DraMatiQue & BenFlowz

DraMatiQue & BenFlowz Bio:


DraMatiQue & BenFlowz: FlowMatiQue: Rise of the True MCs

“The pair favors a backpacky- style, but their songs and beats are much more potent than other acts in their realm. ” The Source, March 2008


Rising from the post-industrial ashes of the Midwestern region, DraMatiQue & BenFlowz emerge from the underground with their new album FlowMatiQue: Rise of the True MCs. Gifted artists on the underground circuit, for years they have built upon the foundations of Hip-Hop culture through constant elevation and supreme lyricism. There lyrical prowess, matched with in-house production from BenFlowz and his DreamScheme Productions partner Rob Cypher, results in a much needed raw incarnation of the art form… a sound that one fan likened to “Digible Planets after getting an **** kicking.”

Fueled by tense creative energy, D & B’s debut release FlowMatiQue: Rise of the True MCs is an unbridled album depicting their passion for the music and raw lyrics. Self-asserted ‘Defenders of Hip-Hop’ they can even be seen in the album artwork, illustrated by graphic novelist Feras Khagani, as modern day Hip-Hop super heroes. FlowMatiQue, a combined representation of their stage names, is meant to represent the creative unison they attained over the years during countless recording sessions.

“When I say ‘D&B connect like molecular compounds’ on the track “Git Down,” I’m not playin,” explains producer/rapper BenFlowz. “We’ve been mixing it up musically for years now and this album is the explosion. People are often surprised about how caustic our collaborations are. We are two very different elements, but FlowMatiQue is a chemical reaction. This album is chemically bonded.”

DraMatiQue & BenFlowz met in Ohio in 2000 and where originally members of a much larger rap collective—Trauma Unit. As the chief recording team for the crew, they saw their productions as a way to promote diversity in Hip-Hop and to uplift their downtrodden Midwest region. The duo quickly realized their complementary characteristics, be they generational, racial, or stylistic and capitalized on them by forming a group of their own. Producer Rob Cypher only added fuel to that fire. His productions were bass heavy and sample driven—a hybrid of his experiences from places as varied as Philadelphia, San Diego, and Ohio. As all the pieces of their creative puzzle took place, the duo took their region by storm, performing live on bills with MC Breed and Talib Kweli in 2003 and recording material night and day.

In 2004, when BenFlowz chose to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area the story could have ended, but the move only enriched his approach to music production and performance and the groups over-all dynamic. Since then DreamScheme Productions material has been performed at top-notch Bay Area venues Ruby Skye, The Independent, and the Red Devil Lounge with acts as varied as Devin the Dude, Bobby Digital, and the Wu-Tang Clan. Today, the DraMatiQue and BenFlowz formula is as diverse as ever with the two members based in Ohio and California respectively. While DraMatiQue holds it down for the Midwest underground, BenFlowz continues to spend most of his time in the Bay Area where his interdisciplinary arts training has led him to teach a Hip-Hop class for High-Schoolers throughout the area.

Preferring to call their cutting edge style of Hip-Hop ‘True-School’ the duo released FlowMatiQue: Rise of the True MCs this April for all the people who love real Hip-Hop. The record was critically acclaimed in media outlets from The Source, Bassline, Urb.com, Jive.com, among others. Finally, the duo was named in URB.COM’s Next 1000 and made an appearance on the world famous Wake Up Show, and they performed on GoTV Networks’ Hip-Hop Official show.

With a sound that incorporates gangsta, conscious, and backpack, FlowMatiQue: Rise of the True MCs is an album whose time has come.