Understanding Benzino’s Net Worth, Age, Career Achievements, and Marriage

Whether it is his appearance on the reality TV show, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, or his infamous beef with Boston rapper Eminem, the American rapper, Raymond Scott popularly known as Benzino, is a name hip hop and music fans are familiar with. He is one of the few names in the industry who have done it all, from performing to running the business side of things.

Having spent more than three decades working in the music industry, Benzino’s career is full of highs and lows. Although he is more known today for his appearances on the VH1 reality TV series, it is worth revisiting the achievements and accolades that once made Benzino a household name.

He Began His Career at 21

At 21, most people are still figuring out their lives, and in some cases, just leaving college. But Benzino, born on July 18, 1965, was starting a music career that would go on to span more than three decades. That was in 1986 when he founded the rap group, ‘Almighty RSO’.

At the time, he rapped under the stage name, Ray Dog. One of his early career achievements was winning the ICA B-Town Rap Battle, lighting the match for the rap group’s success. Two years later, in 1991, they released their first single titled “We’re Notorious”.

As their activity increased, so did their fame among Boston locals. In 1991, Benzino and Almighty RSO signed on to Tommy Boy Records. They released their debut EP, Revenge of da Badd Boyz in 1994. The EP included a highly controversial single, One in the Chamba which criticized the killing of two Boston youths by the police.

Thanks to the EP, Benzino recorded his first charting project, reaching #97 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums. After the mild success of the project, Benzino and Almighty RSO joined Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit, appearing on the album, Rollin’ With The Flavor.

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Benzino and Almighty RSO were not together for long after that, but it wasn’t before they released a second project in 1996. The LP, Doomsday: Forever RSO which peaked at #52 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it his second charting project. The LP contained his first charting single; You Could Be My Boo, which peaked at #10 on the Hot Rap Song chart.

Benzino’s Career Progress with ‘Made Men’

In 1998, the Boston-born rapper parted ways with Almighty RSO, and formed another group, Made Men. The group consisted of himself, Antonio Twice Thou, and Cool Gsus.

Made Men first introduced themselves to the music world in DJ Clue’s debut album, The Professional. A year after coming together, they released their first album, Classic Limited Edition, under Restless Records, peaking at #61 on the Billboard 200. It was the first Billboard 200 appearance in Benzino’s career. The album also reached #9 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Despite a total of six years as a group, Mad Men released only one album alongside  few guest appearances on projects by other artists. Benzino eventually, left the group in 2004.

More Successes as Solo Artist

In 2001, while still working with Made Men, Benzino launched his career as an independent artist. He released his debut solo album, The Benzino Project in 2001, under Motown Records. The album features appearances from major acts like Snoop Dogg and Puff Daddy.

The Benzino Project received positive critical reviews and reached #84 on the Billboard 200 and #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. One of the album’s singles, “Bootee” reached #70 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album, also recorded moderate commercial success, selling 75,000 copies in its first week. Benzino followed up with his second studio album, Redemption which he released in 2003 under Elektra Records.

Redemption witnessed more critical success than his initial project, and remains Benzino’s highest-charting independent album to date. The album which sold 20,000 units in its first week peaked at #31 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #65 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its lead single, “Rock The Party” sold 450,000 copies in its first week and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Benzino’s highest-charting single to date. Owing to its popularity, “Rock The Party” earned a feature on the 2002 Jason Statham film, The Transporters, as well as on the 2002 film, I Spy.

Benzino has since released two more studio albums, Arch Nemesis (2005) and The Antidote (2007). In total, the rapper’s discography consists of four studio albums, four collaboration albums, one remix album, and seven mixtapes. He released his most recent work, Welcome to Texaco City with OJ da Juiceman in 2015.

Meanwhile, music is just a fraction of the achievements that made the Boston entertainer a household name.

Founding Hip-Hop Weekly & Reality TV Career

During the early years of his music career, Benzino worked as the principal of The Source, a hip hop and entertainment magazine which his longtime friend, David Mays founded during his University days. The Source which Mays launched in 1988 became one of the most popular hip hop magazines in the industry, covering music and politics. The magazine further expanded to French, Latino, and Japanese versions.

However, following a series of controversies, including his longstanding beef with Eminem, Mays and Benzino were forced out of the company in 2006 by its private equity investors, Black Enterprise/Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Partners.

After loosing The Source, David and Benzino the same year, founded another hip-hop focused magazine called Hip-Hop Weekly. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the magazine which publishes 26 issues per year has been a success, winning Urban Music Awards’ Best Urban Magazine three years in a row.

Benzino and May’s magazine also receives recognition for identifying with a several mainstream artists like Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, and August Alsina. The duo however, later sold Hip Hop Weekly to a private investor for an undisclosed amount.

On the side of his television career, Benzino has featured in several successful screen projects. Most prominent among them is VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, The Next: 15, Hollywood Hearts, Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, and Soul Train.

Benzino’s Major Career Achievements and Awards

• Benzino is a founding member of the now defunct rap group, Almighty RSO.
• During the budding years of his career, he won the ICA B-Town Rap Battle.
• In 1998, he formed another hip hop group called Made Men.
• Benzino recorded his first Billboard 200 presence in 1999 with his group, Made Men’s debut album, Classic Limited Edition which peaked at #61.
• His debut independent album, The Benzino Project sold 75,000 copies in its first week.
• Benzino is a co-founder of the successful hip hop focused mag, Hip-Hop Weekly which has won the Best Urban Magazine award three consecutive times.
• So far in his music career, the American rapper has released a total of 4 studio albums, 4 collaboration albums, 1 remix album, and 7 mixtapes.

The Artist Has Had A Moderate Financial Success

One would have expected Benzino’s long-running career to put him among one of hip hop’s wealthiest personalities. But after three decades in the industry, the rapper has a not-impressive net worth of $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The rapper’s modest wealth comes from his music earnings and publishing career which are two of his most significant sources of income. He also owns different properties and flashy cars, which include an Acura TLX, and many others.

Did You Know Benzino Has Never Been Married?

The closest the Boston rapper has come to marriage was an engagement to a fellow Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star, Althea Heart. How exactly long they were together is unknown, but the relationship produced a baby boy, Zino Antonio who was born on November 10, 2015.

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Before the birth of Zino, Benzino reportedly fathered two children, a son named Taj and a girl named Brittany, neither of whom were born to a woman he was married to. The identity of their mother also remains unknown, but the rapper maintains a close relationship with the children.