Ray 'The 5 Mic Giver' Benzino

[··: O.G Kody™ :··]

Thought I would drop a list of how The Source and Benzino's career are one in the same...

1994 - David Mays goes behind the back of the Source editors and inserts a three-page story on The Almighty RSO.

1999 - Made Men's video, "Just You and I" receives Source Award nomination for Video Of The Year. The rarely seen video is competing against, Busta Rhymes & Janet Jackson "What's It Gonna Be."

1999 - Selwyn Hinds, former editor-in chief of The Source resigns after David Mays changed the mic rating of Made Men's debut album from a 3.5 to a 4.5 mic rating.

1999 - Made Men receives Hip-Hop Quotable of the Month, and a position in both the Singles File and the Heavy Rotation.

2000 - The Source Presents: Hip Hop Hits, Vol. 4 includes Holla Back (Holla Boston) by Benzino.

2000 - Virtually unknown, Benzino performs at The Source Awards in Miami.

2000 - David Mays is interview by Detail magazine. In this article he is quoted for celebrating the departure of his former editors and business partners.

2001 - The Source Hip Hop Hits Vol. 5 includes Bang Ta Dis by Benzino.

2002 - The Source Hip Hop Hits Vol. 6 includes Bootee by Benzino.

2002 - Benzino receives Hip-Hop Quotable Of The Month for his dis to Eminem, Die Another Day and a 5 page article.


PEACE!

[Twentytwofifty]

1994 - David Mays goes behind the back of the Source editors and inserts a three-page story on The Almighty RSO.

And I think this is why the staff walked out and started XXL.


And Benzino's Die Another Day (Flawless Victory) mixtape is on The Source's official website for download.  And this shows up on the site not too long after they posted an article stating this:

"But don’t get it twisted; Benzino and THE SOURCE are not interchangeable. THE SOURCE has always made it a point to keep Benzino’s music career and the magazine business from interfering with each other."


I've purchased every issue of The Source since Tribe broke up.  It's too bad it's come to this, I'm getting this issue with Ja on the cover and that's it for me.

[Murrow]

I never knew that the former writers of The Source went to start XLL..interesting.  I doubt I'll buy another Source..from now on I will just read them in stores.

[Koncept]

not tring to defend him, but if i had my own mag, i'd be promoting my self too... who wouldn't

[Twentytwofifty]

not tring to defend him, but if i had my own mag, i'd be promoting my self too... who wouldn't

People who want thier mag to have credibility, to sell and to keep thier employee's happy.

[Koncept]

i guess, but i'ma true mother fucker going out for the loot

[Vigilante]

why dont u tell where u jacked that from!!


petitiononline.com

[Twentytwofifty]

why dont u tell where u jacked that from!!

SOHH.com

[Kill]

Yeah, Benzino gettin on my nerves too...it's ok to promote your own shit a bit, but when things like changin a rating for no apparent reason etc. are done you lose credibility and that's what the Source is doing at the moment...they're losin a lot of credibility

2002 - Benzino receives Hip-Hop Quotable Of The Month for his dis to Eminem

that shit was hella lame, hard but lyrically far from impressive

[Trauma-san]

Last night, I was in wal-mart at 2a.m., and they had the source on some magazine stands.  I took them all down, seeing as they had Ja Rule on the cover, and layed them on the floor, then pulled out big willie and pissed all over them.  

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Last night, I was in wal-mart at 2a.m., and they had the source on some magazine stands.  I took them all down, seeing as they had Ja Rule on the cover, and layed them on the floor, then pulled out big willie and pissed all over them.  

r u serious? lol...

[Jome]

Hiphopsite.com had this up, pretty interesting too:

Bitch, It’s Curtains!

The 8 Biggest Bitch Moves Of The Year:

1. White Owned Source Tries To Turn Benzino / Eminem Beef Into Race Issue.

1988 – Aspiring young white man, Dave Mays, begins The Source one-page newsletter in Cambridge, Massachusetts. By issue #2 The Source graduates from newsletter to magazine, with fellow white man Jon Shecter acting as co-founder and editor.

