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Spragga Benz (born Carlton Errington Grant, 30 May 1969, Kingston, Jamaica),He began his career around 1991. Once known to his friends as "Spaghetti" (tall and slim), but this was later shortened to Spragga. The Benz in his name comes from the sound system for which he used to work for, L.A. Benz, and it is through this that he found his way into the music industry at a Dubplate recording session with Buju Banton. The famed elder DJ was slated to do four tracks for L.A. Benz but only voiced two and suggested that Spragga do the other two. Since he was new to recording, he freestyled a couple of lines of what would then become, "Love Mi Gun", a popular tune. He soon became an in-demend performer for numerous producers, including Bobby Digital, and hits followed with "Could a Deal" (produced by Winston Riley) and "Girls Hooray" (Steely & Clevie). A series of well-received singles followed, many included on his debut album, Jack It Up (1994). This success led to a deal with Capitol Records, who issued his second album, Uncommonly Smooth, in 1995, featuring duets with Chevelle Franklyn ("A-1 Lover") and "Spanish Harlem" (with Ben E. King). The album didn't sell well enough for Capitol, who dropped him, after which he spent a few years releasing further singles in Jamaica, also collaborating with the likes of Wyclef Jean and KRS-One. In 1999, he recorded a 'clash' album with Beenie Man, Two Badd DJs, and had a number one Jamaican hit single with "She Nuh Ready Yet (Hype Up)", which was also included on his third album, Fully Loaded (2000). This album featured duets with Lady Saw (on "Backshot") and Foxy Brown (on "Too Stoosh"), and was co-produced by house music legend Todd Terry. In the same year, Benz made his film acting debut in Brooklyn Babylon, and the following year played a leading role in the gangster film Shottas. 2002 saw the release of his fourth album, Thug Nature. In 2003, Benz recorded a number of duets, with the likes of Carly Simon and Shannon, with the aim of breaking into the US market. In July 2007, Benz co-hosted the Urban Music Awards in New York with Foxy Brown. Benz was nominated for three awards at the first Caribbean Urban Music Awards, held in Jamaica in April 2008. On August 31, 2010 Spragga Benz released his sixth solo album Shotta Culture is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. In the late 1990s, Benz founded the Stay In School programme which provided help for needy students in his hometown of Franklin Town. Carlton "Carlisle" Grant Jr., his 17-year-old son who had played a younger version of Benz's character in the film Shottas, was shot and killed by local police in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday August 23, 2008. Police say they stopped two men on a bicycle in the Kingston 8 area and when they approached them, one of the men began firing at them. The police said they returned fire and the men fled. When they searched the area; they found Grant Jr. suffering from gunshot wounds and in possession of a .45 semi automatic pistol. Grant Jr. was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Following his son's death, Benz founded the Carlisle Foundation, with the aim of helping local youths. Albums Jack It Up (1994) VP Uncommonly Smooth (1995) Capitol Two Bad DJs with Beenie Man (1999) Fully Loaded (2000) VP Thug Nature (2002) Empire Musicwerks Live Good (2007) Shotta Culture (2010) Singles "Oh Yeah" feat. Foxy Brown;# 63 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks "A1 Lover" "Jack It Up" "Run Things" "Wi Nuh Like" "Chicken Head Remix" feat. Wyclef Jean "Turn Me On" feat. Kevin Lyttle; # 4 US, # 20 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks "She Nuh Ready Yet" / "Backshot" feat. Lady Saw "Mad House Tek Him" "No Way Remix" and more. "Shotta Culcha" "This Is The Way" feat. Nas Notable appearances "Fire" Kelis feat. Spragga Benz "The Best Man" Kardinal Offishall feat. Spragga Benz and Darryl Riley "Gangsta Gal" Tanya Stephens feat. Spragga Benz "Iron Bars" Stephen Marley feat. Julian Marley and Spragga Benz "Lullabye" Toni Norville feat. Spragga Benz "Bounce With Me Remix" Lil Bow Wow feat. Spragga Benz "We Can" Alison Hinds feat. Spragga Benz (WI Cricket Theme Song 2002) "Spanish Harlem (feat.Ben E King) (uncommonly smooth 1995 capitol) "Another One Partner" Machel Montano feat. Spragga Benz, Red Rat and Buccaneer (album: Same High) Spragga Benz-Shotta Culture By Patricia