Jarren Giovanni Benton (born October 26, 1981), is an American rapper from
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in ...
.
In early 2012, he signed to rapper
Hopsin
Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles.
In 2007, he was signed to Ruthless Records, and had founded his own record label, Funk Volume, i ...
's independent record label
Funk Volume
Funk Volume was an American independent record label founded by American rapper Hopsin. The label was home to artists Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, and producers DJ Hoppa and Kato. The label is defunct due to a feud between co-founders Hop ...
and released a mixtape titled, ''Freebasing with Kevin Bacon'' in June 2012.
A year later, on June 11, 2013, he released his debut studio album, ''
My Grandma's Basement'', which received positive critical reviews and debuted at number 152 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart.
After Funk Volume split up, Benton found himself between labels until 2018 when he was signed to
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...
, founded by
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
in 2008.
Early life
From his early youth, Benton aspired to be a rapper. He told ''
XXL'', "I started trying to rap pretty young and the shit was kind of whack and then I got a little older and I started going around Atlanta performing at certain showcases. I got a little name for myself, but it was kind of hard in Atlanta, just due to the type of music that comes from there, which is you know, typical down south shit." He credits his musical influences as
OutKast,
Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp.
History
The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron " Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie "Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Thoma ...
,
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
,
EL-P
Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a ...
,
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
,
Sean Price
Sean Duval Price (March 17, 1972August 8, 2015) was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik. He was one half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruck, along with partner Rock.
Early life and educati ...
,
Redman,
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Ras Kass
John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...
,
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
,
Chino XL
Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper, and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – ''Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' – won the 2012 HHU ...
,
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
, and
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
.
Musical career
2009–2012: Mixtapes and signing with Funk Volume
On August 5, 2009, Benton released his first official mixtape titled, ''Jarren Benton: The Mixtape'', produced entirely by The Beatgods.
On January 25, 2011, Benton released a collaboration mixtape with producer SMKA. The mixtape titled ''Huffing Glue With Hasselhoff'' was supported by the lead single "Get a Load of Me". He soon begun to gain attention after the release of his song "Skitzo".
American underground rapper
Hopsin
Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles.
In 2007, he was signed to Ruthless Records, and had founded his own record label, Funk Volume, i ...
would watch the music video, and passed it on to
Funk Volume
Funk Volume was an American independent record label founded by American rapper Hopsin. The label was home to artists Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, and producers DJ Hoppa and Kato. The label is defunct due to a feud between co-founders Hop ...
CEO Dame Ritter. Ritter would contact Benton a few months later and then in May 2012, Hopsin and Ritter signed Benton to their Funk Volume record label.
He had previously been courted by industry heavyweights such as
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work.
Career
Sermon started prof ...
and
No ID
Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having releas ...
for major label record deals, with labels such as
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
and
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
, however he chose to sign with the independent record label Funk Volume. His first project on Funk Volume, a mixtape titled ''Freebasing with Kevin Bacon'' would be released on June 28, 2012. The mixtape featured guest appearances from
Dizzy Wright
La'Reonte Wright (born November 26, 1990), known professionally as Dizzy Wright, is an American rapper and record producer.
In December 2011, Wright signed to rapper Hopsin's independent record label, Funk Volume. After signing, he released his ...
,
Rittz
Jonathan Matthew McCollum (born August 16, 1980), better known by his stage name Rittz, is an American rapper. His debut album ''The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant'' was released on April 30, 2013, rising to number 8 on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip ...
,
Freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
,
Gangsta Boo
Lola Chantrelle Mitchell (born August 7, 1979), better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, is an American rapper, who was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the second female member (after K-9) of the Memphis-based hip hop group Thr ...
, Jon Connor, and
Planet VI
A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a yo ...
among others.
2012–2015: ''My Grandma's Basement'' and ''Slow Motion''
In late 2012 he toured internationally with Hopsin, Dizzy Wright,
SwizZz
Justin Ritter (born September 28, 1987), known professionally as SwizZz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for significantly collaborating with childhood friend Hopsin, and being signed to their record label Funk Volume, whic ...
and
DJ Hoppa
Lee Gresh, known professionally as DJ Hoppa (born, April 28, 1983) is an American DJ and producer from Panorama City, Los Angeles. He was signed to rapper Hopsin's now defunct record label Funk Volume, and CEO of the San Fernando Valley indepen ...
for two-months, which included 54 shows in 60 days in the United States, Europe, and Australia. He explained his mindset going into his debut album saying, "This album has a different vibe. It's a lot more personal stuff so people can learn who Jarren is." He also said it will feature a more refined production sound that translates more to his ambitions of being a household name.
On June 11, 2013, Benton would release his debut studio album, ''
My Grandma's Basement'', on Funk Volume. The album featured guest appearances by Dizzy Wright, Hopsin,
R.A. the Rugged Man
R.A. Thorburn, better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American rapper and producer. He began his music career at age 12, building a reputation locally for his lyrical skills. Thorburn signed with major label Jive Records at ...
,
Vinnie Paz
Vincenzo Luvineri (born October 5, 1977), better known as Vinnie Paz (formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram), is a Sicilian Americans, Sicilian American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks ...
and SwizZz. ''My Grandma's Basement'' debuted and peaked at number 152 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and number four on the ''Billboard''
Heatseekers Albums
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart.
He released music videos for multiple songs including "Go Off", "Life In the Jungle" and "We On (My Own Dick)" among others.
On August 2, 2013,
R.A. the Rugged Man
R.A. Thorburn, better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American rapper and producer. He began his music career at age 12, building a reputation locally for his lyrical skills. Thorburn signed with major label Jive Records at ...
released the remix to his song "Underground Hitz" featuring
Hopsin
Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles.
