WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.860 You know, when you plug a destination into a 00:00:01.860 --> 00:00:05.280 GPS, it gives you, like, the fastest, most logical 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:08.099 route. Right, the approved path. Exactly. Stay 00:00:08.099 --> 00:00:10.439 on the highway, take the exits everyone else 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:13.140 takes, follow the blue line, and if you dare 00:00:13.140 --> 00:00:16.219 to veer off that pre -approved path, the system 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:19.239 just absolutely panics. It starts flashing, right? 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:23.019 Like, recalculating, recalculating. Yeah, demanding 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:24.600 that you turn around and get back on the main 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:27.480 road. And, um... You know, the music industry 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:30.019 operates like that exact same software. Oh, completely. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:32.539 If you aren't hitting the standard milestones, 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.100 playing the expected sounds, and following the 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:37.840 traditional timeline, the executives assume you 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:40.979 must be lost. Welcome to the Deep Dive. I'm so 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:42.299 glad you're here with us today. Yeah, thanks 00:00:42.299 --> 00:00:45.340 for tuning in. Today we're unpacking a massive 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:48.280 Wikipedia archive documenting the journey of 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:51.380 an artist... who basically spent his entire career 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:55.060 making the music industry's GPS screen recalculating. 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:56.880 I mean, he really did. We're talking about the 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:00.539 American rapper Jaron Benton. Yes. And our mission 00:01:00.539 --> 00:01:04.420 today is to explore the career of a guy who actively 00:01:04.730 --> 00:01:07.989 almost stubbornly defied regional expectations, 00:01:08.829 --> 00:01:11.189 industry norms, and even the traditional timeline 00:01:11.189 --> 00:01:14.069 of success. Just to build a deeply personal music 00:01:14.069 --> 00:01:16.670 legacy on his own terms. Okay, let's unpack this. 00:01:16.969 --> 00:01:19.269 We have to start at the beginning, down in Decatur, 00:01:19.269 --> 00:01:22.909 Georgia. Right. Benton was born in 1981, which 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:25.430 places his formative years right in the thick 00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:28.879 of the rising southern hip -hop dominance. And 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:31.640 that geographic context is just, well, it's crucial 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:33.159 to understanding his early struggles. Because 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:35.319 of the Atlanta sound, right? Exactly. In the 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:38.040 late 90s and early 2000s, Atlanta was really 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:40.680 cementing itself as the absolute center of gravity 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:44.040 for hip hop. There was a very specific down south 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:46.599 sound dominating the airwaves and the clubs. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:49.980 It was largely bass heavy, bounce driven, and 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:51.760 highly localized. Like if you were there, you 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:53.760 played that sound. Right. If you were an up and 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:55.620 coming artist in that area, the expectation was 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:58.099 that you would slide seamlessly right into it. 00:01:57.870 --> 00:02:00.349 to that sonic landscape. But Benton just didn't 00:02:00.349 --> 00:02:03.230 fit that mold at all. No, not even close. He 00:02:03.230 --> 00:02:06.569 gives this incredibly candid quote to XXL Magazine, 00:02:06.969 --> 00:02:08.550 admitting that his early attempts at rapping 00:02:08.550 --> 00:02:10.889 were, well, in his own words, kind of whack. 00:02:11.169 --> 00:02:13.909 Which is hilarious to admit, but, you know, honest. 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:17.090 Yeah. He was going around Atlanta performing 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:19.789 at showcases, trying to build a name, but he 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.650 hit a massive wall. Mm -hmm. He noted it was 00:02:22.650 --> 00:02:25.449 incredibly hard to gain traction because his 00:02:25.449 --> 00:02:27.810 style just didn't fit that typical down south 00:02:27.810 --> 00:02:30.069 vibe the local crowds were showing up for. And 00:02:30.069 --> 00:02:32.250 looking at his influences, I mean, it makes perfect 00:02:32.250 --> 00:02:34.550 sense why he felt like an alien in his own hometown. 