Benzino Interview!!!!

[Darksider]

Benzino: The Source Part 1
By Clover Hope




Ray Benzino has his hands full. Lyrical and verbal sparring with Eminem, a war against “The Machine,” and now sensational accusations from two former female Source employees claiming sexual harassment and discrimination - and all at once.

If history is any proof, Benzino isn’t one to back down from a challenge or confrontation. The past few days, it’s proven difficult to discern what’s what. The Source co-owner has resigned his executive post, reinstated himself and a number of matters have erected themselves over the past few business days. What's really going on? AllHipHop.com went straight to The Source.

AllHipHop.com: Well, first of all, I want you to clear up this whole thing that's going on with The Source—your resignation and everything. Tell us the real story.

 Benzino: Okay, Friday morning, Dave got a call that L.A. Reid was pressured to lose his job if he didn't pull Def Jam's ads.

AllHipHop.com: Okay.

Benzino: Jimmy Iovine at Interscope, because of the whole beef going with us and Interscope and Jimmy Iovine. I felt that before another Black executive loses his job, one of the only ones up there, I felt that this was getting too much that I would step down, but you gotta understand, stepping down is a complicated thing with me because I co-own the magazine. So I would just have stepped away from it creatively, if I felt that but at the last minute Al Sharpton and Black Enterprise and Dave and the staff basically supported me just like they have me and said that no, they don't need—that I don't have to step down, that they would support me. And Rev. Al Sharpton called L.A. Reid and confirmed it that Jimmy Iovine did threaten to have him fired. That's crazy because Interscope has nothing to do with Def Jam – or at least shouldn't.

AllHipHop.com: And has Jimmy Iovine responded in any way to these accusations?

Benzino: Um, Jimmy Iovine doesn't talk too much. Jimmy Iovine just makes decisions and he's a very, you know, arrogant—they're very arrogant over there, as far as trying to fix things. But to me, it's more or less getting out of hand just like his lawsuit. He ended up suing us and after pulling out when everything was gonna come to light about Eminem lying about his age and about the tapes and everything, pulled out at the last minute three weeks before the trial.

AllHipHop.com Why did you publicly announce that you were leaving the magazine?

Benzino: Because I wanted everybody to know how—I wanted everybody, especially artists at Def Jam—what's going on up there, like how can Jimmy Iovine fire a Black man because he's putting in advertisement for artists. Those artists try and sell records just like 50 Cents and Eminem selling 70 percent of all records. What about Bleek? Source is still the number one magazine on the news stands—like they still need that.

AllHipHop.com: So did you intend on leaving?

Benzino: I definitely intended on stepping down from my post. I definitely did, yes I did.

AllHipHop.com: I think it's hard for some people not to see this as publicity or something.

Benzino: Oh no, but how can it be publicity when L.A. Reid was threatened to be fired? How can that be publicity, like that happened, so how is it publicity? That actually happened.

AllHipHop.com: I mean, for you to actually announce your resignation.

Benzino: Of course, because I wanted the world to know what is going on up there at Interscope.

AllHipHop.com: So why didn't you just announce that instead of saying that you were leaving?

Benzino: No because I was gonna leave. I was stepping down.

AllHipHop.com: Because of all that controversy?

Benzino: That's right.

AllHipHop.com: You also said that the ongoing Eminem lawsuit basically played a large role in your reason—

Benzino: No, no, no, not the lawsuit. That might have got misprinted on the press release— [Press release: The ongoing Eminem lawsuit played a big role in Benzino's initial decision to leave the magazine] —just the Eminem beef, the ongoing beef. The whole—this whole Eminem beef of him trying to smokescreen everything. And as far as—as far as The Source goes, they pulled out the trial. That means that we won. We won the rights to publish that tape of him saying “n**ga” and calling Black girl b**ches. So as far as I'm concerned we don't have to deal with that no more. This issue with Game on the cover was gonna be our last time. We also exposed a lot more about Jimmy Iovine that I'm sure a lot of other people didn't know about.

AllHipHop.com: Why was that [the beef] part of the reason for you wanting to leave?

Benzino: As far as the beef? No, no as far as the reason for me wanting to leave was the L.A. Reid thing. [The Eminem beef] was just an ongoing whole thing, but the L.A. Reid thing was the reason for me leaving not the Eminem. It was just like—

AllHipHop.com: It wasn't part of it?

Benzino: Everything was just—I'm just getting tired of all this, like it's not—you know. Like, the whole journalists. Like these whole insecure journalists who don't really have a life and don't really have nothing, but to pray for The Source and my downfall is like come on, like it's not happening. We're actually better—in better shape than we've ever been.

AllHipHop.com: Which journalists are you referring to?

Benzino: Any journalist. Any journalist. Journalists are very insecure people that we have in Hip-Hop, very insecure. A lot of journalists are very insecure, can't say all of them but a lot of them. And believe me, I've come across journalists from day one—You gotta remember, The Source birthed this. We birthed this whole Hip-Hop journalist thing. All the editors from the other magazines, they all come from The Source. Elliot Wilson was like an Assistant Music Editor down here, and the other girl who had a crush on Dave, Mimi Valdes used to have a crush on Dave, was a Fashion Editor over here. They all came from here.

