Benny the Butcher

Benny the Butcher
Benny the Butcher in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Jeremie Damon Pennick
Also known as	2 Chain Bennymane B.E.N.N.Y. The Butcher
Born	(1984-11-27) November 27, 1984 (age 39) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter
Years active	2004–present
Labels	5 to 50 Def Jam Griselda Black Soprano Family
Website	bennythebutcherstore.com

Jeremie Damon Pennick (born November 27, 1984), known professionally as Benny the Butcher, or simply Benny, is an American rapper and songwriter. He came to prominence in 2018 following the release of his debut album, Tana Talk 3. Along with his cousins and fellow rappers Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine, with which he forms the collective Griselda, he is known for his '90s inspired rap songs and is often credited with leading a revival of so called 'grimy' and 'gritty' hip hop music, influenced by mafioso and drug dealing themes. ^[1]

Despite being signed at the age of 15, he continued to engage in drug dealing activities for a significant portion of his early life. Following the death of his brother, Machine Gun Blak, Pennick released numerous mixtapes and collaboration albums. His notable and most cited works are the albums Butcher on Steroids, Tana Talk 3 , Burden of Proof , Tana Talk 4 and the EP The Plugs I Met.

Pennick's music often centers on his experiences as a young drug dealer in Buffalo, New York and the obstacles and experiences he encountered. He has been praised by peers and critics for his storytelling ability and choice of sound. ^[2]

Early life

Pennick was born on November 27, 1984 and was the second-eldest of eight siblings, raised by a single mother. He spent his childhood growing up in Montana Avenue in the city of Buffalo, New York. Due to the prevalent youth poverty rate in the area, Pennick started dealing heroin at the age of 14, ^[3] despite witnessing his mother struggle with addiction.

Career

2004–2005: First mixtapes

Early in his career Pennick started to work with local Buffalo hip hop stalwart DJ Shay and started to record songs regularly. Pennick released his first mixtape titled Tana Talk in 2004. Pennick notes he printed 5,000 copies of his mixtape and handed them out for free to gain fans. Tana Talk 1 is considered a piece of lost media, of which Pennick himself initially commented that he does not have a copy. However, in an interview promoting Tana Talk 3 , Pennick hinted that he does have the source files for the mixtape, and would release the mixtape should he feel inclined to in the future. ^[4] He released the follow up, Tana Talk 2, in 2005.

2005–2013: Shooting of brother and initial mixtapes

On October 3, 2006, Pennick's older brother Marchello Lowery, also known as Machine Gun Blak, was shot in a drive by shooting on Montana Block, in Buffalo, New York. Pennick was in jail for violating his parole at the time. The death of Lowery impacted Pennick and his cousins profoundly, and has a major influence on the content of their music and lyrics. ^[5]

Motivated by the legacy and work ethic of Lowery, Pennick started to record songs and compile mixtapes at an increased rate, releasing 12 between 2007 and 2013. ^[6] During this time he was still an active drug dealer, being caught numerous times by the police and serving multiple sentences in prison.

2014–2016: Signing to Griselda Records, Black Soprano Family and final projects as Benny

In 2014, Westside Gunn founded Griselda Records, through which Benny, Conway The Machine, and Westside Gunn would self-release their own projects. Pennick's music would take a major shift from popular sounds and reused beats from existing artists, as was the trend in the 2000s mixtape period, to more targeted in house production. He adopted the sound pioneered by his cousins, Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine, and developed by the in house producer, Daringer. Pennick appeared on many releases by Griselda Records and started to gain popularity as a regular featured artist. Around the same time Pennick founded the Black Soprano Family, a collective of Buffalo rappers that he was affiliated with. They released the collective mixtape Black Soprano Family on May 11, 2015. ^[7] He then released the mixtape My 1 on a 1 in 2016. The Black Soprano mixtape marked the end of his work as 'Benny', as future releases from this point would be under the moniker Benny the Butcher.

2016–2017: Benny the Butcher and new artistic direction

During 2016, Pennick began to work with the in house producer for Griselda Records, Daringer, and moulded his sound to match the sonic aesthetics of other Griselda imprint members. He released his first solo mixtape under Griselda, titled My First Brick, on October 8, 2016. This mixtape marked a change in Pennick's style and choice of beats to rap over. The mixtape followed a more 'boom bap' aesthetic, incorporating live instruments instead of the more heavily 808s and synthesizers typical of his previous mixtape efforts, and showed more experimentation with sound. He then released the EP 17 Bullets, emphasizing his new artistic direction.

