Eminem Beef

With the successfull release of "Rock the Party", Benzino (the Arch Nemsis) had noticed white rapper Eminem on MTV and ZNO claimed that he was getting " a free pass" and this was right. After all Benzino has had to do to get in to this rap game Eminem and Jimmy Iovine were said to be "using dre". Well, after Benzino did a track "I Don't Wanna" on a "Hood Stories" mixtape in Boston he said "it aint a black and white thing that shits in the past I got some whiteboy's from Boston that will bust ya ass nigger" Eminem's camp herd the tape and Em replied with "The Sauce" and "Bully" then "Nail in the Coffin" while Benzino put out the strong diss "Pull up your Skirt" Benzino was looking on top of the beef, but with The Game getting invlolved Benzino released "Die Another Day" which put an end to the beef and stopped Eminem from beefing with the Boston rapper and Eminem no longer did shows in the United States. Eminem had seemed to have lost the beef as Benzino followed up with "Built for This" and "Lose yourself" later on in 2004, but the war was over and Benzino looked a clear winner.

Redemption

Redemption is ZNO's third album released with Elektra Recordings and featured the biggest song of Benzino's career "Rock the Party" as well as "Would You" with Lisa Raye. like The Benzino Remix Project and The Benzino Project, it failed on many levels, espically for the label he was signed to and the guests he had, and unlike The Benzino Project, it failed to chart. and as of August 11, 2007, his album has sold 23,563.
Suprising, this album had benzino's 2 highest charting singles, "Rock The Party" made it to #19 on the Billboard 200.

The Benzino Project/The Benzino Remix Project

The Benzino Project (released 2001) was ZNO's first album and featured rappers such as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Scarface the album featured the released songs "Bottee" and "Bang ta Dis". Followed by Figadoh. Then, Benzino released another remix of the album with Motown records called The Benzino Remix Project. the album debuted #163 on the Billboard 200, failing on many levels, espically with the amount of promotion from Motown Records. and the worst part of it is Benzino was dropped after a mere 4 months after the album was released. Suprisingly this album is still Benzino's best selling album, selling 75,000 copies.

Made Men/RSO

Made Men was previously known as the Almighty RSO, a rap group from Boston, Massachusetts. The group was formed in 1988 and was one the founding Boston pioneering rap groups. The rap outfit's songs targeted police, scruntized women and openly pledged a gangster lifestyle. The group had been managed by Dave Mays, the owner of The Source Magazine. The group founder, Ray Benzino, was also involved with the magazine and made decisions on its editorial. Alongside Benzino, group members also included Mr. Gzus, Huddy 6, and DJ Jeff 2X, all hailing from Boston. At the time of their release, the Made Men were signed to Surrender Records, although they were signed to as many as six major labels before they officially ever had a debut. Despite lackluster sales and general indifference from hip hop enthusiasts, The Source heavily backed the rap group and featured it in much of the magazine's content. The debut album Classic Limited Edition was the first and only major label release. The album was judged a near-classic by The Source, receiving 4 and a half out of a possible 5 mics (the magazine's type of star rating), forging the belief that special treatment was given to the group and damaging the magazine's reputation. After an article from GQ Magazine revealed that Benzino was co-owner of the publication, many believed that the rapper influenced The Source's album review. That controversy, plus the fact that the album itself did not generate much interest, led to the group eventually being dropped from independent label Restless. The album was eventually shelved. During this time, Benzino formed another rap group called the Untouchables. But, like Almighty RSO-Made Men, the group failed to elicit any critical acclaim. Made Men disbanded.

Biography

Raymond Scott, also known by his stage name Benzino (born October 24, 1965), is an American rapper and former co-owner of The Source, a popular hip hop magazine in the United States. Originally he was residing in Boston, Massachusetts when he met The Source founder Dave Mays while visiting Harvard University. From 1988 to 2001, Benzino was a silent partner in the growth of the business. However, in 2001, Benzino acknowledged his involvement in the publication.
Benzino started his rap career with a group called the Almighty RSO. The group was known mainly for their anti-police song "One In The Chamba" from the Forever Doomsday album released through Tommy Boy Records. The single and album were considered controversial for the tone of the rap group and the open encouragement of murdering law enforcement. In 1994 The Boston Police and the Fraternal Order of Police union had placed the group on high priority at the time forcing RSO to be dropped from the label. After the RSO broke up, Benzino created a group called Made Men and went to record with former RSO members Antonio Twice Thou and Mr. Gzus.