In 2007, he was signed to Ruthless Records, and had founded his own record label, Funk Volume, i ...
and Benton.
From August 1–19, 2013, Benton toured the United States on the ''Grandma's Basement Tour'', his first solo headlining tour. Then, Benton went on "The Life And Times Tour" with
Strange Music
Strange Music is an American independent record label specializing in hip hop music and founded by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin in 1999.
History
In 2009 Skatterman & Snug Brim fulfilled their commitment to Strange Music and left the label.
In ...
rapper
Rittz
Jonathan Matthew McCollum (born August 16, 1980), better known by his stage name Rittz, is an American rapper. His debut album ''The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant'' was released on April 30, 2013, rising to number 8 on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip ...
and
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
rapper
Snow Tha Product
Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza (born June 24, 1987) known professionally as Snow Tha Product, is an American rapper, singer, actress, youtuber, and podcaster. She was signed to Atlantic Records from 2012 until November 2018. Since then, she has ...
, the tour went from October 31 to December 8, 2013. Benton also featured on Hopsin's third studio album ''
Knock Madness
''Knock Madness'' is the third studio album by American rapper Hopsin. It was released on November 24, 2013, by Funk Volume and distributed by Empire Distribution, EMPIRE. Hopsin has said that the overall vibe of the album is different from his ...
'', on the song "Who's There" with Funk Volume label mate Dizzy Wright. Benton received the most fan-votes votes, earning a spot on the 2014 ''
XXL'' freshman class and was named the "People's Champ".
He was the oldest rapper that had ever been selected to the list at 32.
From April 9 to June 28, 2014, Benton was touring with
Tech N9ne
Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two m ...
,
Freddie Gibbs
Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper from Gary, Indiana. After initially being signed to Interscope Records in 2006, Gibbs recorded his debut studio album under the label ...
and
Krizz Kaliko
Samuel William Christopher Watson IV (born March 7, 1974), better known by his stage name Krizz Kaliko, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and voice actor. He is a longtime collaborator with fellow hometown native Tech N9ne and was signe ...
on the Independent Grind Tour 2014.
On January 27, 2015, Benton released his debut extended play, "Slow Motion" named after an old friend and fellow rapper who had recently died at the time. The EP debuted and peaked at number 168 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.
2016–2017: ''Slow Motion, Vol. 2'' and ''The Mink Coat Killa''
On July 22, 2016, Benton released his second studio album, and his first one under his newfound independent record label Benton Enterprises, ''Slow Motion, Vol. 2'', the sequel to his 2015 EP, ''Slow Motion''.
On June 23, 2017, Benton released his third studio album titled, "
The Mink Coat Killa", and supported by two singles from the album "C.R.E.A.M. 17" featuring Nick Grant being released on June 1, and "Again" featuring Aleon Craft being released on June 19, from the album. Initially, Benton stated that this project was intended to be a Wu-Tang Clan tribute project, the title of the project being a reference to his Wu-Tang name "The Mink Coat Killa."
2018–present: ''One Week Notice'' and ''Yuck Fou''
On January 5, 2018, Benton, with the record label StillMovin, released a collaboration project titled, ''One Week Notice''. The album was created when StillMovin label owner Damian Ritter got Benton together with
Dizzy Wright
La'Reonte Wright (born November 26, 1990), known professionally as Dizzy Wright, is an American rapper and record producer.
In December 2011, Wright signed to rapper Hopsin's independent record label, Funk Volume. After signing, he released his ...
,
Audio Push
Audio Push is an American hip hop duo from Inland Empire, California. The group consists of Oktane (Julian Browne) and Price (Larry Jacks, Jr.).
Career
In 2009, the duo were signed to Interscope Records, and they had their first hit single wit ...
,
Demrick
Demerick Ferm, better known by his stage name Demrick, formerly known as Young De, is a rapper from Spokane, Washington, now living in Los Angeles. He has collaborated with Xzibit, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, B-Real and Cypress Hill. He is a ...
,
Emilio Rojas
Emilio Rojas is an American rapper.
Biography
Early life and career beginnings
Emilio Rojas was born to a Venezuelan father and an American mother in the suburbs of Rochester. At age 10, Emilio's father left his family and returned to Venezuel ...
, Reezy,
DJ Hoppa
Lee Gresh, known professionally as DJ Hoppa (born, April 28, 1983) is an American DJ and producer from Panorama City, Los Angeles. He was signed to rapper Hopsin's now defunct record label Funk Volume, and CEO of the San Fernando Valley indepen ...
, and
Kato to record an album in one week. On June 29, 2018, Benton and
Kato released the single "Don't Need You" featuring
Hopsin
Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles.
In 2007, he was signed to Ruthless Records, and had founded his own record label, Funk Volume, i ...
and announced a collaborative album. On July 25, Benton and Kato released the single "Money Bag" featuring
Jay Park
Jay Park ( Korean name: Park Jae-beom (Hangul: 박재범; Hanja: 朴載範); born April 25, 1987) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and entrepreneur of based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based ...
, and announced that their collaborative album, ''Yuck Fou'', would be released under
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...
.
Personal life
Benton was married and has two children.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Jarren Benton Meets Smka: Huffing Glue With Hasselhoff'' (2011)
* ''Freebasing With Kevin Bacon'' (2012)
* ''
My Grandma's Basement'' (2013)
* ''Slow Motion'' (2015)
* ''Slow Motion, Vol. 2'' (2016)
* ''
The Mink Coat Killa'' (2017)
* ''Yuck Fou'' (2018)
References
External links
Jarren Bentonon
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Jarren
African-American male rappers
American male rappers
Funk Volume artists
Living people
21st-century American rappers
1981 births
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people