March 2008URB Magazine(more) |
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April 2008XXL MagazineWith the success of Kanye West's genre-defying Graduation, it seems like hip-hop is embracing electronic music more and more. Helping to further funnel the movement is Ann Arbor, Michigan's DJ Benzi. Born Ben Bottrell 26 years ago, the Midwest jock got his start spinning at Detroit's underground hip-hop scene in 1998. Since then, BEnzi has branched out to include elements of Baltimore club, Miami bass, techno, hose and crunk into his party sets the re-fixes that appear on his mixtapes.' (more) |
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January 2008Metro TimesTechnically speaking, prolific mixtape king DJ Benzi lives in a quiet Ann Arbor apartment within walking distance of the University of Michigan stadium and Briarwood Mall. Practically speaking, Ben "Benzi" Bottrell lives in cyberspace — simultaneously remixing tracks and instant-messaging 20 to 50 people at a time from his second floor studio, sometimes for a few sleepless days on end. Usually he's hitting the sheets as his girlfriend Lauren is headed out the door to work. (more) |
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July 2007Banquet OnlineTwenty-five-year old DJ Benzi from Ann Arbor, Michigan has an impressive resume. His remix albums for rap heavyweights The Clipse and Lil Wayne have garnered serious critical acclaim. His Clipse mixtape “We Got the Remix” was named one of the top five mixtapes of 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine. He’s been mentioned in numerous issues of URB magazine and Scratch. With a recently signed record deal and album in the works the future is looking bright for Michigan’s top DJ. (more) |
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July 2007Turntablelab.comBenzi's mixtapes are always on point, but his Summer Editions really kill. His whole sound (which is based in rap, R&B and ghettotech) just radiates the summer party vibe, so these are a natural fit. And of course, he's always got the exclusives... (more) |
June 2007Hiphopsite.comDJ Benzi recently announced joining the roster of the rising boutique label and independent hiphop distribution powerhouse; Amalgam Entertainment in which he has inked the deal to unleash his official debut album entitled "Get Right" which is slated for a late 2007 release. (more) |
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June 2007Pitchfork: ForkcastLil Wayne might be "The Greatest Rapper Alive", but, well, "Mikey Rocks". It's not a clash of genres but a match made in internerd heaven when Weezy F. Baby meets Cool Kids' Mikey and Chuck for "Gettin It", slated to appear on DJ Benzi's forthcoming Get Right album. Benzi has worked with Wayne before, most recently mixing the rapper's star-devouring new None Higher: We Got the Remix Special Edition mixtape. As featured over at The Fader blog, "Gettin It" starts with a quick puff from Cool Kids...so at least Wayne might not be the only one with the munchies. Gettin' what? (more) |
June 2007ShoutmouthIf you’re not familiar with DJ Benzi, he’s one of the best up and coming DJs in the country meshing fast paced sounds of modern dance music with some of the biggest names in hip hop. Last year Benzi remixed some tracks for The Clipse and acquired some unreleased material for a mixtape titled We Got The Remix, which was simply a preview of some of the larger things to come from this Michigan DJ in 2007. (more) |
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June 2007URB Magazine...Later this year Benzi aims on "refixing" the industry with his upcoming album "Get right," which will be put out by Amalgam Entertainment. Just by judging from his mixtapes with Clipse and Weezy, I'm just curious as to who'll be appearing on "Get Right." We got word that the lead single will be ________ and a certain Next 1000er that'll prove the Midwest is getting smaller...by getting bigger. (more) |
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May 2007NY MagazineLil Wayne, Timba, Clipse Collabo: New Lil Wayne mixtape, produced by D.J. Benzi, will feature Clipse, Timbaland, Neptunes, Diplo, more. Mixtape, None Higher: We Got the Remix Special Edition, will be available for free download at the end of the month, or of course if you would like to spend money on it, arrangements could be made. (more) |
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May 2007PitchforkSometimes it seems like Lil Wayne just accidentally talks while a song is playing and-- whoops, another mixtape! However, we have yet to see a mixtape from him that includes as wide a variety of contributors as his forthcoming None Higher: We Got the Remix Special Edition with DJ Benzi. (more) |
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May 2007URB Magazine"Suprisingly, unlike his raps Rick Ross doesn't lose his breath while hosting Benzi's 50-cut opus of bangers. Whether it's Federation's amazing and still criminally unreleased "My Rims" or Benzi "refixes" of "Fergalicious" and T-Pain's "Still Love Strippers," Get Right stays right throughout." (more) |
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April 2007URB Magazine"Just because DJ Drama and Don Canon got raided, don't expect DJ and slammin song curator Benzi to quell his remix game. None Higher, which dropped in March, features all exclusive reworks, remixes and refixes of URB's 2006 rapper of the year Lil' Wayne from fancy-footed cats Curtis Vodka, A-Trak, Stretch Armstrong, Black Milk, Diplo and Benzi himself." (more) |
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January 2007URB Magazine"Reppin' Ann Arbor, DJ Benzi crafts the mixtapes that bridge the streets with the internuts, typified perfectly with last year's Clipse tape "We Got the Remix." By flipping classic verses from Malice & Pusha T with beats from Diplo, Ghislain Poirier and more, "We Got the Remix" is a paramount example of the melding of rap's once disparate underbellies." (more) |
