Benzarelli

Aldolphey Benzarelli, born Frederick Washington, was birthed in Chicago, IL and grew up in Gary, IN. He was introduced to music early in life as his father would put him to sleep with the sounds of classical compositions as a baby. Both of his grandfathers were big lovers of jazz. One played his music loud enough for the people next door to hear it and the other, ill from a stroke, loved Charlie Parker. When his grandfather passed, Benz learned to play the alto saxophone as a dedication to his grandfather’s love of Bird. Benzarelli played alto sax in the marching and stage bands through high school and was also a scholar athlete.Along this path of formal musical training was also the parallel of hip-hop lifestyle going on. Rapper’s Delight was released a year or so after he was born, so hip-hop and Benzarelli have watched each other grow up and evolve together. They are inseparable. He had some friends that were in a singing group--back when black boy bands were popular and the R&B/Hip-Hop mix had just began--that needed a rap part in a song and asked Benz if he would do it. The verse was written but the song never recorded. Winning against the odds for urban black men--graduating high school and going to college--he set out for Tuskegee University. Coming from an urban/city environment and going into a small town full of young people mostly coming from middle class and higher backgrounds created an environment perfect for Benz’s entrepreneurial spirit to grow. He started a T-shirt & promotion company, amid a myriad of other hustles all while completing his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration.The name Aldolphey Benzarelli comes from the feeling of being a Don, King, Boss, etc. Also the fact everyone already called him “Fred Benz”. These are the years when Benz became interested in writing raps so much he even hit the stage at a concert on campus. No standing ovation but they didn’t boo either, this was encouragement. With graduation upon him, Benz had to consider his immediate future. Since really all he had was a passion for rapping, he took a job with Ford Motor Credit Company. After working there a few years, meeting a few people in the music industry and plenty of songs written in his notebook Benz decided to put together a demo. The owner of the studio suggested he do an EP for street sale to recoup the costs. From the business education he just received Benz was well aware of the financial advantages to owning a small business in America. That was the seed along with long time friend Jessica Booth (Vice-President) that created “Verbal Abuse” and Benzarelli & Associates, LLC. Since that December of 2004, B&A has released two albums, three mix tapes, constructed a website, established an A&R extension (Black Beast Entertainment), as well as a production team (Cloud One-9). This music is for those that come from the bottom but strive to live the American dream with a conscious mind. Put on your thinking caps as well as your headphones…HIP-HOP IS BACK!!!