Benny the Butcher has delivered hard-hitting and detailed songs covering his involvement in drug dealing and life on the streets. Last year’s exceptional examination of such matters defined Burden of Proof as a modern classic, exploring themes of survivor’s guilt and the cost of participation. The followup to the 2019 EP of the same name, The Plugs I Met 2 continues to examine these same themes with the perspective of a man who built himself up through experience.

Much of the EP comes across like an attempt to capture the essence of Jay-Z’s 2017 hit comeback album, 4:44, with Benny serving as a spokesman of sorts to inform listeners on how to succeed. Unfortunately, the album struggles to really stand out from the shadow of his previous release while also being bogged down by the baggage of some distasteful lyrics by both him and some of his guests.

The exceptional production is handled by collaborator Harry Fraud, who collaborated with the likes of French Montana and Action Bronson. The beats follow a streamlined structure, always providing a solid backing melody over which Benny gracefully raps. The beats are simplistic, yet effective at evoking the intensity of the stressful moments on the album, while highlighting the head rush of success Benny has come to experience—ranging between classic boom-bap and trap influences. There’s a nice diversity of sound throughout the duration that never feels stagnant.

Benny continues to prove he’s an exceptional wordsmith, employing brilliant wordplay amid his impassioned and vivid story telling. On “Talkin’ Back,” he critiques the obsession of pursuing wealth. “I was in the cell, thinkin’ ’bout ways to get rich/ All these chains on my neck, I’m still a slave in a sense/ Ben Frank on a hundred, but my face on a brick,” he raps.

He also expands upon the trauma and guilt he continues to struggle with on “Survivors Remorse,” expressing his grief for all those he lost along the way. He emphasizes resourcefulness and making the most of what of what he has on “Longevity,” featuring French Montana and Jim Jones. He also weighs on the precariousness of the lifestyle— and how close he had come to losing everything— on “Plug Talk,” with an appearance by 2 Chainz.

However, opening track “When Tony Met Sosa” is an example of where a lyric can derail a song. Similarly to the controversial lyrics of Jay-Z’s “The Story of O.J.,” Benny employs a lyric embracing a common anti-Semitic stereotype that’s both jarring and distasteful—in the midst of a verse about his desire to give back to the community in which he grew up.

It doesn’t stand alone, either, as Fat Joe callously delivers a bar using  words evoking Donald Trump’s attempts to rebrand COVID-19 as the “China Virus” or the “Wuhan Virus” on “Talkin’ Back.” With the mass-killing in Atlanta as a backdrop, lyrics like this come across as cold, inconsiderate and tactless beyond the immediate offense they may cause.

It’s a bit hard to determine what Benny the Butcher set out to do with The Plugs I Met 2. He seems to be meandering thematically. Burden of Proof was an ambitious and incredibly emotional exposé on the tragedy that comes with life on the streets. The new EP is deeply enveloped within its shadow. While both Harry Fraud and Benny bring some really great work forward, it almost feels more like a proof of concept than a thought-out final work due to the loose structure and what seems to be a lack of forethought in places.

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.