Album Review: The Plugs I Met 2 by Benny the Butcher & Harry Fraud
Jeremie Pennick, or better known by his stage name, Benny The Butcher, is a rapper from Buffalo, New York. Rory Quigley, or known as Harry Fraud, is a producer and composer from New York. You may remember my review of a recent Benny the Butcher project, but he teams up with the well known producer, Harry Fraud. Harry Fraud has worked with plenty of people, but the most recent one I reviewed was probably with Curren$y. The Plugs I Met 2 is the first project where they have collaborated on every track.
The first track from the project is When Tony Met Sosa. Just like any other Harry Fraud project, you have the classic hook from him to open up the project once Benny the Butcher is done with his quick introduction. It’s a nice and catchy jazz section with a saxophone that seems to have some shining parts here and there. On this track, he continues to talk about how he’s the best in the game and how the rap game saved him from a life in the streets.
Overall seems to tone down the album a bit, but I’m definitely getting a MF DOOM vibe from some of the electronic effects Harry Fraud was able to throw together on here. Other than that, it’s a bit weird hearing Benny the Butcher on this track, even though he continues to kill it. Some of the other features take advantage of their feature though. Just like some of his previous projects, he continues to rap about things that have happened in the street, such as gang violence.
Plug Talk has a pretty interesting feature since it features 2 Chainz. We do have more of a trap feeling on this track, especially since 2 Chainz is on this one, but there’s still a background voice that does add a strange twist. It’s been some time since I’ve listened to 2 Chainz rap, but I must say I wasn’t disappointed and I actually really dig this track. 2 Chainz definitely makes this beat go harder and brings the real heat to the project.
Live by It is the next track from the project. For the most part, the beat consists of some running piano parts, a live drum kit, as well as a backing vocal sample. This is probably the first track that I could care less about. Like I said, once you start hearing some things from Benny the Butcher, the rest sounds the same after you get into the loop of a few tracks. After awhile, it’s mostly life on the streets about weapons and robbery.
Harry Fraud cooked up a pretty interesting beat for Talkin’ Back. It reminds me a bit of Mask Off by Future since we have a flute feature on here. I guess it’s becoming a bit more normal to include these odd instruments to hip hop. Besides that, I must say we have some pretty interesting name drops from Fat Joe, especially since he mentions Harvey Weinstein, but at least mentions Wu-Tang Clan. An odd combination, but he makes it work.
No Instructions features an orchestral string part, so it gives off a quiet and sad vibe, which you can definitely hear it how Benny the Butcher is rapping when the track opens up. Since it’s a bit sadder in tone, he does mention religion on here and how he signed a letter to God. He also mentions how these people are worshiping rappers instead, even though a lot of these rappers aren’t that great or are only in it for the money.
Never thought I would see Benny the Butcher, French Montana, and Jim Jones on Longevity. The moment I saw Jim Jones I was surprised since I haven’t heard of him since We Fly High which was YEARS ago. Then French Montana… He had one popular song and tried to start beef with others, even though he isn’t that great. Besides the artists, they seem to flex their money and talk about how they need their money and career to last the longest.
Survivor’s Remorse is another slower and sadder sounding track. And of course, since it comes from the heart, you can hear the emotion in his voice as he raps. Instead of the string part, we mainly have a piano part with an occasional violin. As the title suggests, it brings it back to the time when he was on the streets. It sounds like he feels guilty for being alive when some of the people he was hanging with were killed due to gang violence. He also has the thought that it could have been him instead of them.
The final track we have on the project is Thanksgiving. This track was first teased towards the end of 2019, but we finally get this track on the project and it’s definitely one of the best collaborations between the two artists. We have an electronic/synth like beat, but it does add a nice layer to the rapping. On this track, Benny the Butcher talks about how people should thank him instead of criticizing about what he’s rapping about.
Overall Rating: 6/10
Favorite Tracks: When Tony Met Sosa, Plug Talk, No Instructions, Survivor’s Remorse
Originally published at https://www.lazymusicguru.com
