THE FRESHEST ALBUM THIS YEAR!!!(WORTHY OF 5 MICs)

[Liquid-Dogg]

Benefit - B.E.N.E.F.I.T.   http://www.indelibility.com/

Do me the favour and read this PLEASE! I'm leaving soon, and this is probz gonna be my last thread in the WCC forum (mostly post in Anythin goez) so do the guy that's off to fight for his country a favour. This is all i ask of you.

Print it out if u have to and read it whilst on the toilet or whatever, jus check it out!

If u can't be bothered to read all of this, at least read the first part, and check it out. Jus check it. It's the freshest Album i've heard in a LONG time!!!




If you've heard of this kid named Benefit, you've probably pegged him as a comedic one-hit wonder. If you're really lucky, then you might have heard both "If I Owned A Midget," and the less publicized "Warp World to World 6-9." While you probably love these tracks, you're probably not absolutely fiending for his full-length. Well, let me tell you something: You should be!
Far from a one-dimensional emcee, Benefit is one of the most well-rounded artists, demo-level or otherwise, I've ever heard. He comes correct making some of the most hilarious comedy cuts you'll ever hear, he's viscous on the mic when in battle-mode, there is a social-political aspect to his steez, and he can even touch your heart with some of the most sincere lyrics ever written. Benny is also a more than adequate producer, and has a very good, though not flawless, delivery as well.

His self-titled debut opens up with "Exact," a raw battle track featuring a beat that Jay-Z might have rocked before he decided to become completely wack. Benefit's rhymes are intricately structured, and packed with stinging punchlines. Much like Chino XL, Benefit will say anything, (check "If I Owned A Midget"), and he'll even "battle crippled kids and beat 'em down with a crutch."  But unlike Chino, Benefit is an extremely well-rounded emcee. "Proceed With Caution," and "Supreme" are the album's only other battle tracks, as Benefit uses his 48:00 wisely, providing the listener with a variety of perspectives.

"Fairwell" has Benny rhyming as a homeless vagabond contemplating the various methods of suicide; "A Page From Hip Hop's Diary" has him rhyming as the personification of hip hop; and on the Blitz produced "Call to Revolt," Benefit advocates violent revolution: "if you want to get fisted, then enlist in the system/ and get fucked by officials that call themselves Christians."  Word.

But let's not downplay the humor factor-- "If I Owned a Midget" is pure genius! This is the ultimate anti-political correctness anthem, and if there is a "little person" in your family or close to your heart, you will definitely want to lynch Benefit after hearing this song. It is the mock cruelty that we all find so irresistible, with lines detailing how Benefit and his friends would chase poor little Gordo with a gun because "it'd be fun, because midgets wabble when they run/ they're so close to the ground, and so easy to kick/ they're so slow in the head, and so easy to trick."  Damn!  The production on this joint is also excellent, laced with samples from sources as diverse as Goonies and the Howard Stern Show.

Also on the comedic tip, and perhaps even better, is "Warp to World 6-9."  If you liked the Cocoa Brovas/ Lost Boyz track, then I don't even know what you're gonna think of this one, as it is at least 100 times better-- and I'm not exaggerating!  On this track, Benefit raps from the point of view of his six-year-old self, in the first grade, after just receiving his Nintendo. His goal for the summer is to beat Super Mario Brothers, because in his mind, it will get Mario a piece of ass-- from the Princess, of course! The production on this track is filled with Nintendo sound bites that perfectly accentuate Benny's lyrics, and the priceless "Speak and Spell" hook is probably the single-most hilarious thing I've ever heard in a hip hop song-- that funny! I damned near fell out of my chair and into an epileptic seizure the first time I heard it.

But one more song on the humorous tip is the more true to life, "Friends." On this joint, Benefit is continuously deserted by his boys in times of desperation.  First he's about to get jumped by about twenty guys, when he sees his crew coming to help him. Knowing that with their aid a victory is assured, Benny spits in his foe's face and takes a swing at him. The only problem is that his crew bails! This happens two more times to our poor protagonist, and each incident is more hilarious than the previous.