00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:37.110 Oh, for sure. His musical diet was completely 00:02:37.110 --> 00:02:39.229 at odds with the local menu. His influence list 00:02:39.229 --> 00:02:41.889 is wild. It reads like someone left a CD binder 00:02:41.889 --> 00:02:44.870 open at a frat party in 1999 and just hit shuffle 00:02:44.870 --> 00:02:46.909 on everything. It really does. He credits hip 00:02:46.909 --> 00:02:50.229 hop legends, obviously. Outcast. Goody Mob, Wu 00:02:50.229 --> 00:02:54.330 -Tang Clan, Eminem. Redmond, Dr. Dre. Yeah. But 00:02:54.330 --> 00:02:56.949 then he cites deeply lyrical underground guys 00:02:56.949 --> 00:03:01.069 like ELP, Rascass, and Chino XL. Which is already 00:03:01.069 --> 00:03:02.909 pulling away from the mainstream club sound. 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:06.229 Right. And then he takes a hard left turn into 00:03:06.229 --> 00:03:08.590 alternative and industrial rock. This is the 00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:11.610 part that gets me. He brings up nine -inch nails, 00:03:12.229 --> 00:03:15.139 deftones. and Marilyn Manson. Yeah. It's like 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:17.560 trying to sell a sci -fi thriller at a romance 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:20.400 novel convention. You might have undeniable talent 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:22.080 as a writer, your prose might be incredible, 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:25.259 but the local market you're standing in is absolutely 00:03:25.259 --> 00:03:29.300 not looking for a genre -blending, dark, industrial 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:31.819 -tinged hip -hop sound. They want the club hits. 00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:35.300 Exactly. What's fascinating here is how that 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:38.759 initial rejection acts as a crucible. How do 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:41.319 you mean? Well, When your immediate environment 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:43.620 doesn't validate you, you're forced into a corner. 00:03:43.780 --> 00:03:46.319 You either conform to what the local scene wants, 00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:49.639 which he clearly refused to do, or you look outward. 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:52.479 Yeah, you find your own lane. By embracing Marilyn 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:55.539 Manson and Wu Tang simultaneously, Benton was 00:03:55.539 --> 00:03:57.620 cultivating a sound that couldn't be pigeonholed 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.719 by geography. He wasn't making it. Atlanta music, 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:02.699 you know. He was making Jaron Benton music. Exactly. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.539 He isolated himself in his own specific tastes 00:04:05.539 --> 00:04:07.819 to build something completely separate from the 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:10.639 local expectations. I want you, the listener, 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:13.159 to think about that for a moment. Think about 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:17.779 a time when you felt your own skills or your 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:21.959 passions or your weird niche interests just did 00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:24.540 not align with your immediate environment. Oh, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.459 that's a great point. Like, at a job. Right. 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:28.759 Maybe it was at a corporate job or in a specific 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:31.160 academic program. It feels incredibly frustrating 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:33.639 and isolating in the moment. But that friction 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:36.579 is often the exact thing that forces you to forge 00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:39.560 a stronger, more unique identity. You stop trying 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.680 to blend in, and you start doubling down on what 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:44.759 makes you different. And that doubling down is 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:47.139 the defining characteristic of Benton throughout 00:04:47.139 --> 00:04:49.720 the late 2000s. He didn't just give up. No. He 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:51.970 focused intensely on ref - finding that eccentric 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:54.550 craft, rather than trying to reverse engineer 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:57.189 a radio hit for the Atlanta market. Which leads 00:04:57.189 --> 00:04:59.810 directly into his breakout period between 2009 00:04:59.810 --> 00:05:02.050 and 2012. Right, because eventually his sound 00:05:02.050 --> 00:05:04.689 catches the ear of the right people. He drops 00:05:04.689 --> 00:05:07.149 his first official mixtape, produced entirely 00:05:07.149 --> 00:05:10.930 by the Beat Gods, in 2009. Then in 2011, he teams 00:05:10.930 --> 00:05:14.389 up with producer SMKA for a collaboration mixtape. 00:05:15.030 --> 00:05:17.189 And the title of this project tells you everything 00:05:17.189 --> 00:05:19.709 you need to know about his brand of humor and 00:05:19.709 --> 00:05:22.430 his reliance on shock value. Oh, I know the one. 00:05:22.550 --> 00:05:25.250 It was called Huffing Glue with Hasselhoff. That 00:05:25.250 --> 00:05:28.170 title is just wild. Supported by the single Get 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:31.810 a Low to Me. But the real catalyst for his career 00:05:31.810 --> 00:05:35.560 was a track called Skitzo. Yes, the music video 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:38.319 for Schitzo, that somehow crosses the radar of 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:40.459 the underground rapper Hopson. And Hopson was 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:42.240 huge in the underground scene then. Oh, yeah. 