Meschino "Make sure say yuh security a ultra, who you no check and suspect a dem a out yuh/ that a di livin' when yuh inna shotta culture." When Spragga Benz drops these lyrics on the title track to his compelling new album "Shotta Culture", produced by Salaam Remi, he's not issuing a warning but merely stating a fact. More than an intriguing album title, shotta culture refers to a desperate reality. Living the life of a gunman or "shotta" is a choice, but for many young men born and raised within the ghettoes of Kingston, Jamaica and other problem-plagued, neglected communities throughout the island, extremely limited educational and employment opportunities, compounded by the multitude of high power weapons stockpiled in these locations and the pervasive, ruthless force exerted by area leaders or "dons", presents few other viable options for survival. Spragga portrayed a Jamaican gangster named Wayne in the heavily bootlegged cult favorite Shottas, a 2002 film directed by Cess Silvera. Spragga's collaborations with Salaam on a few tracks intended for the Shottas soundtrack provided the catalyst for the creation of "Shotta Culture". "After I finished Shottas I said to Salaam the movie is close to reality, Jamaican people nowadays have a kind of shotta culture and he said yo, that is the title of the album," Spragga recalled. As Salaam explains: "Shotta Culture is similar to Nas's "Street's Disciple" (the 2004 certified-platinum double album dominated by Salaam's production), a balance of the streets with lessons that shottas have their own culture for survival and that just because you come from the streets doesn't mean you have to end up where the streets take people." Jamaica's shotta culture, which is responsible for one of the highest murder rates in the world, took root before the island's independence in 1962 and proliferated throughout the '60s and 70s, as the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) and the rival People's National Party (PNP) began funneling weapons into their respective constituencies or garrisons (a term coined by the late Jamaican professor Carl Stone designating areas where the residents display fanatical loyalty to a political party). That practice has transformed many impoverished inner city youths into gun-wielding thugs who intimidate their communities to secure votes for their party. "Jamaica's high crime and murder rate is probably 98% because of politics; many of the youths that are fighting didn't have the opportunity to do different," acknowledges Spragga. "The youths were given weapons by politicians instead of jobs and are then given the blame for the things that they have influenced them to do. Look at Dudus; all of dem (politicians) are his friends but now he is branded the demon and they are the saints." A charismatic dancehall superstar since the early 1990s, Spragga Benz, born Carlton Grant, was raised in the volatile central Kingston community of Southside surrounded by the shotta culture that is endemic within the garrisons. Before his music career took flight, Spragga wanted to become a policeman, "for all the wrong reasons," he discloses. "Because of the same shotta culture, Jamaican police can shoot up the place and the people keep quiet 'cause they nah go be the informer. So music help a lot of youth like me; instead of going out in the streets and doing things they shouldn't, some become artists, writers, producers, entrepreneurs as well. They become different from the dog heart that they used to be because music give them a purpose." Spragga, whose nickname was shortened from Spaghetti, a reference to his slim build, began deejaying in 1992 as a dare from Buju Banton. Back then Spragga lived near Ricky Villa owner of the La Benz sound system and did the favor of picking up specials, that is artists' recordings customized for a specific sound system. While Buju was recording his specials for La Benz, Spragga was inspired to do some of his own and the response he received from the studio congregants was so great, he quickly cut two A-sides, "Love Mi Gun" and the x-rated "Jack It Up" (produced by Philip "Arrows" Linton) which became the title track of his 1994 debut album released by VP Records. Before long, Spragga had earned island-wide recognition for his commanding riddim riding skills and sharp lyrical instincts; he was promptly signed to Capitol Records and released "Uncommonly Smooth" for the label in 1995. At that time dancehall reggae was