On March 3, 2017, Griselda (as a collective), as well as Pennick's cousins Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine, signed a deal with Eminem's Shady Records, a subsidiary of Interscope. In April 2017, Benny the Butcher and his collective Black Soprano Family signed a label deal with Entertainment One Music. ^[8] While working on his next project and debut album, Following this, he released the EP Tommy Devitos Breakfast on October 28, 2017. ^[9]

That same year, on November 17, 2017, Pennick, as Benny the Butcher, released the mixtape Butcher On Steroids, in collaboration with DJ Green Lantern. This was part of a series of mixtapes that DJ Green Lantern was creating with Griselda Records members, having made similar 'Steroids' mixtapes with Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn. The mixtape was received with critical acclaim and widely praised by fans and critics who noted Pennick's progression and refined sonic Palette. ^{[10] [11]}

Capitalizing on the success of Butcher on Steroids, Pennick collaborated with his hometown friend and fellow rapper, 38 Spesh, to release the joint mixtape Stabbed and Shot, officially released on 18 February 2018. ^[12]

2018–2019: Debut album Tana Talk 3, The Plugs I Met, WWCD and critical acclaim

On November 23, 2018, Pennick released his debut studio album Tana Talk 3 , produced by The Alchemist and Griselda Records' in house producer Daringer. This would be the third in the installments of Tana Talk projects, named after the block Pennick grew up on, Montana Avenue. The cover is a painting of his deceased older half-brother, MachineGun Black as a baby, and the lyrics to the album would focus heavily on Pennick's feelings on the death of his brother. The album was developed by setting aside suitable songs and beats created during Westside Gunn's, Hitler Wears Hermes 6, recording sessions. ^[13] Once those recording sessions were complete The Alchemist and Pennick completed recording other songs within two weeks. Critics praised the production and content of the album, saying "There's a certain introspection that guides Benny’s lyrics on this song, as he touches on topics ranging from drug trafficking to police racism in the murder of Eric Garner". ^[14] HipHopDX claimed that "Benny the Butcher crafts his magnus opus with Tana Talk 3 ", ^[15] writing that "the project is all the things you love about everything Griselda ever drops, but with this extra layer of sonic consistency crafted by the two upper-echelon grimy beatsmiths". ^[15]

June 21, 2019 marked the release of his fourth extended play, The Plugs I Met, which included guest appearances from Black Thought, Pusha T, 38 Spesh, Jadakiss, and Conway the Machine. ^{[16] [17] [18]} On August 6, it was announced that Pennick signed a management deal with Roc Nation. ^[19] Writing about Benny the Butcher's 2019 project, Dan-O of Freemusicempire said "Benny The Butcher did an EP with the greatest guest list of the year. Right after the intro skit you hear him next to Black Thought. Next song Jadakiss, and closing out the project with Pusha T's second best guest appearance of 2019 on 18 Wheeler. No matter who was with him Benny blew like Sonny Rollins on the Sax, whether Conway The Machine or Eminem was coming on next...it didn't matter. The Butcher has a gift and no fear." ^[20]

2020–present: Commercial success and Def Jam deal

On August 27, 2020, Benny the Butcher announced in an interview with Adam22 for No Jumper that he would release an album under eOne called Burden of Proof between late September and early October. ^[21] The album was eventually released on October 16 to rave reviews. ^[22]

On March 19, 2021, Benny the Butcher released the sequel to The Plugs I Met EP, with a collaboration EP with Harry Fraud, named The Plugs I Met 2 . This EP received widespread critical acclaim from various music critics. ^[23]

On November 12, 2021, he officially signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings for upcoming releases. The announcement was made by American rapper Snoop Dogg, a creative consultant for the label, on Joe Rogan's podcast The Joe Rogan Experience a week after Benny the Butcher was featured on Snoop Dogg's single "Murder Music" alongside Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes. ^{[24] [25]}

On January 28, 2022, Benny released the single, "Johnny P's Caddy", with rapper J. Cole. The song is the lead single from Benny's album, Tana Talk 4 , which he has labeled "album of the year". ^[26] Tana Talk 4 was eventually released on March 11 to generally favorable reviews. ^[27]