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:44.639 Hopson was building a massive independent following 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.439 of his own at the time. He watches the video, 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.279 immediately recognizes the raw talent and the 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:53.779 shared off -kilter sensibility, and he passes 00:05:53.779 --> 00:05:56.560 it along to Dame Ritter. Who's the CEO of the 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:58.699 independent record label Funk Volume. Exactly. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.420 A few months go by, Ritter reaches out, and by 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:03.689 May 2012, Hopson and Ritter Ritter officially 00:06:03.689 --> 00:06:06.889 signed Benton to Funk Volume. Wow. He then drops 00:06:06.889 --> 00:06:09.670 the mixtape Freebasing with Kevin Bacon the following 00:06:09.670 --> 00:06:11.850 month. Another amazing title. Right. And he's 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:14.129 bringing in features from guys like Dizzy Wright, 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:17.550 Ritz, and Gangsta Boo. But what's wild is that 00:06:17.550 --> 00:06:19.610 while all this underground momentum was building, 00:06:20.050 --> 00:06:22.230 the mainstream establishment was actually watching 00:06:22.230 --> 00:06:24.370 him closely. They definitely were. He wasn't 00:06:24.370 --> 00:06:26.709 just getting calls from scrappy independent labels. 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:29.990 He was simultaneously being courted by absolute 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:33.350 industry heavyweights like Eric Cerny. and no 00:06:33.350 --> 00:06:35.930 ID. Yeah, literal architects of hip -hop. And 00:06:35.930 --> 00:06:38.470 they were offering him major label deals with 00:06:38.470 --> 00:06:41.029 Def Jam recordings and Interscope Records, yet 00:06:41.029 --> 00:06:44.089 he says no. He walked away. He walks away from 00:06:44.089 --> 00:06:48.069 Def Jam to sign with Funk Volume. I have to push 00:06:48.069 --> 00:06:51.009 back here. Wait, if Def Jam and Interscope come 00:06:51.009 --> 00:06:53.779 knocking... Isn't a professional suicide to say 00:06:53.779 --> 00:06:56.459 no and go with a relatively small indie label? 00:06:56.579 --> 00:06:58.879 It looks entirely counterintuitive from the outside. 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:00.759 I mean, most people would kill for that deal. 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.680 Right. But if we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:07:02.779 --> 00:07:04.860 it makes perfect strategic sense for an artist 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:07.379 like Benton. Break that down for us. You have 00:07:07.379 --> 00:07:09.579 to understand the historic trade off in the music 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:12.720 industry. When you sign with a major label like 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:15.339 Def Jam or Interscope, you are getting access 00:07:15.339 --> 00:07:18.759 to a massive global marketing machine. So radio, 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.970 billboards. Exactly. You get the big cash advances, 00:07:22.230 --> 00:07:25.689 you get radio play, high budget videos, and mainstream 00:07:25.689 --> 00:07:28.069 visibility. The rocket ship to the top. Yeah, 00:07:28.110 --> 00:07:30.110 but the price of that rocket ship is almost always 00:07:30.110 --> 00:07:32.389 your creative control and the actual ownership 00:07:32.389 --> 00:07:35.449 of your master recordings. Ah, right. The fine 00:07:35.449 --> 00:07:38.680 print. Major labels are notoriously risk -averse 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:41.379 because they are investing millions. Think back 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:43.819 to that GPS analogy. They want you on the highway. 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:46.879 A major label wants you on the highway. If Benton 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:49.459 went to Def Jam, the executives might listen 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:52.360 to his Marilyn Manson influences and his dark 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:55.459 humor and say, let's dial that back. Let's make 00:07:55.459 --> 00:07:56.939 you sound more like what's currently charting 00:07:56.939 --> 00:07:58.819 on the radio so we can recoup our investment 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:00.899 faster. They'd want to sand down his edges to 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:03.779 make him palpable for a mass audience. Independent 00:08:03.779 --> 00:08:05.959 labels, on the other hand, offer a fraction of 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:08.339 the upfront money and marketing muscle. Sure. 00:08:08.699 --> 00:08:11.639 But they give the artist a significantly larger 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:13.959 slice of the pie when it comes to royalties. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:16.660 And more importantly, they let the artist steer 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:19.980 the ship creatively. Which he needed. Funk volume 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:21.959 wasn't going to tell him to change his sound. 