1989 – Ray-Dog (aka Raymond Scott) of feared Boston rap group Almighty R.S.O. befriends Source Magazine owner David Mays.

1994 – November issue arrives at Source Magazine offices. Original Source Mind Squad is shocked to find massive five-page article about The Almighty R.S.O. Co-Founder Jon Shecter and other editors including James Bernard & Reggie Dennis, are upset with Dave Mays to find the article in the magazine without anyone else’s consent. Shecter and crew give ultimatum of “Either you go, or we go”. Shecter and original Source team leave the magazine.

1995 – Source Magazine begins to fall off, offering more covers to commercial acts and 2.5 mic ratings to lesser-known, independent, and regional groups, such as Aceyalone or Lootpack.

1996-1997 Almighty R.S.O. releases “Forever R.S.O.”, then ironically disbands, and reforms as The Made Men. Ray-Dog (aka Raymond Scott) changes name to Ray Benzino. Raymond Scott becomes new co-owner of The Source Magazine.

1998 – Eminem is featured in The Source’s Unsigned Hype column, and is later signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records.

1998 – Double Page spread ads featuring Made Men with “platinum” skin start appearing throughout The Source Magazine for forthcoming debut album “Classic Limited Edition”.

1999 – Raymond Scott’s name begins appearing in magazine’s masthead as “Co Founder & Visionary”. A five-page article about Made Men is published in the magazine. “Classic Limited Edition” is finally released after numerous delays. By the time the album is released, many of the guest artists who appeared on the album in hopes of boosting their own careers by forming a relationship with The Source have already fallen off (Queen Pen, Ma$e). The album is hardly a success not reaching even 100,000 copies. Popular opinion states that the album is neither a “classic”, nor is it “limited edition”, but is awarded 4.5 out of 5 “mics” in The Source, as well as a “Hip-Hop Quotable”.  

2000 – The Source begins to become overrun with Made Men propaganda. Each issue contains candid photos of Made Men, multiple page ads for Made Men and each of it’s affiliates (Hangmen 3, Benzino), and mail-in “subscription style” cards so that casual readers will flip through the magazine and land directly on advertisements for Antonio Ansaldi clothing, the official clothing line of Made Men.

2001 – The Source finally awards a cover to Ray Benzino, a rapper who has never had even a gold record in his entire career.

2002 – With issue, The Source includes fold-out poster of rapping father and son combo, Benzino and Ray-Ray. On the flipside of the poster was Roy Jones Jr, considered possibly the greatest fighter in the world.

November 2002 – After a career of unsuccessful record deals, including Tommy Boy, Rap-A-Lot, RCA, Interscope, Def Jam, and Motown, as a last ditch effort to generate buzz for himself, Benzino disses the biggest rapper in the world, Eminem, on a mix tape saying “the only Eminem I know is Made Men”. Benzino then takes it a step further and makes an entire dis record against Eminem, crowning himself “The 5-Mic Giver” in the song.

December 2002 – Eminem responds with two dis tracks aimed at Benzino (“The Sauce” and “Nail In The Coffin”), coming forth telling much of the story of what has gone on behind the scenes with The Source Magazine and Benzino. Lyrics include “Ray’s got AK’s to Dave Mays head / every issue there’s an eight-page Made Men spread”.

December 2002 – The Source Magazine releases statement on their website saying that “The Source has always made it a point to keep Benzino’s music career and the magazine business from interfering with each other. The editorial staff, including the controversial 5-mic committee, has, and always will, operate independently of any outside influences.” The statement also accuses Eminem of trying to “divert attention from the real issues” that “Eminem’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed persona has been unanimously accepted, and as a result, he’s become the machine’s poster-boy to influence an audience completely enamored in a once forbidden, predominantly Black and Latino culture”.

January 2003 – Source Magazine owner/founder, David Mays, is still white.