Benzino

Gaymond Scott, also known by his stage name Benzino (born October 24, 1965), is an American rapper and former co-owner of The Source, a 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.

Dave Mays was a friend and manager of the group. Usually without the consent of editors and shareholders, he would frequently insert stories and reviews featuring Benzino into The Source. Editors claimed that Benzino and his associates visited the magazine, threatening journalists and stealing property. In 1994 and 1999, Mays had severe friction with editors after he slipped in articles on Benzino's group, forcing a majority of the staff to walkout in protest. After the walkout, GQ Magazine criticized Mays' decision on working with Benzino. The result caused scrutiny on the rapper and the publication. When the publication held its annual award show, Benzino was nominated for awards even though his music was rarely seen or heard in the media. In 2001, after a taping of an award show, Benzino was arrested in a dispute with law enforcement in Miami. When arrested by the police, Benzino acknowledged himself to be co-owner of the publication. Allegedly, Benzino forced out the original founders of The Source. When reviewing albums, the publication judged them by "mics" (a star rating). Insiders believe that Benzino was involved in rating albums. Therefore his role as the "five-mic giver" has been well recognized in the pages of the publication.

After acknowledging his position as co-owner of The Source, he went forth to record a solo album. Benzino was signed to Motown Records and released The Benzino Project. The debut album featured many notable rappers, and also Pink. However, the album sold poorly, causing Motown to drop him from their label. The remains of the album was turned into a remix album featuring the same artists and a f