After growing up with his cousin who lived for hip-hop, Trenton, NJ rapper Benjamin Scott was influenced early by Nas and Wu-Tang, but he tells me that it wasn’t until he “saw Pharrell playing keys in the ‘Maybe’ video by N.E.R.D… [that he] got into playing instruments.” Writing music since the age of nine, and recording since the age of thirteen, Scott has been perfecting his craft for 13 years. Now 22, he has been working non-stop, putting out several songs including GONE and Low Spot (prod. raideronthebeat) each racking up several thousand listens.
During his upbringing in Trenton he was “exposed to a lot… [with] a lot of opportunities to open [his] mind to different things around [him].” Since his close friends were so into rap, he “felt as though [he] was surrounded by music.” One of those close friends, Musa Messiah, after meeting at a summer camp as a child, is someone with whom he still creates music often. Releasing the song Facetime ft. Musa Messiah, the chemistry between the two artists is obvious. With incredible visuals for the song by @shotbynaf, featured above – the song as a whole is a fantastic effort.
Creating his own sound in the booth, he uses his deep voice to tell his story of growing up in Trenton and shares some personal thoughts and feelings with his listeners. Coming up from humble beginnings on the song $, he raps the lyrics:
“Dollar sign, dollar sign, dollar sign and I need about a million more now“
Detailing his come up as he strides to the check, he spits about living a better life than his current situation. Rapping about what he sees in his everyday life, his songs often depict a violent Trenton landscape. Inspiring and providing a voice for so many lost souls in Trenton and all across the globe, Benjamin Scott is clawing his way up from the gutter and is here to stay.
Creating music that truly represents himself, he doesn’t care to feed his listeners something that simply sounds nice. Always striving to add substance behind his words, Benjamin Scott makes music about his life and thoughts. “I feel like I have something for everybody – those that wanna turn up [and] have a good time, people that may [want to] hear something with a level of consciousness, or maybe even those that simply enjoy vibrations.” Drawing inspiration from a wide variety of sources (a thought, a story he heard, a woman, etc), Scott truly does have something for everybody.
Referring to some greats such as Kanye West, Jay Z, and Pusha T as his biggest inspirations, he aims to put out the very best music he can. Usually opting to take his time until his music is perfect before releasing, he still manages to put out fantastic music often. When asked about his work ethic he told me that he and his crew are always hungry and are always working to improve. “I have a really good work ethic but I wanna work harder. I always feel the need to do better and be better.” It is absolutely clear that after talking with Benjamin Scott, he is someone that ought not be slept on. With songs like $ and Infamous (feat. Musa Messiah), both of which are currently available on all streaming platforms, it is obvious that he is improving with each bar he spits.
Choosing to focus all of his creative energy on new music, he has been out here grinding and perfecting his abilities, currently working on new music that will make up an EP that will drop sometime this summer. After scrolling through his SoundCloud and Apple Music playlists, his singles bode well for the upcoming project and I am eager to cover its release. After speaking with some of his people who spoke very highly of Scott, he deserves all the best. With his work ethic, there is no doubt in my mind that we will be seeing more from him and more from his highly creative collective.
Linking with his crew through chance, his team is full of big personalities with creativity oozing from their fingertips. Rather than settling for mediocrity, Benjamin Scott and his team are coming together to strive for greatness. Working with a group of rappers, singers, photographers, designers, and creative directors, expect great things from them as they have all the right pieces to be successful. Working hard to eat with those who starved with him, Benjamin Scott is part of a collective coming out of New Jersey that is truly greater than any one individual. It’s Timeless.