Emerging artist Tony Benefit was born in Chicago and has been an artist since he was just 14 years old. He started freestyling in Brummel park on Northside Chicago when he was approached by a gentleman named Carlos Polk. Polk was a member of a group called Eratik Statik, which is considered to be Chicago’s underground royalty. Polk brought Benefit to a number of shows and studio sessions, allowing him to solidify his name as the youngest MC to do a paid show in Chicago. Eratik Statik was performing with big names such as Sean Price, Ice Cube, and KRS 1. The first major group that he opened up for was Digital Underground and he then continued on to open up for many others. Throughout his music career, he has performed on stage with names such as Cormega who was part of Nas’s group “The Firm.” He also performed with Brand Nubian, Kool G Rap and Kool Keith just to name a few. He’s currently making a lot of noise in Chicago with his street single “Let Me See” on Apple Music.

Earlier Years and Musical Influences:

Benny is Cuban and African-American. His biggest influences are Ryan Leslie, Wutang, and Nas. He listens to and writes a wide variety of music ranging from Hip Hop, R&B, alternative and some heavy metal. He considers himself a songwriter first and MC second. Overall, his talent and skills speak volumes.