"I Don't Fuck With No Nigga That Rap If It Ain't Benny"

I've been holding off for a while now. I've been waiting to see if anything new dropped or if my opinion changed. But we're now halfway through November and nothing. So, I'm ready to officially declare my favourite rap album of the year.

Now, let me be clear, this ain't my favourite album this year. Tyler still has that crown, but my favourite rap album of the year is... "The Plugs I Met" by Benny the Butcher. 

Now if you've had a conversation with me at all this year, you should already know how hard I've been pushing this album. So to a lot of you this shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. However, to some others, you might not have hear of this album or this rapper. That's fine. But while you're here allow me to at least try to explain what it is about this album that has it ranked above everybody and everything else that's come out this year.

So, let me try set the scene for you guys:

 

The first time I listened to this album I was in DC. It was a very early morning, and I was on my way to hear a Senate hearing at Congress. So, I'm in a 3-Piece Suit all professional waiting for the train, and I had been meaning to listen to this album for a minute and for whatever reason that day just felt like the right day.

I got 1 track into the album and I realized it was a terrible idea for me to listen to that album on that day.

I'm in a three piece suit, in Congress, but I had Benny in my ear and honestly, I've never had a stronger urge to rob someone in my life. I wasn't sure what to expect when I put on the tape and by the time I was finished I was pleasantly surprised by how great of an album it was. To think this was my first time listening to Benny and to hear him hold his own on tracks with Black Thought, Jadakiss and Pusha T all on one album told me a lot about him as a rapper.

Now, as personal confession, some of you may be surprised to note that I've actually never sold crack before. But I always have a strong and weird affinity for rappers, artists and music which touches upon and details the trials and tribulations that come with that lifestyle. I think it has a lot to with the fact that most rappers who speak on this lifestyle always have so many applicable life lessons in their lyrics. And "The Plugs I Met" falls right into that vein.

An extremely short project, clocking in at only 24 minutes and 30 seconds. Benny was still able to almost perfectly describe his life in the trap in an easily consumable manner. And it was a great intro for me, to a rapper who has a stellar catalogue of music prior to this album. In a year with a lot of albums sitting in the very good tier. "The Plugs I Met", to me stood as the lone great rap album this year. In a year where very few albums stayed in rotation past their release week or month, I've found myself routinely going back and listening to this album in full at every turn. And I'm yet to get tired of it.

So if you're at all like me, and you just go crazy for cocaine related rap, I implore you to go sample this album. Even if you only stay for the immaculate Black Thought and Pusha T features.