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:24.699 They signed him specifically because of his eccentric 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:27.620 sound. You know, for everyone listening, think 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:30.480 about your own career choices. If you were offered 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:33.309 the prestigious corporate job, at the massive 00:08:33.309 --> 00:08:35.850 firm, the one with the strict dress code, the 00:08:35.850 --> 00:08:39.250 rigid hierarchy, but the huge name brand on your 00:08:39.250 --> 00:08:41.909 resume, would you take it? A lot of people would. 00:08:42.129 --> 00:08:44.389 Yeah. Or would you choose the chaotic startup 00:08:44.389 --> 00:08:46.990 that pays less initially, but lets you completely 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:48.549 run your own department and build something in 00:08:48.549 --> 00:08:50.649 your own image? And Benton chose the startup. 00:08:50.789 --> 00:08:53.490 He did. But choosing independence comes with 00:08:53.490 --> 00:08:56.350 a heavy physical and financial toll. I mean, 00:08:56.429 --> 00:08:58.129 when you say no to Def Jam's money, you have 00:08:58.129 --> 00:09:00.909 to fund your own existence? That explains the 00:09:00.909 --> 00:09:03.009 insane touring schedule that follows. Oh, the 00:09:03.009 --> 00:09:05.850 touring was brutal. In late 2012, he hits the 00:09:05.850 --> 00:09:08.409 road internationally with Hopson, Dizzy Wright, 00:09:08.690 --> 00:09:12.950 Swizz, and DJ Hoppa. They do 54 shows in 60 days 00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:16.070 across the US, Europe, and Australia. 54 shows 00:09:16.070 --> 00:09:18.250 in 60 days. That's almost a show every single 00:09:18.250 --> 00:09:20.330 night with international travel. When you say 00:09:20.330 --> 00:09:22.309 no to corporate money, that tour becomes the 00:09:22.309 --> 00:09:26.019 physical cost of your independence. That is not 00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:29.039 a glamorous pop star tour. That is blue collar, 00:09:29.820 --> 00:09:32.000 sweat equity grinding to keep the lights on and 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:34.620 build a grassroots following city by city. And 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:38.139 that grueling grind. sets the stage for his debut 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:41.919 studio album in June 2013. My grandma's basement. 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:44.700 Right. And this album represents a pivot for 00:09:44.700 --> 00:09:48.100 him. How so? He stated at the time that the project 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:51.019 had a different vibe. It was a lot more personal, 00:09:51.460 --> 00:09:53.559 designed so people could learn who Jaron really 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:55.940 is beneath all that shock value. Getting past 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:58.779 the Huffing Lou persona. Exactly. He also featured 00:09:58.779 --> 00:10:01.019 a more refined production sound because, you 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:02.759 know, he still had ambitions to be a household 00:10:02.759 --> 00:10:04.799 name. He wasn't opposed to success. He just wanted 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:07.110 it on his turn. Right. He was proving he could 00:10:07.110 --> 00:10:09.230 balance his eccentricities with accessibility, 00:10:09.690 --> 00:10:12.009 but without a major label telling him how to 00:10:12.009 --> 00:10:13.990 do it. And the personal touch completely worked. 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:16.889 My Grandma's Basement featured a diverse lineup 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:20.210 of guests, Aria the Rugged Man, Vinnie Paz, Hobson, 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:22.870 and it debuted at number 152 on the Billboard 00:10:22.870 --> 00:10:25.549 200. Which is huge. And it hit number four on 00:10:25.549 --> 00:10:27.899 the Billboard Hit Seekers chart. Right, and for 00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:29.980 anyone unfamiliar, the Heat Seekers chart is 00:10:29.980 --> 00:10:32.460 basically Billboard's spotlight for artists bubbling 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.039 just under the mainstream radar. Like a track 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:37.139 of a system for the next big thing. Exactly. 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:41.259 So for independent hip hop album in 2013, charting 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:43.960 on the Billboard 200 is a massive validation 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:47.379 of the DIY approach. The momentum snowballs rapidly 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:50.100 from there. He drops music videos for tracks 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:53.240 like Go Off and Life in the Jungle. He goes on 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:56.059 his first solo headlining tour, the Grandma's 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:58.700 Basement Tour, and jumps onto tours with Ritz, 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:01.500 Snowthi Product, Tech N9, and Freddie Gibbs. 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:03.820 He is just everywhere. It's a relentless pace 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:06.080 that culminates in a major industry moment in 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:08.360 2014. Here's where it gets really interesting. 