NorthSideBenji

NorthSideBenji
Birth name	Jaiden Anthony Watson
Born	January 25, 1998
Origin	Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Canadian hip hop
Years active	2016–present
Labels	NRTHRN

Jaiden Anthony Watson (born January 25, 1998),^[1] better known by his stage name NorthSideBenji, is a Canadian rapper and musician from Brampton, Ontario. Benji gained recognition from his Certified Gold single "Levels", which featured Toronto rapper Houdini. The single was released in December 2018, and was the only supporting single of his debut extended play, Caviar Dreams, which was released on January 18, 2019. He released his second EP Frienemy on September 6, 2019.

Career

NorthSideBenji began rapping in 2016 where he released numerous freestyles and songs. He released several singles and built a digital following of over 33,000 fans.^[2] He is independently signed to Music 4 Life.^[3] He released the single "Again" on October 31, 2017, and "Confessions" on December 11, 2017. ^[4] He released a Fire In The Booth freestyle session with Charlie Sloth on January 6, 2018.^[5] In early 2018, he announced that he is working on his debut EP, titled Caviar Dreams, which was due to be released in July 2018, however, the album was delayed and was officially released on January 18, 2019.^[6][2] He released the third single of the EP "Levels" featuring Houdini on January 25, 2019.^[6] In which it speaks of the heart of getting out of their current circumstances and living a life of "Caviar Dreams"^[7] Erin Lowers of Exclaim! describes Caviar Dreams as "mellow in its approach, but captivating in its deliveries" and gave it an 8 out of 10.^[2] He was listed as one of 15 Toronto rappers you should know by XXL.^[8]

He released his second Fire in the Booth session on August 26, 2019, which featured support from rapper Nines,^[9] The freestyle was released in promotion of his sophomore EP, Frienemy, which was released on September 6, 2019, with five tracks.^[10][11] Frienemy was described on the iTunes store as a "more succinct, in-your-face statement than its slow-burning predecessor, Caviar Dreams".^[12] The music video for the title track was released on September 29, 2019, on the British music website platform GRM Daily.^[13] NorthSideBenji also supported Canadian singer-songwriter Neena Rose on the single "Secret" released in October, 2019.^[14] He also made an appearance on the lead single "Too Soft" alongside Houdini in 6ixbuzz's second compilation album NorthernSound released on December 13, 2019.^[15]

His single "Levels" was Certified Gold by Music Canada on April 7, 2020.^[16]

He is featured on the tracks "Don't Change" and "Flex" on Nines' third studio album Crabs in a Bucket,^[17] which reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Discography

Compilation albums

List of compilation albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		CAN [18]
The Extravagant Collection[19]	Released: October 22, 2021 Label: NRTHRN Format: Digital download, streaming	17

Extended plays

List of extended plays

Title	EP details
Caviar Dreams	Released: January 18, 2019 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming
Frienemy[20]	Released: September 6, 2019 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

As lead artist

Title	Year	Certifications	Album
"Again"	2017		Non-album singles
"Came to Conquer" (featuring Houdini and Robin Banks)
"Left Hollywood"
"Confessions"			Cavier Dreams
"Levels" (featuring Houdini)	2019	MC: Gold[16]
"Winner"
"Frienemy"			Frienemy
"Clicquot"[21]	2020

As a featured artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		UK
"Too Soft" (6ixBuzz featuring Houdini and NorthSideBenji)	2019	—	NorthernSound
Don't Change" (Nines featuring NorthSideBenji)	2020	99[22]	Crabs in a Bucket

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2022	"30'000" (with DJ Charlie B)	Juno Award for Rap Single of the Year	Nominated[23]
	The Extravagant Collection	Juno Award for Rap Album of the Year	Nominated[24]

References

1. "NorthsideBenji Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
2. Lowers, Erin (January 31, 2019). "NorthSideBenji Caviar Dreams". Exclaim.ca.
3. "Music 4 Life | Credits". AllMusic.
4. "NorthSideBenji Breaks it Down with "Confessions"". April 16, 2018.
5. "Fire in the Booth from Giggs and Northside Benji". 1Xtra's Rap Show with Charlie Sloth. BBC Radio 1. January 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
6. Cruz, Josephine (January 30, 2019). "NorthSideBenji Reaches New "Levels" with His Latest Music Video". Complex.
7. "NorthSideBenji enlists Houdini for the "Levels" video". HipHopCanada. February 3, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
8. XXL Staff (January 3, 2019). "The New New: 15 Toronto Rappers You Should Know". XXL. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
9. Archibald-Powell, Naimah (August 26, 2019). "NorthSideBenji calls on Nines for second 'Fire in the Booth' freestyle". GRM Daily.
10. "NorthsideBenji makes second "Fire In The Booth" appearance". HipHopCanada. September 1, 2019.
11. "Toronto rapper NorthSideBenji releases new Frienemy EP". HipHopCanada. September 9, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
12. "Frienemy - EP by Northsidebenji". 6 September 2019 – via music.apple.com.
13. "Premiere: Northside Benji drops clean visuals for "Frienemy"". GRM Daily. September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
14. "Neena Rose: Secret (feat. NorthSideBenji)". FYIMusicNews. October 28, 2019.
15. "6ixBuzz features some of Toronto's best on NorthernSound". HipHopCanada. December 13, 2019.
16. "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. April 7, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
17. Keith, James (August 28, 2020). "Nines Drops 'Crabs In A Bucket' Album With New Short Film". Complex. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
18. "Billboard Canadian Albums". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
19. Alex Nino Gheciu (October 22, 2021). "NorthSideBenji Returns With New Project 'The Extravagant Collection'". Complex. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
20. "Toronto rapper NorthSideBenji releases new Frienemy EP". HipHopCanada. September 9, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
21. Moorthy, Bhaven (April 26, 2020). "Northside Benji Takes On Punta Cana For "Clicquot" Visuals". Sidedoor Magazine.
22. "Official Streaming Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
23. "Charlotte Cardin, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber lead 2022 Juno Award nominees". CBC News. 2022-03-01. Archived from the original on 2023-04-12.
24. "Charlotte Cardin, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber lead 2022 Juno Award nominees". CBC News. 2022-03-01. Archived from the original on 2023-04-12.

External links

• NorthSideBenji at AllMusic