''Burden of Proof'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper

Benny the Butcher Jeremie Damon Pennick (born November 27, 1984), known professionally as Benny the Butcher, or simply Benny, is an American rapper and songwriter. He came to prominence in 2018 following the release of his debut album, '' Tana Talk 3''. Along w ...

. It was released on October 16, 2020, through

Griselda Griselda, also spelled Grizelda, is a feminine given name from Germanic sources that is now used in English, Italian, and Spanish as well. According to the 1990 United States Census, the name was 1,066th in popularity among females in the Unit ...

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

. Produced entirely by

Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his l ...

, it features guest appearances from

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. He met Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popul ...

Conway the Machine Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine, or simply Conway, is an American rapper and co-founder of the hip hop label Griselda Records, alongside his paternal half-brother Westside Gunn. Acclaimed for h ...

, Dom Kennedy, Freddie Gibbs, Lil Wayne, Queen Naija, Rick Ross and Westside Gunn. The album was acclaimed by critics and debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 with about 19,000 equivalent album units.

Critical reception

''Burden of Proof'' was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a Standard score, normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an Weighted arithmetic mean, average score of 82 based on six reviews. Jayson Buford of ''Consequence of Sound'' praised the album, calling it "the biggest Benny album to date, but he doesn't lose what made him great and such a beloved underground rapper. His boasts are as strong as ever, and his flows are cold like the air in the Buffalo, New York, Buffalo streets". Mark Elibert of ''HipHopDX'' said, "Benny raps with so much confidence and gratitude here that listeners have to tip their hat to the certified Buffalo legend. For those used to the aggressive, violent music of The Butcher will be happy to hear this fresh, refined take on his sound". Tim Sentz of ''Beats Per Minute (website), Beats Per Minute'' stated, "It's a busy record for sure, but it makes for an exhilarating listen front to back. At less than 40 minutes, it's also one of the most compact rap albums of the year, running more like a singer-songwriter level of conciseness and less of an over-zealous rapper". AllMusic's Fred Thomas compared the album to previous releases, by saying that it "finds Benny the Butcher fully formed after years of development and growth. There's even a marked upgrade in production compared to his 2018 outing ''Tana Talk 3'', which stuck close to the East Coast hip hop influences that had guided the majority of Benny's work before that point". Robin Murray of ''Clash (magazine), Clash'' said that the album "pushes Benny The Butcher back to the forefront, and offers further evidence that Griselda is one of the most vital labels in North American hip-hop right now". Dylan Green of ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork'' said, "He has every right to experiment and try on sounds as he sees fit.

attempts to balance this out by heading in the opposite direction so fully that it occasionally overwhelms Benny's personality. ... ''Burden of Proof'' is undoubtedly the next step in Benny's evolution, even if the music doesn't always match the vision".

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2020 albums Albums produced by Hit-Boy Griselda Records albums Empire Distribution albums Benny the Butcher albums