Raymond Scott was born on 18 July 1965 in Boston, Massachusetts USA, to a mother from the Cape Verde Islands, and a father from Puerto Rico. Under his stage name of Benzino, he is known as a rapper, hip hop media executive, music producer, and entrepreneur, but is perhaps best recognized for his appearance in the recent 2012 TV series” Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta”, and for his notorious feud with another rapper, the famous Eminem.
So just how rich is Benzino? Sources estimate that he has a net worth of over $11 million, earned mainly from the business ventures that he has initiated: he is a co-owner of two magazines, namely “The Source” and “Hip Hop Weekly Magazine”, has participated in the reality TV show “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta”, and worked as a record label executive on top of making his music.
Benzino Net Worth $11 Million
In his early days Benzino called himself Raydog, and under this name joined the hip-hop band Almighty RSA. Continuing with music, later Benzino founded another band called “Made Men” before moving to a solo career, and releasing three solo albums. However, Benzino’s musical efforts did not bring him much fame or net worth; it has been achievements in other areas that have allowed him to reveal his talents and earn his wealth.
In 1988 Benzino started the hip-hop magazine “The Source” along with his long-time friend David Mays. Benzino remained a co-owner of the magazine and saw it grow from a one-page newsletter to become a major publication. In his later days, Benzino also became involved in another media project, a magazine covering articles on urban music, such as rap and hip-hot – the magazine is called “Hip Hop Weekly” and is certainly popular among the fans of that genre of music.
Benzino is also known to be a talented businessman, who knows how to make money from publicity. That is exactly what he did in 2002 when he became involved in a feud with the rapper Eminem. Benzino called Eminem “2003 Vanilla Ice”, referring to a former popular rapper Vanilla Ice, and then it all began. To offend each other the two began making diss tracks: Benzino released such songs as “Pull Your Skirt Up” and “Die Another Day”, while Eminem made “The Sauce” and “Nail in the Coffin”. Benzino went as far as releasing a diss mixtape called “Benzino Presents: Die Another Day: Flawless Victory” with which he attacked not only Eminem himself but also his record label, however, he was never as successful as his rival.
Regardless, Benzino became more popular when he began appearing in “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta”, a reality TV show on VH1 in 2012. The show depicts the lives of female hip-hop artists including Lil Scrappy, Rasheeda, and Benzino’s ex-girlfriend Karlie Redd. Reportedly, the show added a lot of money to Benzino’s net worth, and he is the richest member of the entire cast.
In his less-than-private personal life, Benzino was shot by his nephew in March 2014 during his mother’s funeral, but his wounds were not serious and he recovered. He and his partner Althea Heart had a son in 2015, but their relationship continues to be somewhat rocky. They are still based in Atlanta, Georgia.
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