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This morning (March 11), Benny The Butcher released his highly-anticipated Tana Talk 4. While B.E.N.N.Y has dropped two volumes of The Plugs I Met, in 2019 and 2021, respectively, Tana Talk is the series that traces the Buffalo, New York MC back to his genesis. The early volumes arrived years before Griselda Records’ success—or even Benny joining his cousins Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine at their DIY label. That same series advanced Benny’s career to breakthrough recognition with TT3 in late 2018. Like that album, TT4 is produced by Daringer and Alchemist, as well as Griselda affiliate Beat Butcha, with a tight cast of elite lyricist guests. J. Cole, Boldy James, Stovegod Cooks, as well as Gunn and Conway. Diddy also makes a special appearance on “10 More Crack Commandments.” Released 25 years to the week after Biggie Smalls was tragically killed, this song provides an approved sequel to one of The Notorious B.I.G.’s final records. Benny, who has previously worked with DJ Premier, has Diddy bless the song.

Griselda Have Made A Sequel To A Mobb Deep Classic

Produced by Daringer and Beat Butcha, “10 Crack Commandments” begins with musical tension. Benny gets to business with the following orders, with Puffy talking underneath the D-Boy tenants:

“Number 20 / Gotta be to make sure that you count the money”

“19 is, don’t ever burn a plug, dog, that’s silly / I had to mention it, since this one wasn’t on Biggie list”

“18, you better test that work before you buy it / Of course they gonna say it’s fire, but you know these ni**as be lyin’”

“17, take care of the people around you / They only appreciate how you / Value loyalty when they eating beside you”

“16 is hard for ni**as, but you gotta stack / You got some racks, soon as your name started buzzin’, you got attached / You should spend that money on re-upping and not at Saks”

“15 a good one, listen, most people confused / How we spend money on whips and jewels? / They think we’re fools / But from a drug dealer’s view, buy a Benz or a chain or two / Go broke, then sell everything in a week, you’ll be back like new / So basically f*ck all that spendin’ on clothes and trickin’ on h*es / Only buy sh*t that can be sold”

“14, just lead by example, ni**a / ‘Cause you could be richer, but my hand don’t equal triple the financial difference”

“13’s tricky, Big couldn’t even approach it / When he was slingin’ and totin’, this wasn’t even a focus / No social media postin’”

“Rule number 12 / I know this one a little too well / Stand for something or fall for anything, respect is like a shell.”

“11 the most important / Somewhere on our way we lost it / Toss some rocks at prisons / Married the game, it’s hard to divorce it / From a hustler to another, not to interfere with your business / But since I’m here for this one, I gotta be crystal clear with you ni**as / The first chance you get, you better get out this sh*t”

As Benny has transitioned his life from convict to the top of Hip-Hop’s current class, the sentiment is authentic and heartfelt. Diddy provides the song’s outro with a world about Black culture and a call for unity.

DJ Premier Re-Creates The “Ten Crack Commandments” Beat Using Turntables (Video)

Notably, Griselda is no stranger to classic sequels. Last year, Benny and Conway guested on Westside Gunn’s “Hell On Earth 2,” which paid tribute to a 1996 Mobb Deep anthem.

On the AFH playlist, listeners can also hear other songs by Benny The Butcher, as well as Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, Mach-Hommy, Boldy James, and Rome Streetz. There are also new songs by Joey Bada$$, EARTHGANG, Fatlip & Blu, Kxng Crooked & Joell Ortiz, Nez featuring ScHoolboy Q, Brother Ali, KRS-One, Robert Glasper, Murs & DJ Fresh, Fly Anakin, B Leafs, and more.

Benny The Butcher & J. Cole Have Released An Instant Classic

#BonusBeat: AFH’s most recent interview with Benny The Butcher, covering The Plugs I Met: