Benzino
Benzino in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Raymond Leon Scott[1]
Also known as	Ray Benzino Ray Dog
Born	(1965-07-18)July 18, 1965 (age 59) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Media proprietor record producer songwriter
Years active	1986–present
Labels	ZNO 7th Floor Elektra Motown
Member of	The Almighty RSO Made Men
Children	4, includingCoi Leray

Raymond Scott (born July 18, 1965), better known by his stage nameBenzino orRay Benzino, is an Americanurbanmedia proprietor, television personality, rapper and record producer. Benzino produced records (as part of the production team Hangmen 3) and co-ownedThe Source magazine.^[2]

Benzino has said one of the primary inspirations to enter the genre of rap stems from his fondness of the filmWild Style.^[3] Benzino was a founding member of rap groupsthe Almighty RSO andMade Men. He has appeared on thereality television showLove & Hip Hop: Atlanta since 2012.

Benzino is known for being involved since 2002 in a widely publicized feud with rapperEminem; the feud began after hisThe Source magazine ratedThe Eminem Show as four mics out of five. Eminem blamed the magazine and its co-founder Benzino for what he considered an unfair rating. Benzino later releaseddiss tracks towards Eminem, titled "Pull Your Skirt Up" (calling him "2003Vanilla Ice")^[4][5] and "Die Another Day", while Eminem released "The Sauce" and "Nail in the Coffin".^[6] As a continuation of this animosity between the two, Benzino released the diss mixtapeBenzino Presents: Die Another Day: Flawless Victory, further disparaging Eminem.^[7][8][9]

On September 4, 2020, Benzino released a new single titled "The Bigger Picture" with an accompanying music video onYouTube.^[10]

Benzino's father Edward DeJesus was Puerto Rican and his mother Mary Scott was Black American and Cape Verdean. His sisters are Anita Scott-Wilson and Maureen Scott.^[11] In 2021, the rapper fell out with his daughter,Coi Leray, after she dissed Benzino in her song "No More Parties".^[12]

Benzino has datedKarlie Redd andAlthea Heart.^[13] Benzino and Heart had a son together in November 2015, but they broke off their engagement shortly thereafter. They appeared together on Season 6 of the television showMarriage Boot Camp chronicling their broken relationship.^[14][15]

On March 29, 2014, Benzino was shot after attending his mother's funeral inDuxbury, Massachusetts.^[16] He was shot in the shoulder and back by his 36-year-old nephew Gai Scott, who was later arrested for shooting him.^[16]

On April 16, 2019, Benzino was stopped inBrookhaven, Georgia and cited for driving an uninsured vehicle. He was not the policy holder responsible for insuring the vehicle.^[17] On June 22, 2019, Benzino was arrested for abench warrant inDeKalb County, Georgia, and was taken to police headquarters for booking and was later jailed. As he was being transported there, he launched a racist tirade against a police officer arresting him, who was ofVietnamese descent. The tirade involved multipleracial slurs andmaternal insults.^[18] On July 31, 2020, Benzino was arrested and charged with criminal damage to property. He was accused of damaging theChevrolet Silverado pickup truck of a man who was in the company of Benzino's ex-fiancée Althea Heart.^[19][20] On February 3, 2022, Benzino was arrested and charged with one count of second degree criminal damage to property, a felony.^[21]

• The Benzino Project (2001)
• Redemption (2003)
• Arch Nemesis (2005)
• The Antidote (2007)

• In Tha Company of Killazwith Wiseguys (1996)
• Doomsday: Forever RSOwith the Almighty RSO (1996)
• Classic Limited Editionwith Made Men (1999)
• No Skits Vol. 1with Hangmen 3 (2000)

• The Benzino Remix Project (2002)

• Die Another Day: Flawless Victory (2003)
• When the Heavens Fallwith 1st 48 (2010)
• Caezar (2011)
• Blue Bagwith 1st 48 (2011)
• The Magnificent 757'swith Stevie J (2012)
• Crushed Ice (2013)
• Welcome to Texaco Citywith OJ da Juiceman (2015)

• "Rock the Party" (2002, US No. 82)^[22]

• Hip Hop Weekly magazine official websiteArchived March 7, 2022, at theWayback Machine

• African-American male rappers
• 21st-century American male rappers
• 20th-century American male rappers
• Living people
• Rappers from Boston
• American shooting survivors
• Participants in American reality television series
• 1965 births
• East Coast hip-hop musicians
• 21st-century American rappers
• 21st-century American male musicians
• 20th-century African-American people
• Hip-hop mass media people

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