Benjamin Lee Kenney Sr. (born March 12, 1977) is an American musician from Brielle, New Jersey. He is the current bass guitarist for the band

Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...

(since 2003) and had previously played in the Roots as a guitarist. He also records as a solo artist, usually recording every instrument and singing all vocals on his records.

Career

Kenney played guitar for the hip-hop group the Roots before he joined Incubus in 2003 after the departure of the bass guitarist and founding member Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance). He had previously played with Incubus members Mike Einziger and Jose Pasillas in Time Lapse Consortium. Kenney plays at least six different instruments and sometimes plays drum duets with Incubus' drummer Jose Pasillas live on-stage. He has also done studio work for artists including Justin Timberlake,

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

and

Blackalicious Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful p ...

, and producers

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

and

DJ Jazzy Jeff Jeffrey Allen Townes (born January 22, 1965), known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff (or simply Jazz), is an American disc jockey (DJ) and music producer. He was a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince with Will Smith. He is credited, alo ...

. ''26'', ''Maduro'', ''Distance and Comfort'' and "Burn the Tapes" were all released by Kenney's own record company, Ghetto Crush Industries. Ghetto Crush has also released music for the Division Group, Aleda and Root Valdez. Kenney helped the Smyrk to produce their EP, ''New Fiction''.

Solo career

Kenney started in New Jersey band called Racecar in 1994 with Jimmie Muller and Sam Hofman. After this, he and

Chuck Treece Chuck Treece (born May 30, 1964) is a session musician and professional skateboarder from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1984, he became famous for being the first African-American skateboarder to be featured on the cover of ''Thrasher'' magazin ...

started a musical duo called Supergrub in 1996, with three CDs released: ''Norma & Thurselle'', ''Communicator'' and ''Challenger''. He has five solo albums, ''26'' released on December 1, 2004, ''Maduro'' released on March 1, 2006, ''Distance and Comfort'' released on January 15, 2008, ''Burn the Tapes'' released on October 1, 2010, and ''Leave On Your Makeup'' released on September 17, 2013. Kenney plays guitar, bass guitar and drums while singing and writing every part on the solo records. When touring to support his solo records he plays guitar and sings, accompanied by Ashley Mendel on bass guitar and vocals and Sekou Lumumba on drums. Recently, Simon Harding from the band

Fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

has replaced Lumumba.

Equipment

His bass equipment includes

Lakland Lakland Guitars is an American manufacturer of electric bass guitars based in Chicago, Illinois. The company's first bass combined elements of the Fender Jazz Bass and the Music Man StingRay. The company's current line-up includes basses inspire ...

bass guitars, Line 6 effects and

Mesa Boogie Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969. Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a ...

amplifiers. He has retrofitted several of his Lakland basses with JBE pickups. His collection of bass guitars includes a seafoam-green USA Joe Osborn, sunburst USA Joe Osborn with a fretless fingerboard, sunburst Skyline Joe Osborn, red Skyline

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

, shoreline gold Skyline Hollowbody, custom 44-94, light blue 44-94, cherry sunburst 55-94 with Gibson knobs, fiesta red 30" Jazz Bass (44-60), 1975 Fender Jazz Bass, Gibson SG Bass, Fender Jaguar Bass, and a Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass". Most of his bass guitars have rosewood fingerboards and are strung with GHS flatwounds, with the exception of the Skyline Bob Glaub and the 55-94 which are strung with Thomastik-Infeld roundwounds. Kenny also plays Gibson Les Pauls which is seen in the DVD video for "Not Today". His live Mesa/Boogie rig consists of a pair of Big Block 750 heads and a Roadready 8x10 cabinet. In the studio and for solo gigs and small live gigs with Incubus, he uses Mesa Walkabout 1x12 combos and extension cabs.

Discography

With
Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...

* '' A Crow Left of the Murder...'' (2004) * '' Light Grenades'' (2006) * '' If Not Now, When?'' (2011) * ''

Trust Fall (Side A) ''Trust Fall (Side A)'' is a four-track EP by alternative rock band Incubus. It was released in 2015 on Island Records. It was the first release from the band since their 2011 album, '' If Not Now, When?''. A sequel to this EP was later releas ...

'' (2015) * '' 8'' (2017) * '' Trust Fall (Side B)'' (2020)

Solo

* ''26'' (2004) * ''Maduro'' (2006) * ''Distance and Comfort'' (2008) * ''Burn the Tapes'' (2010) * ''Leave on your Makeup'' – EP (2013) * ''Must Be Nice'' – (2019)

With The Roots

* '' Phrenology'' (2002)

Guest Appearances

* '' Justified'' - Justin Timberlake (guitar on "Right For Me") (2002)

Notes

External links

Kenney's websiteIncubus' official websiteThe Division Group websiteSupergrub websiteGhetto Crush Industries website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenney, Ben Incubus (band) members The Roots members African-American rock musicians American male singers African-American rock singers American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 1977 births Living people People from Brielle, New Jersey Alternative hip hop musicians American male guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American bass guitarists Time-Lapse Consortium members African-American guitarists