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:11.740 Oh, the XXL -ist. Yes. Jaren Benton earns a spot 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:15.340 on the 2014 XXL freshman class. For context, 00:11:15.659 --> 00:11:17.700 the XXL freshman list is essentially the hip 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:20.159 -hop industry's annual coronation of the next 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.700 big superstars. Getting on that magazine cover 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:24.879 is a career -making moment. Absolutely. But there 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.379 are two vital details here. First, Benton didn't 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:29.299 just get picked by the magazine editors in a 00:11:29.299 --> 00:11:31.639 boardroom. He won the People's Champ fan vote. 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.320 Meaning his independent fans mobilized and essentially 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:37.720 forced him onto that list. Exactly. And second, 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:40.639 and this is the kicker, he was the oldest rapper 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:43.799 ever selected to the list. Wow. He was 32 years 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:48.139 old. Which is just unheard of. Youth is fiercely 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:51.019 fetishized in the music industry. Gatekeepers 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:53.480 are almost always looking for the 19 -year -old 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:55.899 prodigy they can mold and profit off of for the 00:11:55.899 --> 00:11:58.240 next decade. Right. They want someone they can 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:00.960 steer. Breaking through at 32 is practically 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.759 impossible in that specific format. The real 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:06.340 takeaway here is that gatekeepers only have power 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:08.440 if they control your audience. Oh, that's a great 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:10.779 way to put it. Benton proved that if you own 00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:13.200 your direct connection to the fans, you can completely 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:16.820 override ingrained industry prejudices like ageism. 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:19.740 The fans literally forced the industry to acknowledge 00:12:19.740 --> 00:12:22.159 a 32 year old in a young man's game. It's like 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:24.159 winning a Best New Artist Award when you've actually 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.200 been working in the trenches for over 10 years. 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:28.879 Right, right. It's not overnight success. It 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:32.259 is fiercely delayed recognition. So he reaches 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:37.000 this incredible validating peak. He defied the 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:39.340 geography trap, he defied the major labels, he 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:42.299 defied his age, and then just as he reached at 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:44.639 the mountaintop, the ground completely falls 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:46.799 out from under him. Because the independent music 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:49.720 business is incredibly fragile. You don't have 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:52.340 a massive corporate safety net to catch you when 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:54.919 things go wrong, either personally or professionally. 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:58.379 Right. In early 2015, Benton releases his debut 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:02.100 EP titled Slow Motion. It charted on the Billboard 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:04.360 200, which is a great professional milestone. 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:07.100 But the story behind the title is just heartbreaking. 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:09.779 It was named after an old friend and fellow rapper 00:13:09.779 --> 00:13:11.940 who had recently passed away. So he's dealing 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:14.899 with profound personal grief. Yeah. And then, 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:18.039 in 2016, his professional home vanishes. Funk 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:20.580 volume shuts down. Funk volume, the label he 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:23.500 helped build, suddenly shuts down due to internal 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.120 disputes among the founders. Suddenly, the independent 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:28.279 infrastructure that supported his rise, you know, 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.159 the people who booked those massive tours and 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:31.879 marketed those albums, it's completely gone. 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:34.259 Just wiped out. He's a free agent, but not by 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:36.759 choice. The machinery he relied on evaporated 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.309 overnight, leaving him entirely on his own. You 00:13:39.309 --> 00:13:41.490 might think losing his label would be the end, 00:13:41.669 --> 00:13:44.409 or at least force a massive multi -year hiatus. 