Two years following the release of Tana Talk 4, Benny made his major label debut under Def Jam on January 26, 2024, with the release of his fourth full-length studio album, Everybody Can't Go . ^{[28] [29]} The album included guest appearances from Armani Caesar, Babyface Ray, Conway the Machine, Jadakiss, Kyle Banks, Lil Wayne, Peezy, Rick Hyde, Snoop Dogg, Stove God Cooks, and Westside Gunn. ^[30] The album was solely produced by The Alchemist and Hit-Boy, with Corbett providing additional production on the title track. ^[31]

Personal life

In November 2020, in Houston, Texas, Benny the Butcher was shot in the leg during an attempted robbery in a Walmart parking lot. ^[32]

On October 27, 2021, Benny the Butcher cancelled a concert at Detroit's Saint Andrew's Hall after he was hospitalized with asthma, a condition he has both rapped about and spoken about in interviews. ^{[33] [34]} In a verified annotation on Genius's lyric page for his song "Where Would I Go" off the 2020 album Burden of Proof , he wrote he has lived with asthma for 25 years and the condition forces him to go to the emergency room two or three times a year: "I got to be careful, I got to make sure I wear my mask, I got to make sure I'm taking my medicine. Running the streets and being in and out of prison, it's probably something I haven't done the best of. But being older, that's something that I take care of". ^[35]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [36]	US R&B/HH [37]	US Rap [38]	US Ind. [39]	CAN [40]	UK DL [41]
Tana Talk 3	Released: November 23, 2018 Label: Griselda, Black Soprano Family Format: LP, digital download, streaming	—	—	—	—	—	—
Burden of Proof	Released: October 16, 2020 Label: Griselda, Empire Format: LP, digital download, streaming	27	14	15	8	100	—
Tana Talk 4	Released: March 11, 2022 Label: Griselda, Black Soprano Family, Empire Format: LP, digital download, streaming	22	12	9	6	—	—
Everybody Can't Go	Released: January 26, 2024 Label: 5 to 50, Def Jam Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming	93	37	—	—	—	46

Collaboration albums

List of mixtapes, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details
Butcher on Steroids (with DJ Green Lantern)	Released: November 27, 2017 Formats: LP, digital download, streaming
Trust the Sopranos (with 38 Spesh)	Released: May 21, 2021 Formats: LP, digital download, streaming

Extended plays

Title	EP details	Peak chart positions
		US [36]	US R&B/HH [37]	US Rap [38]	US Ind. [39]	UK R&B [42]
17 Bullets	Released: December 26, 2016 [43] Label: Black Soprano Family Format: Digital download, streaming	—	—	—	—	—
Tommy Devito's Breakfast (with Cuns)	Released: October 28, 2017 Label: Tuff Kong Format: Digital download, streaming	—	—	—	—	—
A Friend of Ours	Released: June 1, 2018 [44] Label: Black Soprano Family Format: Digital download, streaming	—	—	—	—	—
The Plugs I Met	Released: June 21, 2019 [45] Label: Black Soprano Family Format: Digital download, streaming	—	—	—	22	—
Statue of Limitations (with Smoke DZA)	Released: October 18, 2019 [46] Label: RFC, Cinematic Format: Digital download, streaming	—	—	—	38	—
The Plugs I Met 2 (with Harry Fraud)	Released: March 19, 2021 Label: Black Soprano Family, SRFSCHL Format: Digital download, streaming	33	16	13	5	21
Pyrex Picasso	Released: August 13, 2021 [47] Label: Black Soprano Family, Rare Scrilla Format: Digital download, streaming	—	—	—	—	—

