Benzino

Raymond Scott, better known by his stage name Benzino or Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper and record producer. Benzino produced records and co-owned The Source magazine.

From his perch as The Source co-owner, Benzino weaponized hip-hop's most influential magazine to wage a now-infamous war against Eminem in the early 2000s—a beef that defined his public legacy more than his six studio albums combined. His 2001 debut *The Benzino Project* and subsequent releases never quite matched the notoriety of his editorial crusade, yet Benzino's tenure at The Source represented real power in the industry, however controversially deployed. The conflict of interest that haunted his reign—using magazine cover space and critical coverage as ammunition against Em—crystallized debates about journalistic ethics that still echo today. His daughter Coi Leray would eventually eclipse his own rap career, becoming a platinum artist in her own right, a generational shift that underscores how Benzino's most lasting impact may be cultural rather than sonic.