Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben (benzo) Marshall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ben (Benzo), thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

For me, the most meaningful project that I’ve worked on would be when I wrote a song that featured my 11 y/o daughter, singing on the chorus!

So I have always been involved in music and even when I stepped away to focus on a “real” job lol, I made sure that my daughter was involved in music. From beat-boxing to her while she was still in the womb to helping her with singing and live performances. It has always been part of what we would do as a family. We had it all, the perfect little family, big house, cars… stuff.. But this required me to work more and more, and I didn’t get to be the type of father that I thought I would be. Yeah, I still made every game, recital and function, but I didn’t get to really spend the time that I wanted with her and we couldn’t go on as many family trips because I had to work… to get more money… to pay for the stuff… it was a seemingly endless cycle.

Well the other part of this equation was my daughters mom, and well… our relationship began to sour, next thing I knew, I was filing for divorce after being together for 15 years and the home that everyone used to think was perfect, came crumbling down. A very rough and painful divorce commenced and I was only getting to see my daughter a couple times per week. At that point I was still working full time as an Operations Manager for a well known online merchant and between long hours and a custody dispute, I was worried that I might lose the ability to see her at all.

This was a very dark time for me, yet it forced me to truly see what was important in life. I had been so focused on work and the next promotion, that I had lost connections with friends and family, and I was terrified about that happening with my daughter. That’s when two major things happened: (1) I realized that shared time and experiences with my daughter were the most important thing to me and (2) it helped me find my therapeutic outlet in music again!

So I made sure that we had something planned every time I had her, and I started writing and creating music when I didn’t have my daughter, which reignited my passion to create. Fast-forward a year and a half into the divorce, I was able to get full custody of my daughter due to my daughter’s safety being compromised and lots of really bad decisions by her mom. I also left my job and was able to live off of some savings that couldn’t be touched in the divorce, which allowed me to have some time to adjust to everything that had just changed in our lives. Remember, I went from a hardcore, career oriented person to a full time, stay at home father over night!

The divorce finally ended 804 days (who’s counting lol!) after I first filed, and my daughter and I could finally settle in. At this point my daughter had developed a very impressive voice, so I wrote a song for us to record called “Put It Behind Me” and it released on April 5th, 2024. I did this for 2 reasons, to make a song with my baby girl and to slowly help kickstart her music career and to give her the knowledge needed to succeed, if she so chooses that route. April was a big month for her because she had also won a local contest called “Tulsa’s Got Talent” and she got to sing the National Anthem for the opening Saturday for our minor league baseball team, the Tulsa Drillers!!

Our song did pretty well on YouTube as well as social media and Spotify! But even if it didn’t do well, being able to work with her in the studio, shoot a video and be able to see her get the type of recognition that she was getting has been by far the most meaningful project!!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Well hello there! My name is Ben Marshall, though many know me as Benzo—a nickname fondly given by longtime friend which stuck, even when I was working in corporate America! I was born and raised in Tulsa, OK, and I’ve had a dynamic journey through life that has ultimately led me to where I am today as the CEO of High Pro Media, LLC, a rapper, producer, content creator and most importantly, a full-time single father.

I grew up in a pretty crazy environment… My mom, who had full custody of me, had mental issues, my dad was an alcoholic, although he did eventually get sober, to the physical abuse of my step-dad who sold drugs and was a horrible guy in general, my day to day life was explosive and unpredictable. Being around this led to me getting into tons of fights and not learning any type of coping mechanisms whenever I would lose my cool, which was quite often. So music and sports would become my stress relief.

From a young age, I was captivated by music, starting with the saxophone in the 6th grade and transitioning to drums by the 7th grade. This passion for music steered me towards the rock band scenes in high school and college. We performed a ton and released a couple of albums and I learned so much from the guys in our group as well as their parents! Although I had always been in rock groups, my true love was in hip-hop. Ever since the day I heard this rumble in the distance, eventually spotting a green El Camino, my cousin was behind the wheel and was coming over to the house, I realized that the rumble was the sound of an 808 drum, coming from a 15 inch subwoofer. He was playing “Boyz-N-The-Hood” by N.W.A. I was instantly hooked!! I always had beats in my head and like the drums, I loved creating the foundation of the music. This was in the late ’80s and I didn’t actually start attempting to make beats until 1996, and I didn’t start trying to rap until ’98-’99.

While I was developing my chops, I also discovered that I loved to drink…. This would lead to tons of crazy stories over the next 10 years (I’ll get to more of that later!) But one good thing that did come from my relentless partying was when I met the guys that I would eventually create the group R.U.I. (Rhymin’ Unda Tha Influence) with. Our hard work and talent led to a regional following, nominations for Spot Awards (Tulsa World) and even the creation of “The Epidemic,” which topped local charts for seven impressive months and was also recently re-released on all digital streaming providers! Unfortunately, alcohol (and my temper) caused a huge fight between me and the other 2 guys in the group and we broke up….. This crushed me and that was the last time that I ever drank (despite many other reason before.) I had a really rough time with staying sober, but I did it. I pretty much didn’t leave the house for 6 months. I eventually signed another rapper to my label and we went at it hardcore, landing opening spots for several different platinum selling rappers such as Tech N9ne and Paul Wall. But the guy that I signed wasn’t the right fit and that run eventually ended.