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details
Tana Talk (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: 2004 Formats: LP
B.E.N.N.Y. vs. Lil Wayne (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: 2007 Formats: LP
The American D.Boy (as B.EY)	Released: February 9, 2007 Formats: LP
American D.Boy II: Lindsay Lohan (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: October 2007 Formats: LP
American D.Boy III: Paris Hilton & Kate Moss (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: February 2, 2009 Formats: LP
B.E.N.N.Y. Best Ever (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: February 7, 2009 Formats: LP
The Mayor's Back (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: February 11, 2009 Formats: LP
American D.Boy IV: Amy Winehouse (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: February 12, 2009 Formats: LP
Tana Talk 2 (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: February 12, 2009 Formats: LP
American D.Boy V (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: 2009 Formats: LP
Chains Bond (as 2 Chain Bennymane)	Released: April 8, 2009 Formats: LP
Benny Montana (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: 2007 Formats: LP
Benny Montana (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: June 22, 2010 Formats: LP
Married 2 Da Game: The Mixtape (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: 2007 Formats: LP
B.E.N.N.Y. Best Ever (as B.E.N.N.Y.)	Released: February 26, 2013 Formats: LP
Black Soprano Family (as Benny)	Released: May 11, 2015 Formats: LP
1 on a 1 (as Benny)	Released: March 8, 2016 Formats: LP
1 on a 1	Released: March 8, 2016 Formats: LP, digital download, streaming
My First Brick	Released: October 8, 2016 Formats: LP, digital download, streaming

Collaboration mixtapes

• Best of the Underworld(as B.E.N.N.Y. with Johnal) (2006)
• Cocaine Cowboys(as B.E.N.N.Y. with .38 Special) (2009)
• Who Wants What(with Street Entertainment and DJ Kay Slay) (2006)
• SE Gang Bang Bang(with Street Entertainment) (2005)
• The Pre-season: Mixtape Series(with Buff City Music Group) (2012)
• Stabbed & Shot(with 38 Spesh) (2018)
• Searchin' for a Purpose(with Black Soprano Family) (2020)
• Da Respected Sopranos(with Black Soprano Family and DJ Drama) (2020)
• Long Live DJ Shay(with Black Soprano Family) (2022)

With Griselda

• WWCD (2019)

Charted songs

Title	Year	Peak chart positions					Album
		US [48]	US R&B/HH [49]	US Rap [50]	CAN [51]	WW [52]
"Johnny P's Caddy" (with J. Cole)	2022	72	22	14	84	139	Tana Talk 4

Music videos

As lead artist
Year	Album	Title	Director	Featured artist
2015	Black Soprano Family	La Familia	Austin Martinelli	G Herbo
2016	1 On A 1	All In My Head	n/c
	My First Brick	Me & Doug	AK.Reed Films
2017	Butcher on Steroids	Change	THC Films
		Hustler's Wife
2018	Stabbed & Shot	2 Weapons	n/c	38 Spesh
		Man Of The Kitchen	GrecTVfilms
	A Friend of Ours	India	Solo Visions	El Camino
		Long Way	Slim Gus. The Video Shotta
		Jackpot	D. Hawks
	Tana Talk 3	Joe Pesci 38	Slim Gus. The Video Shotta
		Broken Bottles	Mercenary Films
2019		Rubber Bands & Weight	Slim Gus. The Video Shotta
		Scarface Vs. Sosa Pt. 2	Condido Verona
	The Plugs I Met	5 to 50	Otto the Director	India
		Took the Money to the Plug's House	Condido Verona
		Sunday School (Live Version)	1000 Words	Jadakiss, 38 Spesh
2020	Burden of Proof	Legend	Joe Lombard	Hit-Boy
		Famous	The Wizard
		Trade It All
2021	The Plugs I Met 2	Thanksgiving		Harry Fraud
		Plug Talk		Harry Fraud, 2 Chainz
		Survivor's Remorse	The Digggers	Harry Fraud, Rick Hyde
		When Tony Met Sosa		Harry Fraud
		Overall	Paperface	Harry Fraud, Chinx
	Long Live DJ Shay	Mr. Pyrex Man	The Wizard
2022	Tana Talk 4	Johnny P's Caddy	Heirs	J. Cole
		10 More Commandments	The Wizard	Diddy
		Bust a Brick Nick	Kat, Tony Deniro, Blu
		Uncle Bun	Nitro4K	38 Spesh
		Super Plug	CMDelux
	/	Welcome to the States	n/c
	Tana Talk 4	Thowy's Revenge	Max Toshiro
2023	/	Big Dog	Ricky Alvarez	Lil Wayne
		One Foot In	The Wizard	Stove God Cooks
2024	Everybody Can't Go	BRON
		Back Again	Thirdeyeraz	Snoop Dogg

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2021	Conflicted	Nick	Film Debut

References

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