THE MAN ON TOP OF EAU CLAIRE. Chapin Turner – a.k.a. Skotty Benz – gets introspective
at the lookout over downtown Eau Claire. On his new album, Clarity, the rapper seems
to have found a unique vision.

Growing up as a biracial Wisconsinite, bearing down legal issues, even a simple stint of too much tequila at last night’s function: Situational adversity is a horse pill without a choking hazard advisory for rapper Skotty Benz (Chapin Turner). One thing is certain for the native Eau Claire artist: There’s been a history of more elements blurring his vision than just the clouds of smoke he puts in the air.

After a decade of practicing his craft, Turner – a member of local collective Throttle Clan and veteran of the Chippewa Valley’s patchy but ambitious hip-hop scene – is decidedly returning to the starting block with his sophomore album, Clarity.

And, after a year of development, the project stylistically delivers on what the name suggests.

“The content is taking a shift. ... It’s important to consider he’s begun working with a lot of producers that he’s already in close contact with. Clarity is his mantra – his lifestyle. Having a clear vision led him to a better place.” – local rapper EJ on Skotty Benz’s new album

“The reason I started writing poems and stuff down in notebooks was because I was dealing with a whole bunch of racist kids back in high school ... just a bunch of bigots,” Turner said. “My counselor told me this would be a way to channel my thoughts; I think he was just worried about me bottling it all up.”

Taking a more personal approach than he’s known for, each of Skotty Benz’s cuts play out like pages ripped from these old notebooks. The result – perhaps surprising to even himself initially – is a more honest and consistent product.

“My vocabulary has expanded, that allowed me to better capture myself in this album ... I don’t feel like I sound like any other artist at all,” Turner said. “I feel like I’m doing something only I could do and nobody else can imitate.”

Nate Ejuwa, or EJ, shares a stake with Skotty Benz in shaping the local hip-hop scene. Already long acquainted with Skotty Benz, EJ was a supplemental influence on Clarity, producing two of the tracks and contributing verses to a selection of others.

“The content is taking a shift. ... It’s important to consider he’s begun working with a lot of producers that he’s already in close contact with,” Ejuwa said. “Clarity is his mantra – his lifestyle. Having a clear vision led him to a better place.”

Turner and Ejuwa have exciting demands of themselves in terms of spreading the album’s sound. The comrades cite New York, Colorado, the Bay Area, and Texas on their Clarity bucket list – even passing mentions of Barcelona to film visuals for the project.

If those plans are any indication, Skotty Benz’s personality supersedes his small-town upbringing.

“It’s not about the money, but if that happens it’d be a lovely thing,” Turner said. “I do it because I love it. ... I don’t care if I never made it further than I am right now, I’d still be doing this.”

To listen to Skotty Benz’s new album, visit soundcloud.com/skottybenz or connect with him at facebook.com/SkottyBenz.