Stat Quo facts for kids

Stanley Bernard Benton (born July 24, 1978), known as Stat Quo, is an American rapper and record producer. He worked hard to go to college. He studied economics and international business at the University of Florida.

Stat Quo thought about going to law school. But then, famous rapper Scarface told him to focus on music. In 2003, Stat Quo released his first Underground Atlanta Mixtapes. This caught the eye of Aftermath Entertainment's Mel-Man.

Stat Quo met Dr. Dre at Record One Studios. That night, they recorded a song called "The Future." This song was on his second mixtape in 2004. The mixtape reached Eminem, which led to Stat Quo signing with Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.

Stat Quo was the second artist, after 50 Cent, to sign with both Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment. He was seen as a new talent by Dr. Dre and Eminem. His first album, Statlanta, was planned to be released by these labels. However, it was never officially put out by them. Statlanta was finally released in 2010 by Dream Big Ventures. Stat Quo has continued his music career. He writes songs and produces music. He also started his own record label, Blood Money Entertainment, with rapper The Game.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Stanley Benton was born in Thomasville Heights, a neighborhood in Atlanta. He lived with his mother and grandmother. When he was about 12, he started freestyle rapping with his cousin.

Later, his mother bought him a radio. He would record himself rapping on it. In 1997, he started taking rap music seriously. But he also kept working on his education.

Music Career Highlights

2003–2007: Joining Shady and Aftermath

Stat Quo was discovered in late 2003. Both Dr. Dre and Eminem heard about him. They learned about the Atlanta rapper from his Underground Atlanta mixtapes. Eminem liked his music and shared it with Dr. Dre.

They decided to sign Stat Quo together. This meant he joined both Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records. His first album, Statlanta, was supposed to come out in 2003. But it was delayed many times. It finally came out on its own in 2010.

Even though it was released later, Dr. Dre helped supervise its production. Stat Quo also appeared on other artists' albums. He was on Young Buck's Straight Outta Cashville. He was also on Eminem's Eminem Presents the Re-Up and Encore.

Stat Quo has worked with many artists. These include Jermaine Dupri and The Game. He said his main goal is to bring respect and a voice to Southern hip-hop music.

In 2005, Stat Quo filmed a music video for his song "Like Dat." This song was meant to help people learn about him. The video was shot in the Thomasville Heights area of Atlanta. This is where Stat Quo grew up. He wanted to show the area before it was torn down. Rapper Ludacris also appeared in the video.

He was part of the 2005 Anger Management Tour. This tour included Eminem, 50 Cent, and D12. On July 13, 2005, a tour bus with Eminem's group crashed. Stat Quo was taken to a hospital. He was treated and then released.

2008–2010: Statlanta Release

In October 2008, Stat Quo left Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment. He was not happy that Statlanta had not been released. On April 21, 2009, he released Smokin Mirrors on his own.

He hoped to release his album in 2009. To promote it, he put out many free mixtapes. These included Quo City and The Invisible Man. Statlanta was finally released on July 13, 2010.

In 2009, producer Sha Money XL started a new record label. It was called Dream Big Ventures. Stat Quo quickly signed with this new label. Statlanta was then released through Dream Big Ventures.

In March 2010, Stat Quo appeared in an HP commercial. He was with Dr. Dre to promote HP Beats Audio Laptops. The commercial featured a song from Dr. Dre's album Detox. Stat Quo helped write songs for Detox.

2011–Present: New Projects and Label

In 2011, Stat Quo was listed as a songwriter for Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. On July 23, 2012, Wiz Khalifa released a song called "Far from Coach." This song featured Stat Quo and Game.

This reunion led to a business partnership between Stat Quo and Game. In late 2012, they started a record label. It was first called Rolex Records, then renamed The Firm. They plan to release new music and sign other artists through this label.

On September 9, 2013, Stat Quo released "Michael." This was the first song from his second album, ATLA. "ATLA" stands for "All This Life Allows." The song "Michael" is a tribute to Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, and Michael Jackson.

On October 8, 2013, Game released a mixtape. It was called OKE: Operation Kill Everything. This was the first release from The Firm label. Stat Quo helped produce the mixtape. He also appeared on the song "Compton."

On December 16, 2013, the second song from ATLA came out. It was called "Trillion." On December 20, 2013, Stat Quo released "OutKast." This song was a tribute to the Atlanta rap group OutKast. ATLA was released on February 15, 2014. This date was his son's birthday.

Discography

• 2006: Eminem Presents: The Re-Up (with Shady Records)
• 2009: Smokin Mirrors
• 2009: Great Depression
• 2010: Statlanta
• 2013: FUPM Is the Future (with Bobby Creekwater as FUPM)
• 2014: ATLA: All This Life Allows, Vol. 1

See also

In Spanish: Stat Quo para niños