But I think it is necessary to reiterate that Benefit is far from being all fun and games! "My Enemy" rides a dope beat, as Benny reassumes the role of hip hop, and this time he's being chased by his enemy-- commercial rap. Can Benefit/ hip hop destroy his arch-nemesis?  It will be difficult, especially considering commercial rap's minions are all around.  Check out this track to discover the outcome of the battle.

"My Story" is the one track on the album that will really touch your heart.  I'm not joking when I say that this track seriously brought a tear to my eye!  If that makes me a big fucking sap, then so be it, but Benefit beautifully articulates his rough childhood on this wonderful track, worthy of classics such as Ghostface's "All That I Got Is You."  The well-suited production and soulful hook of "My Story" seal the deal, solidifying its status as one of the best under-underground songs I've ever heard.

But the album's best track has to be "Blind Following."  Disregarding "Blind," Benefit has already covered all the bases-- from battle tracks like "Exact," to political tracks like "Call of Revolt;" comedy like "Friends," to introspective joints like "My Story;" and Benefit even gets spiritual on "Angel."  But "Blind Following" elevates him to a level of intelligence and maturity shared by only the elite-most emcees, and firmly establishes the limitlessness of his potential. Braille fans might not be feeling this one, as Benefit rips apart institutionalized religion, calling it "a recipe for hypocrisy, the world's greatest villain," and labeling the religious "blind to the facts, when reality attacks/ just turn your back, mumble some words, and then relax." I realize that I'm biased in favor of his viewpoint, but I've never heard such ideas articulated as well within the context of a song before. "Puppets move by a common thread/ never taking the time to let thought in their head/ instead, eating all the bullshit they're fed/ that's why 90% of the world is mentally dead."

How good is this album?  Well, no offense to Jugga or Storm, or any other artists who's albums may get 5's in the future, but B.E.N.E.F.I.T. is absolutely peerless in this demo section. Absolutely peerless. The only slight flaws on this album are the production-- which is consistently tight, but a little lacking in professionalism; Benefit's flow-- again, it is consistently tight, unique and entertaining, but not always polished; and the sound quality-- very good, but not studio quality.  But when you consider that this project was made with an equipment investment of under $15, Benefit is even more amazing.

To sum things up, let me put it this way: If there is any justice whatsoever in the hip hop world, B.E.N.E.F.I.T. will be a signed artist very soon.  I have no doubt that so long as he is allowed 100% creative control, a 5-mic professional album is inevitable. This guy has just too much talent, it isn't even funny.

[Liquid-Dogg]

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A Lil more about him
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   "Extravagant, far from arrogant, it's just apparent that I'm better than any emcee, and I'm declaring it."  This is just one of the many clever rhymes that Nevin Roche, also known as Benefit, has come up with on his first album.  Benefit is an emcee living in Tallahassee, Florida, working with the small record label So Sick Records.  Nevin is a prime example of the art of hip-hop.  He combines his poetic manipulation of similes and metaphors with beats and scratches from his turntables to produce his truly impressive works of art.  This is what hip-hop is all about, and Benefit definitely perfected this with every track on his album.  He has had much experience with rhyming and sound, as he began when he was very young.
"I've been rhyming since about five years old, as far as freestyling and messing around.  I got serious with it at about fourteen and started throwing together tapes.  I started making beats about a year or so later, and I've been thoroughly addicted to playing with sound ever since, " Benefit says.

   Benefit has had huge success with his first, self-titled album, mostly due to marketing techniques used over the internet.  This has helped many talented artists get their start in the music business, as record companies and agents search the internet for artists they feel could be successful.  "The internet has revolutionized everything; from business, to porn, to music.  It's the perfect tool for any independent artist to get his voice heard virtually for free",  Nevin claims.