00:13:44.590 --> 00:13:46.549 A lot of artists would quit after that. But look 00:13:46.549 --> 00:13:48.690 at the three -year period following the collapse. 00:13:49.309 --> 00:13:52.029 It became an era of aggressive reinvention. He 00:13:52.029 --> 00:13:53.909 didn't slow down at all. He hasn't just put out 00:13:53.909 --> 00:13:56.070 another album. He builds his own enterprise. 00:13:56.730 --> 00:13:59.649 Literally. He starts his own label, Benton Enterprises, 00:14:00.070 --> 00:14:04.289 releasing Slow Motion Vol. 2 in 2016 as his first 00:14:04.289 --> 00:14:06.909 project under the new banner. He's leveraging 00:14:06.909 --> 00:14:09.330 the fierce fan base he built to fund his own 00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:12.590 ecosystem. That works. In 2017, he drops his 00:14:12.590 --> 00:14:15.789 third studio album, The Mink Coat Killa, intended 00:14:15.789 --> 00:14:18.330 to be a tribute to the Wu -Tang Clan, referencing 00:14:18.330 --> 00:14:21.860 his own Wu -Tang influenced moniker. He is constantly 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:23.820 working to ensure he doesn't lose an ounce of 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:26.279 momentum handling the distribution and marketing 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.240 himself. So he loses his label in 2016, but by 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:32.259 2018 he links up with a still Movin label and 00:14:32.259 --> 00:14:35.080 guys like Dizzy Wright and Audio Push to create 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:37.419 an entire collaborative album called One Week 00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:39.480 Notice. And it was called that because they literally 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:41.860 recorded the entire album in just seven days. 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.919 Which is insane. That's not just a guy making 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:46.759 music. That's an entrepreneur refusing to let 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:49.340 the machine dictate his timeline or his output. 00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:52.240 And that relentless output, that sheer refusal 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:55.259 to quietly fade away, eventually attracts the 00:14:55.259 --> 00:14:57.519 attention of the very establishment he initially 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.200 bypassed. Right. It comes full circle. In July 00:15:00.200 --> 00:15:03.700 2018, Benton releases a single called Money Bag 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:06.840 with Jay Park and announces that his next collaborative 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.919 album, Yuck Fu, is going to be released under 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:12.860 Roc Nation. Yes, Jay -Z's Roc Nation. The ultimate 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:15.379 inner circle. And it's worth noting, just to 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:17.259 bring his discography completely up to date, 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:20.620 in 2022 he dropped a satirical track titled Nancy. 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:23.639 Right, featuring the rapper Samson. Yes. It's 00:15:23.639 --> 00:15:26.000 a track centered around former U .S. House speaker 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:29.330 Nancy Pelosi. Now, as your guides today, we are 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:31.470 strictly mapping out his timeline. You want to 00:15:31.470 --> 00:15:33.690 be very clear to you listening. We aren't taking 00:15:33.690 --> 00:15:36.070 any political stances or endorsing the viewpoints 00:15:36.070 --> 00:15:38.169 of the track or the politician. Exactly. We're 00:15:38.169 --> 00:15:40.009 just impartially conveying the facts from the 00:15:40.009 --> 00:15:42.629 source material. Right. But it's a factual piece 00:15:42.629 --> 00:15:45.129 of his history that shows his continued reliance 00:15:45.129 --> 00:15:47.789 on shock value and pushing boundaries. Looking 00:15:47.789 --> 00:15:50.269 at that entire timeline, from the funk volume 00:15:50.269 --> 00:15:52.570 collapse to the rock nation deal, you really 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:55.269 see the mechanics of survival in the modern music 00:15:55.269 --> 00:15:58.240 landscape. So what does this all mean? How does 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:01.700 an indie artist with no corporate backing survive 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:05.159 losing his label in 2016 only to drop an album 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:08.580 recorded in a single week by 2018 and then suddenly 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:11.080 walk through the doors of hip -hop's biggest 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:13.480 empire at Roc Nation? This raises an important 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:15.500 question about what it actually means to be an 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:18.019 independent artist. Okay, tell me more. Benton's 00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:21.120 entire career is a master class in adaptability. 