If you’re into comedy and listening to new music, you should be keeping up with the artist Hovey Benjamin, a comedy rapper hailing from Virginia. He released his debut song in 2015 and has since been gaining a following on several music platforms. The up-and-coming star currently has just over 200,000 listeners and subscribers and is just one of the many musical artists using humor to tap into a niche market within the rap industry. Not only does Benjamin rap, sing and write impeccable lyrics, but he also produces his own beats.
Similar to other artists like Lil’ Dicky, Hovey Benjamin uses his vocal talent to provide entertaining social commentary. Hovey Benjamin’s music will make you laugh and want to sing along.
In 2016, Benjamin released his first video on YouTube to a song he wrote called “Squad Goals” in response to the popular Instagram hashtag of the era. In his song, he provides relatable insights on the concept of being left out. He sings, “I don’t have no one else, then I go out to eat, and I sit all alone, I just enjoy my food, and then I head straight home.” Then, in contrast, he expresses what it’s like being on the inside and dealing with people you can’t stand wanting to join your squad. He sings, “He is so goddamn weird, he tries to wrestle with me, he only shotguns beers, he always quotes the Bible, but he loved to steal back in school, he got caught dealing and of course he squealed.” This song and video set the tone for his music moving forward.
In February 2017, Benjamin released a new video for his musical parody of “Sweet Sixteen,” the popular song by the infamous Hilary Duff. In the music video, Benjamin is at a sweet sixteen barbecue hosted by a suburban family with a large backyard. The party changes when Benjamin enters with 16 ounces of weed and 16 ounces of wine in a shotgun machine. The family then goes to hit the pinata and discover that, instead of candy, it is filled with Xanax. The mother opens her daughter’s present containing 16 ounces of cocaine and instead of handing it over she fiercely snorts it herself. The remix is good, but the video is even better.
Another hit song by Benjamin is “Bag Dad,” written about all the ridiculous things he would spend his money on if he was rich. The song says he is going to spend it all on his dad. The lyrics begin with, “I got a bag and I spend it on my dad.” In the video, Benjamin uses funny father-son moments from classic films and cartoons such as “The Simpsons.” He sings the line, “I’m talented, so my dad is rocking ‘new’ New Balances.” Anyone with dreams and a dad will enjoy this danceable anthem.
In his song “We’re All Gonna Die,” Benjamin goes into an anxiety spiral about the end of the world. He sings, “Even if we do defeat ISIS, we’re gonna die from a global virus. Gonna drown when the sea level rises, lose our money in a financial crisis. Robots are taking our jobs, advertisers know where you live.” “We’re All Gonna Die” is a jam that speaks directly to us anxious millennials, so be sure to share it at the next party you attend.
In 2018, Benjamin released an original song and video called “Watch More Porn.” In the song, he claims that his New Year’s resolution is to watch more porn. The video starts with him saying, “I gotta set more realistic goals for myself.” “Watch More Porn” is a comical delight.
When the world began obsessing over astrological signs in 2018, Hovey Benjamin released his song “Astrology” to point out the absurdity of the phenomenon. The chorus of the song is, “You don’t believe in astrology, girl and that makes you so fine to me, yeah you don’t believe in astrology, oh my god you are so sexy.” He also sings the lines, “You don’t brag about being a Gemini” and “You don’t blame all your flaws on your sign.” If you’ve ever been annoyed by the prioritization of astrology in your friends’ lives, you will love this musical masterpiece.
“Past My Prime” is another relevant favorite that’s all about Amazon taking over the universe. While this could seem like an exaggeration, it might not be. In the song, Benjamin goes over a list of all the “primes” he has lost including his sexual prime, physical prime and optimist prime. He finishes his train of thought with the realization that the only “prime” he will always have is Amazon. The song ends with Benjamin singing the lines, “I wasted my life but don’t you cry cuz when I die, I’ll still have my Amazon Prime” as he stands in his living room surrounded by boxes from Amazon.
His newest release, which has a unique video containing only text messages, is called, “Evil Demon.” The song makes fun of the smallest things people get mad about in the most absurd way. The person in the video calls their girlfriend Satan because she won’t quit her job. The song goes, “Why won’t you just quit your job, so that we can smoke more pot. You selfish person.” It then continues with, “You broke my heart when you wouldn’t let me borrow your car to go buy juul pods.” This song is pure satirical genius.
Hovey Benjamin’s music is intelligent, relatable and comical, and we can’t wait for his next release. His music is available to stream on Spotify and Soundcloud and his music videos can be found on YouTube.
