

Since he signed to Def Jam at the end of 2021, Benny’s projects have been a mix of underground grit and mainstream appeal—a tough line to walk, but one he walks in style. At seven tracks in 20 minutes, Excelsior captures the gruff thrills of the equally brief The Plugs I Met series, pairing him with a marquee’s worth of midtempo, heritage-coded, narco-rap heroes including Plugs producer Harry Fraud (“Sign Language”), Styles P (“Toxic”) and Boldy James (the exceptionally titled “Duffel Bag Hottie’s Revenge”). You know what they say: You can take the boy out of the street, but…