Dancehall DJ Spragga Benz first rose to prominence in the early '90s with a series of Jamaican hits that earned him a brief major-label shot with Capitol. Benz was born Carlton Grant in Kingston on May 30, 1969, and earned the nickname "Spaghetti" as a youth because of his slim build; it would later mutate into his stage name, Spragga. He became a disc selector for the L.A. Benz sound system, and first tried his hand at toasting in 1992 on a dare from Buju Banton, who needed B-sides for some dubplates he was cutting for the sound system. Benz tossed off some lyrics off the top of his head, and the response from the studio onlookers was so great that Benz soon cut two A-sides of his own, "Love Mi Gun" and the lascivious "Jack It Up." The songs quickly made him an underground sensation, and soon multiple labels and producers were clamoring for his services. He scored breakout hits with "Could a Deal" (produced by Winston Riley) and "Girls Hooray" (Steely & Clevie), not to mention "Jack It Up," a major success once it was released to a wider audience.
Benz was one of the hottest new artists on the dancehall scene, and consolidated his momentum with a series of well-received appearances at festival concerts over 1993, most notably an electrifying set at Sting. During the next two years, he released a solid string of hit singles: "Hand Inna da Air," "Rude Bwoy Living," "No Cater," "Who Next," "No Fun Thing," "Mark Death," "Things a Gwaan," "Jump Up and Swear." Many of those tracks were included on his first album, Jack It Up, which was issued in 1994. In the wake of his Jamaican success, Capitol Records offered Benz a major-label deal later that year. His second album, Uncommonly Smooth, appeared in 1995 and harbored distinct crossover aspirations; the Chevelle Franklyn duet, "A-1 Lover," was aimed at R&B audiences as well as reggae fans, and the cover of "Spanish Harlem" featured original artist Ben E. King. The gambit failed to win him an international audience on the level of Shabba Ranks, however, and Capitol quickly lost interest.
Benz returned to Jamaica and spent the next few years as a singles-only artist, also collaborating with rappers like Wyclef Jean and KRS-One. He continued to find success in his homeland with tracks like "Car Crash," "Born Good Looking," "Funny Guy Thing," "Dolly House," and "Machine Gun Kelly," among others. In 1999, he recorded a clash album with Beenie Man titled Two Badd DJs, and topped the Jamaican charts with the single "She Nuh Ready Yet (Hype Up)." The song also appeared on his long-incubating third album, Fully Loaded, which was finally released in 2000. It featured duets with Lady Saw ("Buckshot") and Foxy Brown ("Too Stoosh"), and production work from house legend Todd Terry, among many others. Benz made his motion-picture debut that same year in Brooklyn Babylon, and in 2001 played a leading role in the gangster film Shottas. Also in 2001, he returned Foxy Brown's favor by guesting on her hit single "Oh Yeah," and teamed with Elephant Man for the Jamaican smash "Warriors Cause." In 2002, he issued his fourth album, Thug Nature, which featured extensive supporting contributions from his stable of up-and-coming talent, the Red Square Crew. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
He began his career around 1991. Once known to his friends as "Spaghetti" (tall and slim), but this was later shortened to Spragga.[2] 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 Dubplaterecording session with Buju Banton.[2] 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.[2]
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).[2] A series of well-received singles followed, many included on his debut album, Jack It Up (1994).[2] 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).[2] 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.[2] 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).[2] 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.[2]. 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.[2] 2002 saw the release of his fourth album, Thug Nature.[2]
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.[3] In July 2007, Benz co-hosted the Urban Music Awards in New York with Foxy Brown.[4] Benz was nominated for three awards at the first Caribbean Urban Music Awards, held in Jamaica in April 2008.[5]
Personal life
In the late 1990s, Benz founded the Stay In School programme which provided help for needy students in his hometown of Franklin Town.[6]
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.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7] Grant Jr. was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.[7]
Following his son's death, Benz founded the Carlisle Foundation, with the aim of helping local youths.[6]
