Beny Jr is one of the key names in Spanish urban music today. Without the support of a multinational and without hardly exposing himself on social media, where he also usually appears hooded, Beny Jr has managed to generate a cult following around his figure that is reflected in his almost 8 million listeners on Spotify. Beny Jr is, exactly, the fifth most listened to Catalan artist on the Swedish platform, only behind Rosalía, Bad Gyal (with whom he has collaborated on a remix of ‘Flow 2000’), Morad and Aitana.
For some time now, Beny Jr’s name has been impossible to ignore in the Spanish charts, especially when he has collaborated with his friend Morad, with whom he shares some of his greatest hits. But Beny Jr has also flown solo and, this last week, his song ‘Luna llena’, actually released last February, entered the Promusicae charts.
Although he protects his identity to the point that his first name is not publicly known, it is known that Beny Jr comes from the La Florida neighborhood, in Hospitalet de Llobregat, like Morad, and that his Maghreb ancestry has inspired his stage name, since Beny Jr was born in the municipality of Beni Ahamed Garbía, located in Chauen, Morocco.
With a handful of albums published behind him, including the popular ‘La soledad aburre pero no traiciona’, released in 2023, and another signed with El Guincho, ‘Samurai’, released in 2021, Beny Jr has released in 2024 his latest project, ‘Anti Social Cool Kid’, which he has just continued by releasing a new single of uncertain destiny.
‘Valkyrie’ is a signature Beny Jr. production filled with the ingredients that have catapulted Beny to fame, based on a mix of trap, autotune and reverb configured around a devastated melody full of deep melancholy. Although, according to Genius, the composition of ‘Valkyrie’ is divided into a classic verse-chorus structure, each of the parts of ‘Valkyrie’ actually sounds like a variation of the same melody. As if Beny Jr. couldn’t stop reflecting on one thing and his demons tormented him.
And there are several reflections that ‘Valkyrie’ leaves, for example about fame and money: «Morad, si pegamo’, yo igualito me mantengo» and «Gritando mi nombre, pero yo no lo comprendo» portray a Beny Jr whose popularity is beginning to produce vertigo and bewilderment, but still willing to keep his feet on the ground and never let himself be corrupted by money. He, like when Rosalía sang ‘Que dios nos libre del dinero’, seems to take refuge in his faith when, in the chorus, he sings: «I am a Palestinian but with Moorish blood / When I kneel alone to my God I cry».
In a brief statement posted on YouTube, Beny Jr shared this comment about ‘Valkyrie’: «Loyalty, honour and respect, I leave the rest to you, everything, to you. Money makes you look like you are the most important, the strongest, the most powerful and even the most intelligent, until gold chains can’t defend you, watches can’t speak for you and bills can’t give you the answer.» He then announced that he was preparing a tour and recommended his followers to «save 30 euros.» Beny concluded his message with a «Free Palestine.»
