Boston rapper Ray Benzino is one Hip-Hops most puzzling enigmas. Not satisfied with being the co-owner of one of rap musics most read magazine The Source, Benzino has been pulling double-duty for over fifteen years as a rapper, dropping albums with his group Almighty RSO, the reinvention of that same group Made Men, and as a solo artist.  
 
What is puzzling about Benzinos catalogue is that there is nothing that justifies the long career - hes a mediocre rapper with an average crew at best. Even with all the highly accessible (and arguably highly unethical) promotion of Benzinos many projects in the various franchises of The Source, his first major hit came only last year with the popular club hit, Bootee off the album The Benzino Project. This year, the rapper returns to try to capitalize on his hit with his latest solo album, Redemption. Will the album redeem Benzino in the eyes of those who doubt the validity of his career to begin with? Probably not.  
 
Track Listing  
1. Stayin 4eva  
2. Call My Name feat. Jadakiss  
3. Rock The Party feat. Mario Winans  
4. Would You feat. Mario Winans & Lisa Raye  
5. Make You Wanna Holla  
6. Neva Shuvin feat. Wyclef & M3  
7. Gangstas Touch feat. Cadillac Tah & Black Child  
8. Redemption (Rosary) feat. Fatal Hussein & Kid Juvi  
9. X-Tra Hot feat Daz Dillinger & Jewel  
10. I Remember feat. Mario Winans  
11. Get It On  
12. 44 Cal. Killa feat. Scarface & M3  
13. Hoola Hoop  
14. Different Kind of Lady  
15. Pull Your Skirt Up  
16. Rock the Party Remix feat. Mario Winans, Lil Kim, & Petey Pablo  
 
With this album, Benzino hopes to make the transition from dropping just street sh*t into making club jams, evidenced by the amount of club-ready hopefuls on Redemption. Hes already scored a major success with Rock the Party, a lively track reminiscent of Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliots wild club hoppers, showcasing syncopated jungle beats and warbling synth chords. The Young Heff remix of this is also included though its the same musically except for guest verses by Lil Kim and Petey Pablo. Ray takes more shots at a lame club hits on the grinding Get It On, and dancehall derivative Hoola Hoop.  
 
Fully cognizant of the importance of appealing to the XX-chromosome demographic, Redemption has two softer compositions for the ladies. I Remember exudes a sentimental feel with Ray ruminating over a failed relationship. A portion of a classic Stylistics jawn loops in the background as the rapper outlines what went wrong in the affair. Conversely, Different Kind of Lady is Benzinos dedication to his current love, but with a twist in the lyrics that Hip-Hoppers have seen repeatedly since Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R." Though certainly not the first thespian to make an appearance on a rap CD, its still unexpected to hear actress Lisa Raye (The Players Club, The Wood) share the mic with Ray on yet another variation on the Bonnie & Clyde love song theme, Would You. Apparently picking up a thing or two from her time as a host on the Source: All Access television magazine, Raye sounds almost natural in the spirited duet, though the likelihood of a solo career resulting from this collabo is negligible.  
 
To be sure, there are actually a few genuinely tight tracks on Redemption. Gangstas Touch shows the true potential of Benzinos Hangmen 3 production squad (Benzino, Jeff Two Times, JB) with a forceful head-nodder featuring live drums, flowing orchestral strings, and harsh funk guitars. Featured emcees Cadillac Tah and Black Child are nice with their rhymes, but Benzino comes through with some truly forgettable lyrics. Def Jam South CEO and rap legend Scarface joins Benzino and M3 for more grimy rhyming on "44 Cal Killa but again, Ray is easily identified as the weakest link. Its a shame; any other skilled rapper would have tried to make a legitimate showing on these obvious album highlights, but the Boston rapper phones it in each time.  
 
Not remarkably, the weakest track on this disappointing effort is the manufactured diss track aimed at Eminem, called Pull Your Skirt Up. Its still unknown why Benzino really decided contrive this battle between he and Em. He claims its because Slim Shady is a white so-called culture stealer denoting his use of Hip-Hop to obtain success in mainstream audiences. However, when the purported bible of Hip-Hop Zino co-owns has recently dedicated itself too flooding its pages with bling bling and half-naked chicks galore, not to mention the fact that the other co-owner is white, what weight does his argument really have? The beef most likely is nothing but a tool for Benzino to coax a few more units of Redemption off the shelves, and promote the Hip-Hop Is Under Attack articles in upcoming issues of The Source.  
 
And the overall wretchedness of Pull Your Skirt Up reflects this flimsiness of argument. The song is nothing but a poorly put together arrangement of marginally insulting couplets aimed at Slim Shady over a washed out rendition of Nas original Jay-Z assault Ether. Benzino attributes Mathers success to his skin color with the line, if you were five shades darker youd be Canibus, but its a point Em has already conceded numerous times as with the  if I was black, I woulda sold half line in White America, so it drains what little steam Benzinos diss may have had. Not satisfied to spew only at Em, the Boston rapper stings together anemic assaults on Obie Trice and D12, but wisely sidestepping 50 Cent. If this is the kind of saving Hip-Hop needs, then the culture truly is doomed.  
 
Redemption by Ray Benzino is nothing less than a prime example of why The Source magazine no longer is taken seriously in regards to Hip-Hop music and culture. If one of the chief figureheads at the mag seriously believes that this album passes as a credible effort, theres no way the issues could in anyway be representative of anything Hip-Hop. While many do dream of being a high profile rap star, many also dream of being a co-owner of a major rap publication. Benzino needs to learn to pour his passion and energy into the latter, because the rap thing sure aint working.  
