December 28, 2005 @ 2:44 pm

Benzino Threatens Ozone Magazine Editor

VIBEOnline Staff

As if the The Source’s Benzino isn’t plagued enough with sexual harassment accusations and lawsuits, now a brutal message he left for Ozone Magazine Editor-In-Chief, Julia Beverly, is streaming all over the internet. Responding to an article in Ozone that labeled him “Most Successful Extortionist,” (check out Ozone Magazine article) Benzino got on his phone and left a voicemail for the magazine’s editor, leaving his personal number (which you can find at Benzino voicemail, in case you want to fire back at ‘Zino yourself) and saying things like “If I gotta read another negative shit about my magazine or me in your magazine, when I see you I’m gonna spit in your f***ing face. Aight? You stupid f***ing bitch…. You f***ing slut monkey.” He also calls her an “ugly bush pig slutmonkey, whore,” “cracker,” a “prostitute,” and a “man-bitch,” and threatens to “come see you JB” if Beverly publishes anything else about him or The Source in Ozone. right In an exclusive interview with Vibe.com, Beverly explains, “Dave & 'Zino called my cell 8 times late one night about two weeks ago screaming and cursing and threatening me. When I came into the office about four days later, there were two messages on the office voicemail. I recorded it and sent it out to a couple DJs thinking they could use it on their mixtapes or whatever. It blew up from there.” Benzino might be more than a bit upset because Ozone's January 2006 "Year-End Awards" article alleges that his friendship with Source co-founder Dave Mays “has allowed him to live lavishly and promote his albums through The Source for many years.” Beverly, who was once a contributor to that magazine, is pissed because The Source “bounced a check on me last Christmas eve,” and “they still owe me $1,575 for articles I wrote a year and a half ago,” she claims. She went on to accuse Benzino and Mays of being irresponsible since they held court over “the most recognized brand in hip hop and they squandered it on a bunch of bullshit instead of tackling the real issues….” Beverly hasn’t heard from Benzino since the initial name-calling and spit threats, except for via a conference call last week between Benzino, Beverly and New York based DJ, FunkMaster Flex, another of ‘Zino’s rivals. (check out conference call audio) “Benzino screamed for most of the call,” stated Beverly, “and threatened me with 100 DJs/industry execs on the line. Haven't heard from him or Dave since.” “I don't really consider this an “OZONE vs. The Source” situation,” says Beverly. “I respect The Source as the first hip-hop publication. But for the past year or so, The Source has bombarded readers with their opinions on Eminem, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Funkmaster Flex, etc. So why shouldn't I be able to express my opinion on The Source in my own publication without someone threatening me with physical violence?” Further explaining her stance, Beverly states “OZONE just signed a major distribution deal, and our national launch is January 10th, so I'm looking at the whole situation as perfect timing and free publicity. Even though OZONE has been out for 3 1/2 years, until now, we've been essentially an underground publication. The fact that Benzino cares so much what we write about him is a testament to our credibility.” Check out other interviews with Julia Beverly on Shade 45 and on New York's Hot 97's FunkMaster Flex show:
Interview with FunkMaster Flex
Interview on Shade 45 Read more vibe.com online exclusives.

Article tags: Funkmaster Flex, Shade 45, Core DJs, Julia Beverly, Ozone Magazine, Benzino, Source Magazine, Conference Call, Benzino Voicemail 

Page printed from:
http://www.vibe.com/news/2005/12/benzino_threatens_ozone_magazine_editor/

Return to previous page