AllHipHop.com: Mimi Valdes at Vibe magazine?

Benzino: Oh yes, the Editor-in-Chief along with Elliot Wilson. They all came from The Source magazine, all of them.

AllHipHop.com: But fans in general kind of see The Source as falling apart, not really the top magazine anymore.

Benzino: Nah but that's not true because we're still the number one selling on the newsstands—still outselling XXL and Vibe magazine. So how can that be?

AllHipHop.com: And how do you think this could possibly help the magazine—all this controversy?

Benzino: Oh no no no, this is like the magazine is like—people love—at the end of the day when you pick up The Source magazine, we still have incredible articles and incredible covers. The magazine hasn't fell off, it's actually gotten better. We still—we have an incredible Jadakiss cover coming out, after we got DMX. We still number one in this. We birthed this. You gotta remember XXL was Interscope's magazine. Source hasn't fell off at all. We still—you gotta remember that the Source Awards was the number six watched show in the history of BET. You gotta remember we have Source Latino coming out. We got Source.com about to kill 'em. We got the whole Source clothing line out there. We got Source Mobile. Source ain't—how can source fall off when Source has the Hip-Hop hits [CD] has sold over five million copies.

AllHipHop.com: I'm just speaking from what I hear from fans and—

Benzino: No, no, no, you don't hear from fans. You hear it from haters. But that's cool because now you're hearing it straight from the horse's mouth.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, right, right. So what happened with the press conference that was scheduled Friday?

Benzino: Um, I actually planned on—I was told that I should just cancel it. I was in the emergency meeting with Reverend Al Sharpton and everybody because you know I had to sit on a panel the very next day, Saturday for this Anti-Violence in Radio conference.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, so at press time these leaders called an emergency meeting and told you—

Benzino: Exactly. ‘Cause remember I got the call—We got the call about the L.A. Reid thing so I made my decision and a few hours after that, there was an emergency meeting around the same time the press conference was scheduled and I just never made it to the news conference.

part2
AllHipHop.com: Can you just talk honestly about this lawsuit filed?

Benzino: Oh definitely, yes, the lawsuit was like—usually when people get fired sometimes, especially this magazine there's been walkouts and again, journalist people, they're a real crazy bunch of people.

AllHipHop.com: [Laughs]

Benzino: But um, basically Kim Osorio, we had let go, we had terminated a man for her to get that job. So now that we terminated her for a man, she's screaming sexual discrimination. What we're gonna do is counter sue her because that's totally false because especially when we have record of—we have proof of her having many sexual relations with a lot of the artists that she was actually interviewing a lot. And we will counter sue her for defamation of character and then after that, we'll just let the courts decide it.

AllHipHop.com: Wait, what does her relations have to do with this lawsuit?

Benzino: I'm saying, I'm saying like we will counter sue her for defamation of character because her holding that position of Editor and Chief and having sexual relations and definitely her conduct as how she treated this magazine when she was here, that's definitely gonna have something to do with her lawsuit.

AllHipHop.com: So Dave Mays said that she was—so you're basically saying that she had relations with some high-profile rappers.

Benzino: Oh definitely. [Laughs]. Wouldn't you like to know who, Clover? [Laughs]

AllHipHop.com: I would like to know [Laughs]

Benzino: Nah, nah. That all has to come out in court.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, she said she was fired from the company—

Benzino: Exactly, she was fired.

AllHipHop.com: [finishes] after she complained. But you said that she didn't—

Benzino: We didn't like the way she was doing her job in like the last year and we just decided to let her go. We let a lot of people go. We cleaned house with a lot of these people.

AllHipHop.com: And you and Dave Mays said that you requested that she repeal her complaint?

Benzino: Yeah, definitely. We said yes, you know, Kim, you're just like—she made a complaint and we said like what is this based on. We had a little conversation and we asked her that, you know, basically she tried to extort us to be like if you keep me on, I'll—if you promise not to fire me or get some time of contract, then I'll take the complaint away. But that's the first complaint she's ever done, so isn't kind of peculiar that she made the complaint when she know she was gonna get fired, Clover. That's the first complaint we've ever had from her since she's been the top person at The Source magazine. Doesn't that sound real peculiar?

AllHipHop.com: I don't know.

Benzino: You don't know, come on—are you a hater, Clover? Don't tell me you're a hater, Clover.

AllHipHop.com: Nah I'm neutral.

Benzino: Ah, don't say—'cause Clover that's obvious, like she filed one complaint since she's been up there when she found out that she was gonna get fired. That doesn't sound peculiar, like that's—come on, Clover.

AllHipHop.com: Are you trying to say that both of these women's claims are illegitimate?

Benzino: The other woman didn't even do nothing around here. She faked that she was having breast cancer so that we wouldn't fire her. These people were getting big salaries. They can't get these big salaries no where else. They were doing a weak job. It's our magazine and we fired them. I have the right too.