enjoying mainstream success, spearheaded by major label releases from Shabba Ranks, Patra, Buju Banton and Mad Cobra; Capitol was targeting a similar breakthrough for Spragga. One of the producers recruited for "Uncommonly Smooth", Salaam Remi, had already contributed to dancehall's crossover appeal with his (hip-hop) remixes of several Jamaican hits including Super Cat's "Ghetto Red Hot" (1992) and Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes The Hotstepper" (1994). Since their initial meeting Spragga and Salaam have remained friends, collaborating on various projects including Spragga's album "Fully Loaded" (VP Records), released in 2000. In 2001 Spragga and Salaam began writing and recording songs for "Shotta Culture", which was released digitally on August 31 on Salaam's Miami based Boom Tunes label. Juxtaposing gritty gangster narratives ("Get That Dough", "This is The Way" featuring Nas) with reflective ghetto survival stories ("Dread Don't Go Down", "No Way No How" featuring reggae's queen Marcia Griffiths), Salaam pairs Spragga's verbal agility with an expansive tableau of Jamaican musical references: multi-textured roots reggae rhythms, soul-shaking dub reverbs, heavy basslines, and traditional Rastafarian Nyabinghi drumming, elements that comprise dancehall's foundation yet are consistently overlooked by the genre's contemporary producers. "For this album, I was really into the movie Rockers and it's dub heavy sound (the celebrated soundtrack to the 1979 Jamaican film Rockers includes tracks by the late Jacob Miller, Peter Tosh and Burning Spear); back then there was a certain level of aggression in one-drop music that I wanted "Shotta Culture" to have," offers Salaam, the Executive Music Producer for the Sex and the City films whose illustrious resume includes hits by Jennifer Hudson, Amy Winehouse, Jazmine Sullivan, The Fugees and Sean Paul. Spragga incorporates a torrent of clever metaphors that have trademarked some of his biggest hits on the uproarious "More Pum Pum", the complexity of the song's irresistible, organically crafted one-drop beat belying its singular lyrical intent, and "Who Inna De Middle?" as he effortlessly rides the upbeat, unexpected tempo of the 1920s jazz-pop standard "Sweet Georgia Brown". Deeper lyrical insights gleaned through Spragga's maturation as a Rastafarian over the past nine years are consistently evidenced throughout "Shotta Culture. He adopts the guise of a garrison griot on "Real News", chanting down Babylon with critical observations on the daily lives of sufferers, as set to a percussive African derived groove. On "Protect Your Culture," he implores children to guard their identity and curtail the violence that has claimed too many, far too soon: "We all share di pressure, we all bear di pain but it can't be better unless we mek di change. "More Life" featuring Stephen Marley (who coproduced the track), Sizzla, Jah Cure and Queen Ifrica, celebrates the most precious gift of all, a sentiment Spragga shares through his simple summation: "life mi come to live it, not to do no evil with it". Profound personal tragedy has also had a far-reaching influence on Spragga's music: on August 23, 2008 his eldest child, 17-year old Carlton "Carlyle" Grant Jr. who portrayed young Wayne in Shottas, was fatally shot by police (under very questionable circumstances) while riding his bicycle in downtown Kingston. Spragga has converted understandable rage regarding the situation into emboldening artistry: he founded the Carlyle Foundation, which aims to provide college scholarships for deserving Jamaican students and presents the annual Life Fest concert in Kingston, a celebration of positive music. Spragga also intends to release a song each year in Carlyle's honor: "Stay The Same", an expression of eternal love, released in 2010, features the exquisite vocals of Jazmine Sullivan and a heartfelt delivery from Stephen Marley. Set to a somber drumbeat, the deeply introspective "Livication", from 2009, is a testament to Spragga's abiding faith in Rastafari. Grappling with a torrent of emotions surrounding his devastating loss, he delivers (arguably) his finest recorded performance to date, as he chants "by right the place shoulda red, by right evil thoughts shoulda run through mi head.they murder Carlyle still mi hold a higher meds (meditation), before avowing that all vengeance be left to the Most High. Shotta Culture LP

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