Tuesday, June 30, 2009

PART FIVE: The Case of the Multiple Raymond Scotts


Raymond Scott had a wild imagination, yet the man born Harry Warnow chose a banal pseudonym. A Google search spotlights plenty of Raymond Scotts who are not our Raymond Scott. Part five — possibly the final installment — of a diversionary series (part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4):

Raymond Scott:
RETIRED RAPPER WITH A BEEF
Benzino is the stage name of this Raymond Scott, who was also an owner of The Source magazine. An "inactive" or "failed" rapper, he may be most famous for his feud (a "beef" in hip-hop vernacular) with rival rap star Eminem, aka Slim Shady, aka Marshall Mathers. Benzino was hating on Eminem's fame, claiming that his success further isolated black and Latino rappers. He even went so far as to call Em "THE RAP HITLER."

Ray fired first with a disrespect record titled "I Don't Wanna" in which he asserted that Eminem was not true to the rap culture. Eminem retaliated with two diss tracks, attacking The Source by revealing their tactics of "butt-kissing motherfuckers for guest appearances," and claiming "real lyricists don't even respect you or take you serious." "The Sauce" reveals a similar lyrical theme as Em continues attacking Benzino and his magazine: "No more Source for street cred, them days is dead / Ray's got AKs to Dave Mays' head / It's extortion, and Ray owns a portion."

The Source then dug up an old tape in which a young Eminem was rapping slurs against Blacks and women. The publication devoted extensive coverage to the discovery of the recordings, and also the (alleged) negative impact that Eminem has had on the hip-hop industry. Em did not deny making the tape, yet sued The Source for defamation and copyright infringement.

Mr. Scott, who is no longer involved with the magazine, still hasn't officially squashed the beef, and continues to feud with Mr. Shady and his associates.

Em discusses the disses: here.

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