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:23.659 Being independent isn't just a business model 00:16:23.659 --> 00:16:26.240 for him. It's a survival skill. He went from 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.059 a scrappy indie label to becoming his own boss 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:31.639 at Benton Enterprises to signing with one of 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:33.279 the most prestigious entertainment companies 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.159 in the world. What he proved is that his core 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.759 value didn't lie in his corporate backing. His 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:41.139 value was his own brand. The audience wasn't 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:42.960 showing up for funk volume. They were showing 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.700 up for Jaren Benton. I want to challenge you, 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:48.899 the listener, to view your own setbacks through 00:16:48.899 --> 00:16:52.580 that exact lens. When a project fails or a company 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:55.720 folds or a relationship ends, it's so easy to 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.840 see it as a definitive ending. Oh, absolutely. 00:16:58.019 --> 00:16:59.980 But what if it's just a mandatory reinvention 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:02.679 phase? What if the skills you built during the 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:05.339 failure, the resilience, the networking, the 00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:09.099 raw output, are the exact tools you need to build 00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:12.140 your own enterprise? Benton didn't stop when 00:17:12.140 --> 00:17:14.559 his local scene rejected him, he didn't stop 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:16.380 when the majors wanted to change his sound, and 00:17:16.380 --> 00:17:18.539 he certainly didn't stop when his label dissolved. 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:21.160 He just kept recalculating the rap. Perfect callback 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:24.119 to the GPS. To summarize this deep dive, Jaren 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.240 Benton's journey is nothing short of relentless. 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:29.960 He started as an alienated kid in Decatur, Georgia, 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:32.500 listening to Marilyn Manson and Wu -Tang Clan 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:34.900 while everyone else was focused on the Down South 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.599 sound. He became an independent trailblazer who 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:39.960 gambled on himself, paid the brutal physical 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:42.920 cost of that independence on tour, and conquered 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:46.019 the XXL freshman list as the oldest inductee 00:17:46.019 --> 00:17:50.180 at 32. He survived profound personal loss and 00:17:50.180 --> 00:17:52.640 the sudden collapse of his record label. only 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:54.559 to build his own company and eventually find 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.240 himself walking through the doors of Jay -Z's 00:17:57.240 --> 00:18:00.640 rock nation. It's an incredible narrative arc 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:02.539 of resilience, but you know, it leaves me with 00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:05.859 one final, perhaps slightly provocative thought 00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:09.359 for you to mull over today. Jaron Benton built 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:12.160 his entire identity on being the outsider. He 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:14.859 was the guy who rejected the major labels, the 00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:17.579 guy who ignored the regional sound, the outlier 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:21.039 who forced his way in on his own terms. But what 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:23.859 happens to an artist's creative drive when their 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:26.900 specific brand of rebellion eventually gets co 00:18:26.900 --> 00:18:29.319 -opted and rewarded by the establishment? Oh, 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:31.920 wow. When you sign with a behemoth like Roc Nation, 00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:34.960 can you still be the ultimate outsider when you're 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:37.339 suddenly invited into the ultimate inner circle? 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:40.640 Oh man, that is a fantastic question to leave 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.240 off on. How do you keep the edge when you finally 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.359 won the war? Yeah. We'll leave you to think about 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:47.000 that one. Definitely something to think about. 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:49.200 Thank you so much for joining us on this deep 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.259 dive, navigating the off -road map of Jaren Benton's 00:18:52.259 --> 00:18:54.920 career. We warmly invite you back for our next 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:58.059 exploration. Until then, keep questioning the 00:18:58.059 --> 00:18:58.220 road.