Its Up There Podcast

In this episode, we go deep with Benzino as he unpacks everything from his rise with The Source magazine to his infamous feud with Eminem. Kicking off with his journey into simpler living (00:00:08), Benzino shares the hard-earned lessons he’s gathered from a life spent in the spotlight. As we shift gears, he clears up lingering Eminem rumors and weighs in on hip-hop’s biggest icons—Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake—while dissecting the ups and downs of hip-hop’s most cutthroat rivalries (02:10). Benzino also opens up about the gritty business side of hip-hop, the birth of The Source magazine, and how he and Dave Mays took it from a local zine to a national powerhouse (05:51). We touch on his views on SMACK battle rap, which he sees as losing its authenticity, and why the essence of true battle rap culture still matters (20:40). Later, he reflects on Tupac’s impact, Kendrick’s influence, and his perspective on hip-hop’s evolution from the streets to mainstream industry (38:29). From behind-the-scenes insights