I then partnered with my good friend (Brian Cremin aka Sreal) that gave me my nickname and he had moved to New York to pursue music. We decided to collaborate on his album and we started recording when he would come back to town as well as working remotely. I had met my future wife at this time and I had actually started working in retail since music was slow, but we managed to finish the album in 2007! I was starting to feel the pressure of my job and trying to balance my relationship with the music and it just got to be too much and it sent me into a depression because I knew that I needed to give up music (at least for now.) This caused a rift between me and Sreal and we didn’t speak for awhile. So a year and a half went by and we were engaged. I can’t even remember who reached out first, but Sreal and I started mending our divide and he had just found out that he was going to be father! He had moved back to Tulsa and was excited and nervous lol! I was excited for him as well and he accepted my invitation to our wedding.

Six days before the wedding I received the worst possible news… Brian (Sreal) had tragically passed away from an overdose and he never got to see the birth of his daughter. Man I loved that dude… I can still hear his laugh to this day. So on top of all of this, the funeral was scheduled for my wedding day. Needless to say, I was NOT going to miss either one. So on 9.5.09, I buckled in for the most emotionally dynamic day of my life. We said goodbye to Sreal in the morning and I got married that evening. We did have a tribute concert one year later and all of the proceeds went to his daughters college fund. He was an amazing MC and was very talented. I am now working on remixing and remastering his last album and I am going to release it (with his daughter and her mom’s blessing) so that he will have a chance to be recognized and remembered for his talent. My ultimate goal (if I can ever get the funding) would be to create a full documentary about him.

So after that I focused on my corporate future. I navigated several roles, including high-level positions at Target, Macy’s, Dollar General, and Amazon over the next 15 years, developing my leadership and business acumen.

Did I mention that there were some crazy stories? LOL! I’ll mention one that stood out! Well, I had very poor decision making skills when I drank which led to more than a handful of near death experiences, including me driving off of a 45 foot cliff and flying 155 feet in the air, into a river, where I got trapped in my car underwater. The car was filled and submerged fully and I made it out, barely! There are so many more, but I do feel that they helped me become the person I am today.

I experienced various personal challenges, including overcoming alcoholism and navigating a challenging divorce. These experiences, though tough, have shaped my work ethic and resilience.

Now, at High Pro Media, LLC, I blend my expertise in music with storytelling through podcasts and content creation. My goal is to craft pieces that resonate with people emotionally and entertain through a mix of seriousness and humor. I believe that what sets us apart is not just our content but the personal narratives infused within it; my life’s story is a testament to resilience, from my early entrepreneurial ventures to my music career and personal battles.

I am immensely proud of the role I play in my daughter’s life. My eleven-year-old, Berkley, is a budding vocalist herself, and our bond is strengthened through shared musical interests and creative endeavors. It is crucial for me to teach her, and others, the importance of strength, independence, and perseverance.

Looking forward, my ambitions are to expand High Pro Media’s reach and use my platform to support and inspire others, especially fathers who, like myself, strive to balance the ups and downs of parenting and personal growth. Ultimately, my wish is to leave behind a legacy that harmonizes creativity with real-life stories of overcoming adversity, aiming to uplift and connect with our audience on a profound level.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about me and my journey. Music has always been a part of my life, and with High Pro Media, we’re continuously building a brand that is as diverse and dynamic as the stories we aim to tell.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, there are several rewarding aspects.

The first is being able to create with my daughter and then watching her learn and grow from it as she develops into a young, creative, and strong woman.

The second is being able to connect with someone in both good and bad times, helping them during the rough patches, and capturing every aspect of a moment in time—from the pain or joy they felt to the smell in the air. I will say that, aside from the birth of my daughter, there has never been a greater feeling in my life than when I am performing a song and the crowd takes over, singing it back to me.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes, the divorce from the mother of my child was a pivotal moment in my life when I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong things all along. I also understood that I could not react to or handle certain situations the way I used to when I was younger and childless.

When I was younger, I often resorted to fighting, getting loud, and handling things in very unproductive ways. So when I caught my wife cheating on me, using meth, buying things for the guy with money that I had worked hard for, putting my daughter in danger, and then lying to everyone about me, I initially wanted to go crazy. However, I knew that I couldn’t do that because I needed to be there for my daughter and remain strong yet vulnerable. I needed to focus on creating experiences and making memories, not just making money. I went from owning a 6,000 sqft house to renting a house, which was fine! I essentially went from working 80+ hours a week to being a full-time dad overnight, and I love every minute of it.

I vowed to be the best dad I could be and handle every conversation and situation that moms traditionally handle, and so far, I feel like I have done pretty well. Music and content creation are both things we enjoy, and my daughter has shown a real interest in pursuing something along these lines long term. I can’t think of a better way to pay the bills, have flexible hours, give my daughter a sturdy foundation, and be the dad I always thought I could be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://BenzoHP.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benzohighpro
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenzoHP/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmarshalltulsa
• Twitter: https://x.com/benzohighpro
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@benzohighpro?si=l9qujP43jXBfplTA
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/benzohighpro?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
• Other: https://ffm.bio/3dxayyd

Image Credits

Manda Tyler
Benzo