Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, into a poor family. The death of his mother and abandonment by his father resulted in him being placed into a number of foster homes, which he repeatedly ran away from before he and his siblings were taken in by his aunt. In his early teenage years, Medina dealt cannabis and amphetamines.
He befriended a wealthy white teenager, whose family in Beverly Hills allowed him to live in a refurbished garage behind their property. Medina then attended Beverly Hills High where he met Kerry Gordy and was a successful student. Medina's experiences of transferring to this wealthy environment is the loose basis for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.[1][2][3]
Medina started his career with the group Apollo, who released their self-titled debut on Gordy/Motown in 1979. He was the lead singer. Other members included Kerry Gordy (keyboards), Cliff Liles (bass), Lenny Greene (drums) and Larry Robinson (guitar). Medina co-wrote three of the seven tracks, including “Astro Disco,” their best known track. The album was produced by Ray Singleton, former wife of Motown founder Berry Gordy.
After leaving Warner Bros., Medina and longtime friend Jeff Pollack formed Medina/Pollack Entertainment, which grew into a full service management and production company. Among their projects were Booty Call, Above the Rim, and Maid in Manhattan.[5]
In early 2009, Medina formed The Medina Company.[6]
Medina managedJennifer Lopez, and along with then-head of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, Medina launched Lopez's pop music career in 1999, after which, in 2003, at the height of her popularity, Lopez fired Medina and filed a complaint against him with California's labor commission.[3] As of 2008, Medina officially resumed his role as Lopez's manager,[7] and is also a godparent to her twin children.[7]
Other clients were also managed by Medina, including Tyra Banks, P. Diddy,[8] Medina also managed singer-songwriter Vanessa Daou from 1996 to 1998 while the artist was signed to Krasnow Entertainment/MCA Records. Medina also managed Mariah Carey from 2003 to 2008. Carey later parted ways from Medina's Handprint Entertainment to represent herself, with her own Maroon Entertainment.
In November 2017, actor Jason Dottley accused Medina of attempting to rape him in December 2008.[9] Dottley stated the event happened at Medina's Los Angeles mansion after Medina gave Dottley and fellow actor T. Ashanti Mozelle a tour of the home.[10] Dottley stated in an interview with The Advocate that Anthony Rapp's recent sexual assault allegations against Kevin Spacey inspired him to come out with his "shameful secret."[11] Through his attorneys Howard Weitzman and Shawn Holley, Medina said in a statement, "Benny Medina categorically denies the allegation of attempted rape."[12]
