# Spinabenz
**Spinabenz** is the stage name of Noah Williams (born 1998), an American rapper from [Jacksonville, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-florida), best known as one of the four rappers behind the viral 2021 diss track "Who I Smoke."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) • [2](https://www.last.fm/music/Spinabenz) Last.fm gives his full name as Noah Rayquan Williams.[2](https://www.last.fm/music/Spinabenz) The song, made with [Yungeen Ace](https://www.edgepedia.org/yungeen-ace), his biological brother Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, and FastMoney Goon, sampled [Vanessa Carlton](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-carlton)'s pop hit "A Thousand Miles" over lyrics that named deceased rivals, and it became one of the records that pushed Jacksonville's drill scene into national view.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) • [3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/erictheyounggawd/jacksonville-rap-explosive-rise)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | Noah Williams; Last.fm lists him as Noah Rayquan Williams[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) • [2](https://www.last.fm/music/Spinabenz) |
| Born | 1998, Jacksonville, Florida[4](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/spinabenz.html) |
| Breakthrough | "Who I Smoke" (with Yungeen Ace, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, and FastMoney Goon), video uploaded to YouTube in March 2021, over 20 million views within two months[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) |
| Signature sample | Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles," a 2001 pop hit, used over diss lyrics naming deceased rivals[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) • [5](https://wiki.kru.org/article/who-is-bibby-who-i-smoke-name-checks-florida-rappers/) |
| Commercial reach | The song passed 100 million streams across platforms by 2022[6](https://hiphopsince1987.com/2022/music/spinabenz-drops-the-tornado-kidd-project-with-country-gospel-drill-song-video/) |
| Notable projects | KU Lyfe with Whoppa Wit Da Choppa (2020), The Tornado Kidd (2022), Drill Music (2022), Old Twin (2023), Chosen One (2024), Tornado Warning (2024)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) • [7](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/123042-spinabenz/) |
| Legal milestone | Found not guilty by a jury on October 20, 2022, of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in a case where prosecutors had used his lyrics as evidence[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/rapper-found-guilty-gun-charge-case-lyrics-evidence/story?id=91875726) |
## "Who I Smoke" and the Jacksonville moment
Spinabenz emerged from the Jacksonville underground in 2021 as one of the rappers behind "Who I Smoke," a diss track whose video was uploaded to YouTube that March and eclipsed 20 million views within two months; the single reached streaming services in April.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) The song's hook, sung to the melody of "A Thousand Miles," name-checks deceased Florida rappers, including Bibby (Adrian Gainer Jr.), Lil Nine (Denetri Mixson), and Teki.[5](https://wiki.kru.org/article/who-is-bibby-who-i-smoke-name-checks-florida-rappers/) The music video leaned into the contrast, showing the rappers in preppy clothing playing golf at a country club while delivering the aggressive verses.[6](https://hiphopsince1987.com/2022/music/spinabenz-drops-the-tornado-kidd-project-with-country-gospel-drill-song-video/)
The record arrived during a period Complex described as one viral Jacksonville song after another, with tracks such as "Who I Smoke," "When I See You," and "BeatBox" racking up tens of millions of plays and shifting attention in Florida rap away from [South Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-florida) toward the city.[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/erictheyounggawd/jacksonville-rap-explosive-rise) The song fed directly into the long-running, often violent rivalry between the ATK camp around Yungeen Ace and the rapper [Julio Foolio](https://www.edgepedia.org/julio-foolio), and its lyrics about real killings drew criticism from victims' families; one mother of a victim named in Jacksonville diss songs told News4Jax that the videos reopened old wounds.[9](https://bigmomentphoto.com/jacksonville-rappers-are-making-music-videos-about-real-murders-police-and-mothers-of-victims-are-watching.html) Vanessa Carlton herself defended the rappers' use of her song.[10](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/348980-spinabenz-returns-with-exciting-new-banger-first-week-out-new-song) By April 2022, the track had accumulated more than 100 million streams across platforms.[6](https://hiphopsince1987.com/2022/music/spinabenz-drops-the-tornado-kidd-project-with-country-gospel-drill-song-video/)
Yungeen Ace later said in an interview that the song's concept was Spinabenz's idea, and that Carlton cleared the sample.[11](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/387985-rise-and-grind-yungeen-ace-speaks-on-jacksonville-rap-beef-and-favorite-king-von-memory-news)
## Style and reception
Spinabenz's reputation rests on delivery and wordplay. In Complex's June 2021 survey of the Jacksonville scene, the writer Eric Wells described a very powerful delivery and singled out the "BeatBox" remix, in which Spinabenz reworked the original into something that sounded like a new song, and noted that he moves between different flows and rhyme schemes within verses.[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/erictheyounggawd/jacksonville-rap-explosive-rise) AllMusic categorizes him under contemporary rap, Southern rap, and hardcore rap.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) Album of The Year tags his catalog as trap, hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap, and sample drill.[7](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/123042-spinabenz/) In a 2021 interview with Dirty Glove Bastard, Spinabenz and Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, who describe themselves as blood brothers, discussed leaving the streets to focus on music and how the "Who I Smoke" video went viral as soon as it was released.[12](https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/dirty-glove/spinabenz-whoppa-wit-da-i79koVPCRWj/)
## Before and after the hit
Before the breakthrough, the native Floridian had built a following in the late 2010s with the singles "Blue Hundreds" and "Stripper Fun" and the mixtape *King Leonidas*, then recorded the 2020 tape *KU Lyfe* with Whoppa Wit Da Choppa and opened 2021 with the Yungeen Ace collaboration "Sunday Service."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288) Famous Birthdays notes that he started out posting tracks on Deezer and [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) and performing in underground venues.[4](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/spinabenz.html)
His first post-hit project, *The Tornado Kidd* (April 2022), ran 20 tracks in just under 37 minutes and ranged from Jacksonville drill cuts to the country-styled "Country Gospel Drill Song."[6](https://hiphopsince1987.com/2022/music/spinabenz-drops-the-tornado-kidd-project-with-country-gospel-drill-song-video/) Later releases tracked by Album of The Year include the mixtapes *Drill Music* (2022), *Old Twin* (2023), and *No More Heroes* (2023), the album *Chosen One* (2024), the album *Tornado Warning* (2024), and the EPs *Almighty Spinz* (2024) and *Spinz Trash* (2025).[7](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/123042-spinabenz/) His guest appearances include records with Yungeen Ace (*Life of Betrayal 2x*, *All on Me*), Stunna 4 Vegas (*Rae Rae's Son*), and [Lil Poppa](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-poppa) (*Wee Are Who We Are*).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288)
## Legal troubles and the lyrics-on-trial case
Spinabenz's career has run alongside recurring legal problems. He was convicted in 2017 for witness tampering and carrying a concealed firearm, and was later sentenced to six months in jail for tampering with a court-ordered ankle monitor.[13](https://www.hypefresh.com/spinabenz-fires-back-why-do-people-want-me-jailed-or-charged-with-rico/) In 2021 he was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, with bail set at $150,000, and was arrested again while on bond after being accused of removing his ankle monitor; a 2022 hearing found him indigent and entitled to a court-appointed attorney in the monitor case.[14](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/427947-spinabenz-cant-afford-attorney-in-one-of-two-criminal-cases-report-news)
The firearms case became a widely reported example of rap lyrics being used as criminal evidence. Prosecutors cited his song "My Glock" to argue that his girlfriend had bought a weapon for him, and sought a gang enhancement that, according to his attorneys, doubled his potential sentence of up to 30 years.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/rapper-found-guilty-gun-charge-case-lyrics-evidence/story?id=91875726) The judge ruled other lyrics, including those of "Who I Smoke," inadmissible after the defense argued they had no factual connection to the case and would prejudice the jury.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/rapper-found-guilty-gun-charge-case-lyrics-evidence/story?id=91875726) On October 20, 2022, a Jacksonville jury found him not guilty; at the time he still faced an ankle-monitor tampering charge carrying up to five years, held on a $300,000 bond.[8](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/rapper-found-guilty-gun-charge-case-lyrics-evidence/story?id=91875726)
## References
1. [Spinabenz – Biography, Discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spinabenz-mn0003991288)
2. [Spinabenz, Last.fm](https://www.last.fm/music/Spinabenz)
3. [The Explosive Rise of Jacksonville Rap, Complex (Eric Wells, June 3, 2021)](https://www.complex.com/music/a/erictheyounggawd/jacksonville-rap-explosive-rise)
4. [Spinabenz – Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/spinabenz.html)
5. [Who is Bibby? "Who I Smoke" name-checks Florida rappers, Wiki](https://wiki.kru.org/article/who-is-bibby-who-i-smoke-name-checks-florida-rappers/)
6. [Spinabenz Drops "The Tornado Kidd" Project with "Country Gospel Drill Song" Video, HipHopSince1987 (April 8, 2022)](https://hiphopsince1987.com/2022/music/spinabenz-drops-the-tornado-kidd-project-with-country-gospel-drill-song-video/)
7. [Spinabenz Albums, Songs – Discography, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/123042-spinabenz/)
8. [Rapper found not guilty in case where lyrics were used as evidence, ABC News (Deena Zaru, October 21, 2022)](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/rapper-found-guilty-gun-charge-case-lyrics-evidence/story?id=91875726)
9. [Jacksonville rappers are making music videos about real murders. Police and mothers of victims are watching, News4Jax via BigMomentPhoto (October 29, 2021)](https://bigmomentphoto.com/jacksonville-rappers-are-making-music-videos-about-real-murders-police-and-mothers-of-victims-are-watching.html)
10. [Spinabenz Returns With Exciting New Banger "First Week Out", HotNewHipHop (September 26, 2022)](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/348980-spinabenz-returns-with-exciting-new-banger-first-week-out-new-song)
11. [Rise & Grind: Yungeen Ace Speaks On Jacksonville Rap Beef, HotNewHipHop](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/387985-rise-and-grind-yungeen-ace-speaks-on-jacksonville-rap-beef-and-favorite-king-von-memory-news)
12. [Spinabenz & Whoppa Wit Da Choppa DGB Off The Porch Interview, Dirty Glove Bastard via Listen Notes (August 30, 2021)](https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/dirty-glove/spinabenz-whoppa-wit-da-i79koVPCRWj/)
13. [SpinaBenz Fires Back: Why Do People Want Me Jailed or Charged with RICO?, Hypefresh (updated August 5, 2024)](https://www.hypefresh.com/spinabenz-fires-back-why-do-people-want-me-jailed-or-charged-with-rico/)
14. [Spinabenz Can't Afford Attorney In One Of Two Criminal Cases: Report, HotNewHipHop (Erika Marie, September 26, 2022)](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/427947-spinabenz-cant-afford-attorney-in-one-of-two-criminal-cases-report-news)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › Southern US rap (Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans, Florida) › Gulf Coast and Florida rap*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license