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December 2006rolling stone magazine"This episode of Clipse's We Got It 4 Cheap mix series set the table for their killer November disc, Hell Hath No Fury, pairing Malice & Pusha T's verses with beats from producers like Diplo and DJ Quik." (more) |
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December 2006scratch magazineFrom the way things are looking, Clipse just might have a hand in saving hip-hop. The VA dueo got that potent piff when it comes to this rap shit. Could they next album be a modern day "The Infamous"? I don't know, but what I do know is that this mixtape never ceases to amaze." (more) |
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July 2006URB Magazine"DJ Benzi and Evil Empire fam team up with one of our favorite rap duos, The Clipse, for a brilliantly themed take on monumental mixtapes of recent, We Got It 4 Cheap. A group of talented young producers and DJs such as Diplo, Ghislain Poirier, A. Brucker & Sinden and Nick Catchdubs got together to remix tracks from last year's classic mixtape..." (more) |
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July 2006Washington Post"Got mixtapes? For the latest sounds in hip-hop, don't both with the radio. Turn off your comptuer, too. The good stuff lives and breathes on mixtapes, unlicensed CD comp-ilations crammed with unofficial remixes, unauthorized samples and uncensored raps..." (more) |
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July 2006prefix magazine"Last year coke-centered double-shot from Virginia's pissed-off Clipse spread across the Interweb with nearly the same distribution power that member Pusha T brags about - only he's talking about blow, not mixtapes. Both volumes of the Clinton Sparks hosted We Got It 4 Cheap mixtapes leave severe burn wounds, and Clipse's Pusha and Malice spit drug-trade fare with nimble lucide expertise alongside emcees Sandman, Ab-Liva, who as a whole wear the Re-Up Gang moniker. It's not exactly positive stuff..." (more) |
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may 2006MTV Mixtape Mondays"DJ Benzi and Evil Empire fam team up with one of our favorite rap duos, The Clipse, for a brilliantly themed take on monumental mixtapes of recent, We Got It 4 Cheap. A group of talented young producers and DJs such as Diplo, Ghislain Poirier, A. Brucker & Sinden and Nick Catchdubs got together to remix tracks from last year's classic mixtape..." (more) |
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June 2006Chico News & Review"With almost no commercial releases to their name since 2002's hustle-rap masterpiece Lord Willin', any new material from Virginia's The Clipse is bound to generate a buzz. So it was no surprise that when news of a Clipse remix mixtape surfaced months ago, hip-hop blogs and hipster podcasts were atwitter..." (more) |
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May 2006The Smoking Section"... definitely though, some of the tracks on here are mandatory listening as they've been crafted to match the wordplay that Malice and Pusha bring to the table. The rest of the ReUp Gang actually pulls their weight and the features only make it a more worthy listen." (more) |
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May 2006NobodySmiling.com"Its not low enough to be Dirty South, and not high enough to be East Coast," is what Pusha jokingly said to describe his home state of VA, but regardless of geographic location, he and his brother Malice are intent on bringing the raw and gritty edge back to hip-hop... The mixtape features a number of remixes... (and) contains production from Green Lantern, DJ Quik, The Neptunes, Diplo and others..." (more) |
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May 2006TurntableLab"I know its cliche when it comes to Clipse shit, but goddamn, THIS IS THAT CRACK. Its been about a year in the making, but DJ Benzi is the man, and someone deep within Star Trak forked over the acapellas to him. Benzi rallied the troops and got some dope remixes together, and the Clipse couldn't help but cosign it..." (more) |
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May 2006XXL MagazinePusha and Malice hook up with Atlantic Records' new artist Hotwright on this track from the new Clipse mixtape We Got the Remix..." (more) |
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January 2006Minneapolis City Pages"Happy obsession of the day: DJ Benzi's mashup of "Ohh" by Mary J. Blige's and "Modern Man's Hustle" by Atmosphere. So, how large is the crossover between these two artists? Both play great concerts and put out great albums..." (more) |
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December 2005Underground Hip-Hop"Virginia MC's The Clipse and DJ Benzi are offering up a contest where hungry producers can get a shot to produce aremix of an unreleased track called 'Coast to Coast'. The winning beat will appear on the Clipse's latest mixtape..." (more) |
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December 2005Amihigh"Back then, the Clipse mixtape was just a twinkle in Benzi's eye. With a couple spots left on that joint, he hit me up this morning with some good news. With the Clipse We Got the Remix mixtape coming soon along with the official DVD..." (more) |
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November 2005The Boston Phoenix"Come next month when the year-end lists start rolling in, we expect to be hearing a lot about Mr. Collipark, the producer behind the two biggest stage whispers of the year... The latest DJ to contribute a mix to the series is ace refixer DJ Benzi, whose Ying Yang twins hosted Summer Madness tape got worn out in these parts, and Benzi managed to up the stakes again: among the drops he's got on the record is Collipark himself..." (more) |
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September 2005The Fader Magazine"For the past year or so, Benzi has kept the internet going nuts with a constant stream of exclusives, remixes and incriminating celeb photos posted at www.djbenzi.com. Check for Benzi's instaparty mixtapes and his club gigs around Michigan..." (more) |