Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, it’s better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back and listen to all of our favorites at the click of a button, but there is also a ton of great music still being made by artists, young and veteran alike…if you know where to look. To help with that task, we’ve created a playlist with recently released music. We update it regularly, so subscribe to follow us on Spotify if you like what you hear.

Benny has had a busy 2022. The Butcher released Tana Talk 4 back in March, including one of the year’s best songs, the J. Cole collaboration, “Johnny P’s Caddy,” produced by Alchemist. While that LP arrived on Griselda Records, Benny continues to shine a light on his Black Soprano Family roster and longtime movement. On September 9, Benny is releasing Long Live DJ Shay, a dedication to his Buffalo, New York mentor and collaborator, who died after a COVID-19 diagnosis in August 2020. Shay, who produced 2019’s Black Thought-assisted “Crowns For Kings” among countless other Benny songs, presumably left a void in the MC’s circle and support system. The first look from Long Live DJ Shay is from Benny and his BSF crew, on a song produced by DJ Premier (who had met Shay, and kept his name strong).

Griselda & DJ Premier Put The Boom Bap Back In New York Rap (Video)

“Times Is Rough” is textbook Preemo amid his own red-hot 2022. Just like he and Benny’s first link, on 2019’s “Headlines,” the song features hard scratching, including a classic Wu-Tang Clan lyric, and a mosaic of sounds. Benny spits first, at the epicenter of struggle. “I’m runnin’ out of reasons to feel sorry / There’s blood on the streets, you gonna get mud on your cleats when the field’s soggy / Shorty gotta use both hands, and Jill Scott me / Plug told me when my record stop sellin’, he still got me,” he opens, before “The minute that I feel that the love gone / I be back with gloves on, just in case you was rubbed wrong / And if it ain’t Griselda, it’s love songs / And if the dope ain’t good, then it’s cut wrong.”

Conway The Machine’s Freestyle Wrecks Shop Alongside Benny & Rick Hyde (Video)

Heem, who released High Art back in April, spits next. The Buffalo Eastsider raps about his transition from the streets to the booth with a confidence. He references Biggie and Preemo along the way. Rick Hyde, an MC and producer, finishes out the vocals. In late May, he released Stima, with contributions from Alchemist, Rome Streetz, and Benny.

The video involves Premier, Benny, Ricky, and Heem. They appear in the projects, surrounded by imagery as rough and tough as their past circumstances. Preemo stands beside Rick Hyde and Heem to give them one of the most powerful stamps in Hip-Hop music. However, through will and talent, they push through. Long Live DJ Shay will feature Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Krayzie Bone, Boldy James, Stove God Cooks, and more. This week, Benny posted the tracklist.

Nas & DJ Premier’s New Song Takes Hip-Hop Back To Its Golden Era

The AFH playlist currently features several other Benny The Butcher songs, including recent collaborations with  French Montana, Jadakiss, and J. Cole. All five songs from DJ Premier’s newly-released Hip Hop 50, Vol. 1 are also included.

#BonusBeat: An Ambrosia For Heads interview where Benny, Conway The Machine, and Westside Gunn discuss the importance of DJ Premier and working together for “Headlines.”