   The music Benefit has created is definitely a prime example of hip-hop in it's purest form.  I use the word hip-hop and not rap because there is a huge difference between these two, although most people are not aware of this.  Nevin has put this into perspective for us with a few inspirational words for all the hip-hop fans out there, "Hip-hop basically has two key elements: lyricism and turntabalism.  The emcee has to come up with clever rhymes that make sense, while backing it up with a DJ who can mix it, scratch with it, and throw in some nice samples.  Rap is basically a gimmick.  Most people today in the rap scene don't appreciate what hip-hop is all about: the love.  Most of them are just in it for the money now, so you know their music isn't going to be as good if it doesn't have true emotion behind it."
The lyricism is up to the emcee, literally known as the master of ceremony, or the person holding the microphone.  The turntabalism, however, is up to the DJ.  Turntables are just like every other instrument we know, taking patience, practice, and skill to master.  As www.hyperreal.org claims, the turntables, mixer and records make up one of the most versatile and complex instruments imaginable.  Most DJs that have record contracts have been doing it for over ten years.  Turntables and mixers are very expensive though, so only a very dedicated person would make such an investment.  For example, at 1200s.com, two turntables, a mixer, and headphones made by Technics are $1399.99.  However, there are cheaper brands, such as Stanton, for about $600.  A DJ needs to be able to mix music well and make it sound good together, while scratching and putting in samples.  Samples are a key element in a DJ's bag of tricks, as they make a song more well rounded and more interesting.  They are just a short piece of someone else's song, movie, or any piece of audio that are added into the track.  Benefit uses some interesting samples on his album, for example segments from the movie The Goonies and short pieces of some old time albums.  Nevin explains, "I use a lot of samples from titles that affected me growing up.  I think that if you are going to put your personality on display, you should do it in a manner that shows your past as well as present, and sampling just lets you do this in a more creative way."

   Benefit uses comedy and emotions, along with his own personal experiences, to express his feelings throughout the album.  I think this is why the album is so good as a whole, because it gives the listener a sample of every part of Nevin Roche's life.  "While I tried to make people laugh, I also put a lot of personal feelings and emotions into some tracks to try and make people really think about what I'm saying.", Benefit says.

[Liquid-Dogg]

OI! GO BACK AND READ IT!!!! I know you've skipped most of it!

[Don Seer]

OI! GO BACK AND READ IT!!!! I know you've skipped most of it!

guilty as charged

[Don Seer]

sticky forced fed me two songs... this kid is HOT

[channelxero]

benefit is dope.  but his last album came out earlier this year, or late last year.  "proceed with caution" is his best joint

[Liquid-Dogg]

benefit is dope.  but his last album came out earlier this year, or late last year.  "proceed with caution" is his best joint

the beat on that is fuckin amazin! kinda shit that makes u wanna jus turn the volume up, the bass up and jus listen!

he got a tight flow. ya'll sleepin on one of the best mc's out there! Straight Hip Hop!

[S.G.V.]

his song So Sick is crazy....

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Yea, this dogg is dope...somone sent me the track "Procede With Caution" about 2 months ago and told me it was them...LoL...I was pretty amazed, but later on I realized it wasnt him...Benifit reminds me of Necro or something, he's fuckin tight...

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

BTW...is this cat white? Theres no way u can tell me hes black...He sounds like a white East Coast MC...Like Cage, Necro, Non Phixon or One of them...Plus most black MC's dont write lyrics like that...so is he white?

[Suga Foot]

This Dood is fuckin Doooooope!

[Suga Foot]

"If I owned a midget" is a dope song, lol

[2DaMtHrOwEd]

Do or die-back 2 da game is worth 5 mics fo sho

featuring,twista,johnny p

[Don Seer]

BTW...is this cat white? Theres no way u can tell me hes black...He sounds like a white East Coast MC...Like Cage, Necro, Non Phixon or One of them...Plus most black MC's dont write lyrics like that...so is he white?

yeah i guessed he white too.. and was right.

dunno where he from tho, stick wouldnt say (so i wouldnt move this shit to 'outbound' - lol)

[Liquid-Dogg]

lol, hell yeah. jus read the thread and u'll see.....He's white yes. but he's fuckin tight

good songs to check out

So Sick / Proceed With Caution / Friends / If I Owned A Midget / Warp To World 6-9

Check those songs and u'll be hooked!