Stat Quo

Stanley Bernard Benton (born July 24, 1978), better known by his stage name Stat Quo, is an American rapper and record producer.

In 1997, Benton started taking rap seriously, but continued with his education.

Benton worked his way to college and attended University of Florida, where he majored in economics and international business in 2000.

He was contemplating law school, until veteran Southern rapper Scarface encouraged him to rap professionally.

In February 2003, Stat Quo released his first installment of the Underground Atlanta Mixtapes and caught the attention of Aftermath Entertainment associate Mel-Man.

When Stat Quo was in L.A. performing at Encore, Mel-Man invited him to Record One Studios where he met Dr. Dre.

Stat Quo was discovered towards the end of 2003.

Dr. Dre and Eminem individually learned of the Atlanta-based rapper via his Underground Atlanta mixtapes.

After Eminem heard his music, he gained interest and passed it on to Dr. Dre, and a joint deal was reached, resulting in Stat Quo becoming signed to both Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records.

His debut album Statlanta was originally slated to be released in 2003, under Interscope Records, but was repeatedly pushed back until finally being released independently in 2010, although heavily reworked and not the original Statlanta recorded under Shady/Aftermath, although Dr. Dre was involved during the production as a supervisor.

Stat Quo is also featured on Young Buck's Straight Outta Cashville, Eminem's compilation album Eminem Presents the Re-Up (on tracks "By My Side", Tryin' Ta Win", "Get Low", and on the bonus track "Billion Bucks"), and on the track "Spend Some Time" on Eminem's Encore. Stat has also appeared on tracks with artists such as Jermaine Dupri, The Alchemist, The Game, Disturbing tha Peace, and Chamillionaire. Stat Quo has said that his "number one goal is to bring a respect, and bring a voice to this whole southern movement around the world."

That night at Record One, Stat Quo recorded the song "The Future" with Dr. Dre and released it on the second volume of his Underground Atlanta mixtape in 2004.

The tape made its way by a different route to Eminem and led to Stat Quo's record deal with Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.

Stat Quo is currently managing Lil Xan and Young Aspect.

After 50 Cent, Stat Quo was the second and only other artist, until Ez Mil in 2023, signed to both Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment; he became Dr. Dre and Eminem's newest protégé.

Stat Quo was supposed to release his debut album, Statlanta, with Shady/Aftermath but, despite being made three different times, the album was never released by the labels.

In 2005, Stat Quo shot a video for his single "Like Dat".

The song was made to be a buzz single, in order to help the artist become more exposed.

The video was shot in Atlanta's Zone 3 near the Thomasville Heights projects where Stat Quo was raised and explained his reason for choosing the location in an interview, stating "It's the beginning of my career, so I wanted to start where I began life, […] Plus, [the city of Atlanta] is supposed to be tearing the projects down, so I wanted to showcase the area I grew up in and capture it before it was gone forever", it featured a cameo appearance by fellow Atlanta rapper Ludacris.

He was featured on the summer 2005 Anger Management Tour, which also included Eminem, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Obie Trice, D12, and others.

On July 13, 2005, a tour bus carrying Eminem's entourage for the summer's Anger Management tour swerved off the road and turned over.

Stat Quo was taken to Independence Regional Health Center in Independence, Missouri, where he was treated and released.

In October 2008, he left Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment, unhappy with the release status of Statlanta.

On April 21, 2009, Stat Quo independently released Smokin Mirrors, a street album, through EMI.

Stat Quo hoped to release the album in 2009, and promoted the album by releasing multiple mixtapes for free download in 2009, including Quo City, Checks & Balance, and The Invisible Man.

In 2009, with distribution from The Orchard, producer Sha Money XL founded a new record label, Dream Big Ventures.

Quickly upon its creation, Stat Quo was signed to the label.

Statlanta was released on the label.

Statlanta was finally released in 2010 by Sha Money XL's label Dream Big Ventures.

Stat Quo has continued his career in the entertainment industry by earning production and writing credits as well as release more studio albums and launching a record label called Blood Money Entertainment, with West Coast-based rapper The Game.

Stanley Benton was born in Thomasville Heights, a neighborhood of Atlanta, at Grady Memorial Hospital.

In his early life, he lived with his mother and grandmother.

Benton started freestyle rapping at around the age of 12 with his cousin D. Later, his mother bought him a radio, and he would record himself rapping.

It ended up being released on July 13, 2010.

In March 2010, Stat Quo appeared in a HP commercial alongside Dr. Dre promoting HP Beats Audio Laptops, featuring a song taken from Dr. Dre's anticipated upcoming third studio album Detox, in which Stat Quo has worked and provided songwriting.

In 2011, Stat Quo was cited at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment website as a signed songwriter to Aftermath Entertainment.

On July 23, 2012 Wiz Khalifa released a song titled "Far from Coach" as a promotional single from his second studio album O.N.I.F.C., the track features former Aftermath Entertainment artists Stat Quo and Game, although the song didn't make the cut in the album.

The reunion formed a business partnership from both Stat Quo and Game.

In late 2012, both rappers founded Rolex Records, which was later renamed to The Firm.

Both artists will use the label to release new music and sign other artists.