AllHipHop.com: And why would they lie about, like why would they—

Benzino: Clover, you're gonna have to find that out. It doesn't—but you know what, it doesn't matter. Does it matter? Whose company is it?

AllHipHop.com: Mmhm.

Benzino: Do you own AllHipHop?

AllHipHop.com: Nope.

Benzino: If you got fired would it really matter what you say about who's this or whatever—or like if they fired you today, would it matter?

AllHipHop.com: Would what matter?

Benzino: Would it matter like what your opinion is. Like how many people do you know who are gonna be happy when they get fired.

AllHipHop.com: [Laughs] everybody.

Benzino: Okay, then so then you just answered your own question then.

AllHipHop.com: Well I don't know why—

Benzino: It's okay, just keep it moving. I don't mind that, Clover. Zino and The Source ain't going nowhere. We're gonna stomp out the competition. It is what it is.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, where did your relationship with these two women stand before these accusations arose? Were you on speaking terms?

Benzino: Yeah, say hi and keep it moving. We was on speaking terms, business. I'm the boss, like what any boss at a business would do. We had a business relationship.

AllHipHop.com: Okay. So some people might see you as, okay I don't know the best way to put it, but a lot of people hate you obviously.

Benzino: No, no a lot of people don't hate me. Clover, you gotta get out that Internet world Clover. Come out to the real world, Clover. Come outside, go to a club, Clover. Go chill out at a club, go dance in a club. Go chill out, go look at what real life is and real things are because if you're up there in front of that computer all day you might be getting a little bit cross-eyed. You might be losing touch with reality.

AllHipHop.com: Actually, I get out and I hear—this is what I hear from people that are not on the Internet—

Benzino: Again the Internet. The Internet is a miniscule bunch of people. There's only like—I'm looking at AllHipHop now, there's 162 people on [the message boards] —that's so—like, come on man, Clover. Like these people are the people I'm talking about. They're not out there in the streets going to the—they're not doing that, man. They'd rather be nonchalant, no one can know who they are and hate and spew hate and negative opinions about people. I can handle that, but Clover if I'm so hated I wouldn't be, I wouldn't be like—like, I'm loved all across the country. Like Miami, New York, I go cross country now. Don't get it twisted because your little minute Internet world thinks that that's hate for Zino.

AllHipHop.com: I'm just saying, when you go against somebody like Eminem, then that's going to come up because a lot of people like Eminem.

Benzino: A lot of people like Eminem. Eminem's a racist. Eminem's a racist, Clover.

AllHipHop.com: According to you.

Benzino: Eminem's a racist, Clover. What do you mean according to me? He said “ni**er” on a tape. He called Black women b**ches. What do you mean according to me. They pulled out of the lawsuit. Clover, your man Eminem was about to be—his pants was about to be pulled down about his lies and everything. That's why they pulled out.

www.allhiphop.com

[Mr. Humonculous]

 

[eS El Duque]

AllHipHop.com: Actually, I get out and I hear—this is what I hear from people that are not on the Internet—

Benzino: Again the Internet. The Internet is a miniscule bunch of people. There's only like—I'm looking at AllHipHop now, there's 162 people on [the message boards] —that's so—like, come on man, Clover. Like these people are the people I'm talking about. They're not out there in the streets going to the—they're not doing that, man. They'd rather be nonchalant, no one can know who they are and hate and spew hate and negative opinions about people. I can handle that, but Clover if I'm so hated I wouldn't be, I wouldn't be like—like, I'm loved all across the country. Like Miami, New York, I go cross country now. Don't get it twisted because your little minute Internet world thinks that that's hate for Zino.

AllHipHop.com: I'm just saying, when you go against somebody like Eminem, then that's going to come up because a lot of people like Eminem.

Benzino: A lot of people like Eminem. Eminem's a racist. Eminem's a racist, Clover.

AllHipHop.com: According to you.

Benzino: Eminem's a racist, Clover. What do you mean according to me? He said “ni**er” on a tape. He called Black women b**ches. What do you mean according to me. They pulled out of the lawsuit. Clover, your man Eminem was about to be—his pants was about to be pulled down about his lies and everything. That's why they pulled out.



Zino got his feelings hurt 

[krazykokonutz]

  that reported ripped benzino a new one. im surprised he didnt hang up on him. i dont know why but benzino is a very hateable person. something about him that makes u hate him

[-CaliKid-]

He's bitter cause he was never successful as a rapper. So now all he does is whine, bitch and  about other "successful" rappers.

[BIG.DADDY]

publicity whore

[Dip Set Movementarian 4 Life]

Hold ya head up Zino...Iovine and the rest of them fags will go down soon...

[DPG4Life]

benzino seems to be an arrogant asshole....
never read an interview like that...

[Dip Set Movementarian 4 Life]

where is part 2? or will that be upcoming still?

[chronicad]

hes still fuckin breathin

[Kal EL]

I don't know many people that actually read that rag anymore, HE'S the reason why.