Benzino Harassing A Female Editor

[SNaKe]

Earlier this week, an audio clip surfaced on the internet featuring The Source Magazine's Raymond "Benzino" Scott threatening Ozone Magazine editor Julia Beverly. Beverly, who says the Source owes her hundreds of dollars, spoke exclusively to SOHH.com to elaborate on the incident.

Yesterday, Beverly, Benzino and Funkmaster Flex phoned into a core DJs conference. Beverly revealed the call was meant to squash the conflict, but didn't solve anything.

"He [Benzino] pretty much threatened me on the call with like 80 other DJs in the industry, people on the line," explained Beverly. "They were really just trying to squash it and asking me what needs to be done for it to be squashed. There's nothing for me to squash. It's not beef as far as I'm concerned. It's just an article that I wrote and he didn't like. [Ed's note: Beverly gave Zino the extortionist award in Ozone's January 2006 issue]

"I didn't write anything that hasn't been said in other publications," she added. "He was like, 'Ain't no squashing. I'mma spit in her face. I'mma do this and that.' [DJs] on the call were like 'Dude, that's a female. It's not gangsta to be threatening somebody like that.'"

Beverly said Benzino has problems with several people and is always trying to play this victim role.

"But clearly it's him," she says. "If there's a hundred people that have issues with you or how many people that have issues with you... It's gotta be something you're doing."

Heads were shocked upon hearing the voicemail in which Zino called BEVERLY a "slut monkey" and a "cracker bitch." Yet, she asserts that those insults were complimentary compared to the other conversations the two had. According to Beverly, Source co-founder/publisher Dave Mays first called her, followed by calls from Ray. She first tried to reason with the executive until she grew tired and let her voicemail pick up the calls.

"The voicemails were really the tame calls," Beverly said regarding the widespread message. "People wanna call me, cuss me out. It's like, 'OK, whatever.' Obviously, I knew he wasn't gonna be happy about the article, but Benzino just took it to another level. He was like, 'I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna spit in your face. You fucking bitch.' I'm sure your heard the voicemail. It was more of that, but ten times worst."

Though the voicemail messages have brought Ozone tons of press, Beverly says she's sick of talking about the matter-don't expect her to press charges either.

"People have said to me, 'You should fitalicile for a restraining order,' Beverly offered. "But I know how they operate and all they would do with that is print it and say 'She's a snitch and this and that.' If I see him in person, I don't know what's gonna happen.

"I'm not a big girl," adds the editor. "If he feels he needs to threaten me with physical violence I think it just shows the issues that he has clearly with women or white people. The whole voicemail is him saying, 'Cracker bitch, cracker bitch.' Everything he's saying, while he's being recorded, is the same thing he was accusing Eminem of."

This past March, SOHH.com reported on The Source's much discussed business practices. Several writers complained that they were owed large sums of money for articles they wrote for the publication. Now, Beverly, who stated she was owed $1,575 for pieces she wrote a year and a half ago, says she doesn't plan on taking legal action against the self-proclaimed "Hip-Hop bible."

"I don't even care anymore," Beverly revealed.

As far as Kim Osorio's sexual harassment suit against Zino and Mays, Beverly said she's willing to help if the defense reaches out.

"Me and Kim had email back and forth," she said. "And I told her, 'If you need to use it [voicemail] or if it's gonna help your situation then feel free.' It certainly shows what his attitude is towards women. I don't want to get too much more involved than I am already, but if they need me to be interviewed I don't have a problem with that."

Ozone Magazine's January 2006 issue is on newsstands now.

source: SOHH.COM

[j_shady]

wow throwing insults to a female, he's really gangsta now

[walend]

Hohohoho, he cant win from male's so now he's assulting female's