Bennie Bates (born December 31, 1994) is a rapper, dancer, and singer born in Harlem, New York. Attending the same elementary as Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, Bennie Bates always had star talent, even at a young age. In 2000 he moved to Franklin, NJ, home to what he affectionately calls, “F-Town”, where he made a name for himself and developed himself as a well-rounded performing artist. Bates’ began his training at Franklin High School where he excelled in music, dance and performing arts. It was here that Bates’ created a name for himself in the Jersey Club movement that was just emerging. In 2011, Bennie co-founded, Team Franklin, the Jersey Club dance team that swept that nation and were stamped as pioneers in the Jersey Club scene.

 

Team Franklin’s staple hit ‘Get Saucy’, which features Bates’ vocals, reached over 1,000,000 views on YouTube alone. After several years of dancing on a viral platform that accumulated over 7 million views, Bates transitioned his focus to his musical talents, which catapulted his careers to new heights.

While visiting Atlanta in 2013, Bates received a standing ovation for his performance at the BET Awards Pre-Show--a performance that caught the attention of legendary industry musicians sitting in the audience, one of which being Ma$e. Bates’ performance earned him a deal with Ma$e, with whom he was signed to for some time.

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After his deal with Ma$e, Bates’ moved back to his hometown, where he continued his trajectory in the music industry. In 2015, Bates’ performed at one of the largest college festivals in the country, Caribbean Day at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. He was invited back for an encore performance the following year as well.

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‘Hands Like’ set a milestone in Bennie Bates’ career, reaching over 40,000 plays on Soundcloud in 2015, and over 40,000 views on YouTube in 2016. ‘Hands Like’ made it’s radio debut on New York City’s top radio station, Hot 97, that same year, debuted by Hot 97 DJ, DJ Drewski. 'So Lit' recently made it's radio debut on Hot 97 in October of 2016. It has been featured on major platform such as 

 

In April 2016, Bates was invited back by Rutgers University for an encore performance, where he showcased his newly produced music, some of which are featured on his latest body of work, Project 21.

On August 1, 2016, Bates released his debut body of work, Project 21, whose numbers continue to climb in plays, downloads, and platforms. The single, ‘So Lit’, from Project 21, has gained traction on Soundcloud and various other platforms, sweeping the NJ club and college scenes. ‘So Lit’ has earned recognition from entertainment influentials like Fat Joe, Karen Civil, The Huffington Post, Charlamagne the God, DJ Akademiks, Hot 97’s DJ Wallah out of New York, WKYS’s DJ Freeze out of D.C., and NYC’s top radio station Power 105.1.