The rare rapper who sounds as natural on menacing street tracks as slow jams, Vallejo’s Benny is a special talent. Looking to end 2018 on a high note, Benny announces Different, his third project of the year. Bursting at the seams with personality, melodies, and bars, Different is an engaging and revelatory listen, showing off the many moods and modes of Benny as he annihilates glistening Bay Area beats. Drawing influences from all over the hip-hop spectrum, citing Detroit rappers BandGang as a major influence, among others, Different is an eclectic listen, boasting hard-hitting mob slappers like “Breathe,” vulnerable and rhythmic auto-tuners like “Myself,” convincing R&B slow jams like “Out Of Time,” and flashy auto-tuners like “Talk To Me.” The follow-up to June’s Dangerous tape and August’s Soul Snatcher with DJ Gutta Butta, Different arrives on November 30th via EMPIRE.
To accompany the announcement of Different, Benny shares “Bang It,” the project’s lead single. Alternating lilting melodies and rapidfire bars atop soaring synth strings and an impossibly funky bassline, Benny boasts about his playalistic prowess: “I know you know my name girl/So don’t act like no stranger/Cause I’m just tryna bang it.” Premiered by HYPEBEAST, “Bang It” is an ideal West Coast riders’ anthem, channeling a luxurious 80s electro-R&B sample into a jam for the Golden State’s endless summer.
Stream the track above and in other music news:
