Benny the Butcher didn't just show up. For a lot of people, he appeared out of thin air around 2018, looking like a fully formed rap veteran with a scar and a Pyrex fixation. But the Benny the Butcher discography is actually a massive, sprawling labyrinth that stretches back over twenty years. If you only know the hits, you’re missing the actual story of how a guy from Buffalo, New York, outworked the entire industry.
Honestly, it’s kinda wild. Most rappers have a three-year window before they start sounding like they're chasing a trend. Benny? He spent over a decade in the shadows, sharpening his blade. He’s released dozens of projects, some so obscure they’ve basically become urban legends in the Griselda lore.
The Early Grids: Before the Butcher Was "The Butcher"
If you go back to 2004, you’ll find a kid named Jeremie Pennick dropping Tana Talk. No, not the one you've heard. This was the original, a mixtape he printed 5,000 copies of and handed out for free on the corners of Montana Avenue. For years, this was considered lost media. Benny himself said he didn’t even have a copy. It’s the "holy grail" for completionists.
The early 2000s were a weird time for the Benny the Butcher discography. He was just "Benny" back then. He was rapping over popular industry beats, trying to find a lane while his cousins, Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine, were doing their own thing. It wasn't until around 2014, when Griselda Records really started to solidify, that the sound we know today began to take shape.
- Tana Talk (2004) – The lost relic.
- Tana Talk 2 (2005) – More street grit, still finding the voice.
- The Black Soprano Family (2015) – The birth of the BSF collective.
The Shift to the "Griselda Sound"
Everything changed with My First Brick in 2016. This is where Daringer, the architect of that dusty, eerie Griselda production, stepped in. Benny stopped trying to sound like what was on the radio. He started sounding like Buffalo. Cold. Gray. Unforgiving.
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The Run That Changed Everything (2018–2021)
You’ve probably heard people argue about which Benny project is the best. Usually, they're talking about this three-year stretch. This is when the Benny the Butcher discography went from underground cult favorite to Billboard-charting powerhouse.
Tana Talk 3 (2018) is widely considered his magnum opus. It’s 14 tracks of pure, unfiltered street reporting. Produced entirely by The Alchemist and Daringer, it felt like a classic the day it dropped. It didn't need a radio hook. It just needed "Joe Pesci 38."
Then came The Plugs I Met in 2019. It’s a short EP, only seven songs, but it’s dense. This is where he brought in Black Thought and Pusha T, proving he could stand toe-to-toe with the greatest lyricists alive. Honestly, "Crowns for Kings" might be one of the best rap songs of the last decade. Period.
Crossing Over Without Selling Out
In 2020, Benny did something nobody expected: he teamed up with Hit-Boy for Burden of Proof.
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If Tana Talk 3 was a gritty basement tape, Burden of Proof was a cinematic blockbuster. The beats were soul-heavy and polished. It sounded expensive. Fans were worried he was going "mainstream," but then he opened the album with "Burden of Proof" and reminded everyone he was still the same guy. It peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200, a massive feat for a guy rapping about "triple beams and digital scales."
The Major Label Era: Def Jam and Beyond
Signing to Def Jam in 2021 was a "moment." It was the culmination of years of independent grinding. But with big labels comes big pressure. The Benny the Butcher discography in 2024 and 2025 shows an artist trying to balance that "major label" polish with the "grimy basement" energy that built his house.
Everybody Can’t Go (2024) was his official Def Jam debut. It’s a polarizing one. Critics loved it—Metacritic gave it an 82—but some hardcore fans felt it was a little too "safe." You had "Big Dog" with Lil Wayne, which was a certified heater, but then you had tracks that felt like they were aiming for a club play that Benny doesn't usually need.
The 2025 Renaissance: Excelsíor and Summertime Butch 2
If anyone thought Benny was slowing down, 2025 proved them wrong. He’s been on an absolute tear.
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- Excelsíor (2025): This was a return to form for many. Tracks like "Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge" brought back that chilling, cinematic '70s mafia vibe. It felt less like a label obligation and more like a statement of intent.
- Summertime Butch 2 (2025): Dropping in the heat of July, this project showed a more relaxed side of the Butcher. It’s got features from G Herbo and Westside Gunn, mixing that Buffalo grit with a slightly more melodic, "riding music" feel.
- Stabbed & Shot 2 (2025): The long-awaited sequel with 38 Spesh. If you like your rap with zero hooks and 100% bars about the drug trade, this was the highlight of the year.
Why the Order of the Benny the Butcher Discography Matters
People often get confused because Benny drops projects under different banners. You’ve got his solo albums, his BSF (Black Soprano Family) collective projects, and his collaborative tapes.
If you're trying to navigate the Benny the Butcher discography, don't just look at the years. Look at the producers. If it’s Daringer or Alchemist, you’re getting the "Griselda sound." If it’s Hit-Boy or Harry Fraud, you’re getting the "Gourmet Street Rap" sound. Both are valid, but they hit different.
There’s a common misconception that he "fell off" after joining a major. That’s just internet talk. If you look at the numbers, he’s charting higher and touring bigger than ever. The quality hasn't dipped; the scale has just increased. He’s gone from being the best-kept secret in New York to a global representative of a sound that people said was dead in 2010.
Your Next Steps for Navigating the Butcher’s Catalog
If you’re new to the Butcher or just realized you’ve missed a few chapters, here is the best way to catch up without getting overwhelmed.
- Start with the "Big Three": Listen to Tana Talk 3, The Plugs I Met, and Burden of Proof. This gives you the full spectrum of his ability, from the grimiest underground tracks to his most polished commercial work.
- Don't ignore the BSF tapes: Projects like Trust the Sopranos and the Summertime Butch series often have hidden gems where Benny is just having fun with his crew.
- Track the 2025 releases: If you haven't spun Excelsíor or Stabbed & Shot 2 yet, you’re missing his most recent evolution. He's found a middle ground between the Def Jam polish and the Buffalo dirt.
- Watch the features: Benny is a "feature killer." His verses on other people's tracks—like J. Cole’s "Johnny P’s Caddy"—are often just as essential to his discography as his own albums.
The Butcher’s work is a testament to the long game. In an industry obsessed with 15 minutes of fame, Benny spent 15 years building a foundation. He’s not going anywhere.