SOUNDTRACK: BENNY THE BUTCHER-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #36 (June 19, 2020).
I’d never heard of Benny the Butcher and when I was listening to his boasts, I assumed that maybe he was really old school. He makes a crack about Nicki Minaj that made me think he was like 50, but in fact she is older than he is (which is pretty funny).
Benny the Butcher is part of “the triple threat emcee collective from Buffalo, N.Y., consisting of Westside Gunn, Conway, and Benny the Butcher” known as Griselda. They were supposed to do a Tiny Desk until the coronavirus hit.
Benny the Butcher blessed us with a five-song set from the living room of his current home in Atlanta. (Due to some recording snafus, some of the audio and video in this video doesn’t always sync up.)
I really like when they do five or so songs in under fifteen minutes–it’s like a highlight reel.
There’s something really amusing about these guys rapping some hardcore stuff (the n-word is mentioned about fifty times in 13 minutes) while they are sitting in a suburban-looking house on a gray couch with plants and baby pictures on the table. But somehow, without all of the posturing and video effects, i gets you to listen to the words more closely. And I really liked his lyrics.
“Crown for Kings” is like an old school song full of braggadocio and lots of similes (I assumed it was a twenty year old track) at first, until he rapped
I sat back, a vet, and watched beginners winnin’ my belts
Burned my bridges, came back a good swimmer like Phelps
and then this really funny bit about going to Philly, which includes the Nicki Minaj line
What’s the dealy? I’m only ’bout six hours from Philly
That’s an hour on the plane, I’ll make it three in the Bentley
My bitch keep sayin’ I’m famous, but it ain’t hit me
I’m too ghetto, mellowed out, this Hollywood shit tricky
See, before I knew an A&R, I was weighin’ hard
Back when Nicki Minaj was in a trainin’ bra
and
“Rubber Bands & Weight” was a cool song. Slow and intense with creepy music. I really appreciated the slow delivery in this song. Even though I think the challenge is to see how much you can fit into a verse, sometimes slow gets the point across better. I also liked that this song had a recognizable chorus and the video included jump cuts of him shouting it out.
For the third track, Benny is joined by Rick Hyde and Heem, two artists on his new BSF label imprint, for a live performance of “Da Mob,” the first single off an upcoming label compilation titled Benny The Butcher & DJ Drama Presents: Gangsta Grillz X BSF Da Respected Sopranos. This track is dark and distorted sounding. Hyde’s style is gruff (he jump cuts to Benny’s couch). Then Heem comes in for his verse–they don;t cross paths so I assume it’s all socially safe. Benny returns for the final verse and his is definitely the best voice of the three.
“Cruiser Weight Coke” is a title I don’t get, but I like the sinister sounds on this song–very cool low notes an what sounds like processed vocals. vocals. This line stuck out to me:
If we link up and make plans (shake hands), it’s a done deal if we shake hands
You won’t understand me ‘less you move your family to a place they feel safe in (alright)
This track is really short (less than 2 minutes) and skips the last verse.
It seems to be saving room for “5 to 50.” “5 to 50” and “Crown” come “from his critically acclaimed 2019 album, The Plugs I Met.” It continues in this aggressive style. He seems to pause to really let the final section sink in. And as the song reaches its end, the music cuts out–intentional or not, I can’t tell. I’ve never heard a rap end a capella before, but it really makes the words hit haard and show how good his flow is even with out a beat
I can turn your front door to a drug store
Make any kitchen to a lab
Man, I hear these drug stories and I laugh
Talkin’ ’bout the Coke sales they never had
Pull up on a nigga, you gon’ know the pad
Only house with a Bentley on the grass
As the video ends, he is very pleased. He says
“5 to 50,” “Crown for Kings” “Rubber Bands & Weight,” Oh my goodness! That’s why I’m a legend.
[READ: June 23, 2020] “Lord Mayor Magpie”
This month’s issue of The Walrus is the Summer Reading issue and features two pieces of fiction, one memoir and three poems.
The fourth piece is a poem. It is a simple, but lovely descriptive poem about a magpie.
This poem is five long stanzas.
Magpie idles in a limousine
of black feather with a slash of white
piping that outshines all chrome…
he has the brazen glamour of a motorcade.
My family was playing an online game where you have to give clues to name a person or thing. We did a pop culture round and Alicia Keys came up I think twice. And I asked my daughter is she knew who that was. She said no and asked me if I did and I said no. I couldn’t think of a song she sang and wondered if she was even still singing.
I’ve heard this song a bunch and I like it more each time.
Reading about bubblegum music has led me to a fascinating trove of information. Like that most of the songs were written by two guys who “created” many of the bands. Most of these bands have a revolving cast live but had the same band on record. The two creators were Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz.
SOUNDTRACK: HAIM-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #34 (June 17, 2020).
When Haim first came on the scene they were marketed as a kind of hard rocking sister act. So when I heard them I was really disappointed because they are anything but hard rock. In fact this Tiny Desk (Home) Concert shows just how nicely their music works as kind of poppy folk songs.
SOUNDTRACK: PJ-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #33 (June 12, 2020).
I understand that coming up with a stage name has to be tough, but there’s too many artists who try to go by one name when t hat name isn’t unique enough. I mean, the rapper Dave? C’mon. PJ is another one. That is such a common nickname there’s really no way you can claim it.
SOUNDTRACK: KIRBY-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #32 (June 11, 2020).
With recording equipment as easy to get as it is it seems like every person on earth might have a record out someday. How else to explain how these Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts are just chock full of people I’ve never heard of before.
1910 Fruitgum Company has a great, bizarre name. Especially for a band that released such poppy songs.
