Benjamine Lee also known as WhatsGudBen. Was Born and raised in Richmond California. His parents introduced him to the world of music when he was only 5 years old.

His father was a musician and his mother was a choir singer for their church. Originally Ben would follow his parents footsteps to becoming the next head musician after his father retires, but little did Ben know he discovered another path.

1) Talk to me about the making of your latest project. What was the inspiration behind it?

The inspiration for “I know” came from how I would always put music before my relationship, you know music before anything else in my life because I’m obsessed with achieving my goal.

2) With the music industry tanking and record sales falling, how do you currently make money as an independent hip-hop artist?

I keep pushing forward now matter how difficult the road become, and if people want to support me and purchase my craft then I’ll feel like I have a shot in the world.

3) From a business point of view, which artists in the game do you think are really pushing the boundaries and changing it up?

In a business point of view I believe Chance The Rapper is killing it right now, first independent artist to win a Grammy? Come on that’s amazing!

But I also think Machine Gun Kelly is coming up as well, he started from nothing and now he’s on the radio with the most recommended song “bad things” there are too many artist to name but everyone’s doing their best.

4) What business lessons have you learnt from the music industry so far?

I’ve learned that everything you do is never free. People who want to collaborate, never want to do it for fun or for the craft.

I also learned that money is the key to becoming big in the music industry. Some people pay to reach the top while others work Years to reach the same level as signed artist.

5) What do you love about hip-hop music?

I love how you could be yourself and express who you are and what you went through to get to where you are today.

6) What still surprises you about hip-hop?

The only thing that surprises me now in hip hop is the music. Back then music was about expressing your feelings in lyrical verses. Now it’s about how dope the beat is or how hard the 808 kicks.

7) If you had the power to change one thing about the hip-hop industry to help independent artists – what would it be?

If I had the power to change one thing… I honestly wouldn’t know what I would change.

8) Who do you think are top 3 rappers doing it at the moment?

Top three on my list are Machine Gun Kelly, Chance The Rapper and Logic.

9) So what are your plans for the future?

For now I’m focusing putting more songs out for everyone to listen, Then I’ll work my way to shooting more music videos.

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Written by Stop The Breaks
Stop The Breaks is an independent music marketing company focused on showcasing independent hip-hop artists. Our goal is to help motivate, inspire and educate independent artists grinding around the world. We provide branding, content marketing, social media, SEO and music promotion services.