One of hip hop's most colorful and intriguing icons, Raymond "Benzino" Scott, will release his new album, ''The Antidote'', featuring 19 new songs, on June 26th, on the new independent street label, 7th Floor Music.

Hip hop artist and entrepreneur Benzino has been on his grind over last 12 months and has turned out what is by far his best work ever. Advance copies of the album have industry insiders comparing it to The Chronic, because of its near-flawless musical production, the way Benzino has stepped up his lyrical flow to new levels, and the stand-out feature performances from Benzino's new gang of young wolves, collectively known as The 1st 48.

His double A-side single, "Back On My Grizzy" /"Pocket Full" is hitting mixshows now and is produced by Ty Fyffe (who also produced 50 Cent's lead single "Money in the Bank"). The Antidote also features production from such rap notables as Scott Storch, Hangmen 3, Stevie J, Cognito, Guerilla Tek, Track Kings and Nacho Typical, and appearances by Stevie J and Ja Rule.

Benzino's The Antidote introduces to the world his new crew, made up of a select group of talented up-and-coming MC's from Miami, New York, and his hometown of Boston, collectively known as The 1st 48. The 1st 48 includes rappers One Monzta, Lil Dev, Picalo, Ballgrum, Cognito, Young LO, Young Hardy and 8Bus Columni.

The album package includes the DVD "Countdown To Antidote," which allows fans to spend 3 days in real-time with Benzino and The 1st 48, and also includes 5 bonus music videos. The first of these underground videos has just been released on http://www.youtube.com/7thfloormusic.

New videos will be released on YouTube each week leading up to the album's release date. Selected tracks from the new album can also be previewed at http://www.myspace.com/therealbenzino .

7th Floor Music will release The 1st 48's debut album this coming September, and the debut album from The Untouchables in early 2008. 7th Floor Music is distributed by Innovative Distribution Network (IDN), a division of Alliance Entertainment.

Benzino made his solo debut with The Benzino Project, which was released in 2001 on Motown Records and featured such A-List hip hop and rap artists as P Diddy, Scarface, Snoop Dogg, Black Rob, and Pink. He also released Redemption, in 2003 on Elektra Records and his last project, Arch Nemesis, was released independently in 2005. Benzino, a native of Boston, MA, started his rap career with the group The Almighty RSO, known for their hit "One In The Chamba," released through Tommy Boy Records in 1991. Benzino is also well known as co- founder of The Source magazine-the first magazine/multi-media outlet to focus solely on hip hop. The magazine was created by Scott and business partner Dave Mays from Mays'' dorm room at Harvard University in 1988. Under their direction, The Source went on to become the top-selling music magazine in world. Hip Hop Weekly magazine is their newest venture and is the first glossy celebrity weekly for hip hop fans.