means necessary, but the subdued tone doesn’t quite match Benny’s intensity.
Still, Benny does more than enough to carry the track, making “Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge” a solid opener that sets the tone for what’s to come.
SONG-BY-SONG RATING
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OVERALL RATING
(80%)
You know the saying, “You can take the dude out the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the dude?” That might just be the perfect way to describe Benny The Butcher’s essence—especially on his latest project, Excelsíor.
Even after years in the rap game, Benny hasn’t lost his edge. He still leans into vivid tales of his drug-dealing past, confrontations with opps, and the kind of street wisdom that can’t be faked. And perhaps most impressively, there isn’t a single ounce of commercial polish here.
Excelsíor is raw to its core. The production is soaked in classic street-rap energy, the bars are relentless and unfiltered, and the guests sound like they were a couple of days removed from being on the block. Every element feels handpicked for authenticity.
In the end, Excelsíor doesn’t try to rebrand Benny—it reinforces what fans already know: he may evolve, but he’ll never switch up.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
