Email Author BEN WESTHOFF

Awards

• 2007 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards

  "Ace of Spaides"

• 2006 - National Association of Black Journalists Awards, published September 14, 2005

  "Rap vs. Rapture"

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2008 Stories by BEN WESTHOFF

• Shwayze Carries the Fruity-Drink-Soaked Banner for 'Douche Rap'

  published December 25, 2008

  Lowbrow BrosShwayze carries the fruity-drink-soaked banner for ‘douche rap’Shwayze’s sound... More >>

• [CD Review] Common, 'Universal Mind Control' (Geffen)

  published December 11, 2008

  Despite his status as a rich, happy, respected old-timer, Common has to rap about something, and on his eighth album, Universal Mind... More >>

• [CD Review] Kanye West, '808s & Heartbreak' (Roc-A-Fella)

  published November 27, 2008

  Folks are calling 808s & Heartbreak Kanye West’s Kid A, but the comparison is off. Radiohead moved from guitar-based rock... More >>

• [CD Review] Beyoncé, 'I Am . . . Sasha Fierce' (Columbia)

  published November 20, 2008

  If Beyoncé were a boy—say, Kanye West or Thom Yorke—this would be the part of her career in which she indulged creative... More >>

• [CD Review] T.I., 'Paper Trail' (Atlantic)

  published October 9, 2008

  While other top MCs have had to create their own boogiemen to battle—Kanye has his ego, Eminem had Kim, Lil Wayne has those cough-syrup... More >>

• [CD Review] Nelly, 'Brass Knuckles' (Derrty Ent, Universal)

  published September 25, 2008

  Few musicians were as popular as Nelly at the beginning of the decade. Each of his first two CDs, Country Grammar and... More >>

• Rapper The Game Doesn't Care About Success. He Just Wants Everyone to Care About Him

  published August 21, 2008

  Love Him Do Rapper the Game doesn't care about success. He just wants Will Smith (and everyone else) to care about... More >>

• Mötley Crüe Stage a Mötley Crüe Broadway Musical in the Inland Empire

  published July 31, 2008

  Theatre of Paid Mötley Crüe stage a Mötley Crüe Broadway musical If you go to see Mötley... More >>

• [CD Review] Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter III' (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal)

  published June 19, 2008

  Destined to be a stoner classic, Tha Carter III should silence critics who think Lil Wayne can't make a cohesive album. His vision and... More >>

• Piss, Whiskey and Styx Are All Part of Actor John Corbett's Rock & Roll Fantasy

  published May 15, 2008

  Piss, Whiskey and Styx They're all part of actor John Corbett's rock & roll fantasy You might know actor... More >>

• Why Southern Hip-Hop Is the Same as FOX News

  published May 1, 2008

  Southern Hip-Hop  = FOX News? Both appeal to red-staters, and both are unfairly maligned If there's... More >>

• [CD Review] Gnarls Barkley, 'The Odd Couple' (Atlantic)

  published April 10, 2008

  We expect a lot from our indie-ethos crossover pop stars nowadays, even from a duo as inspired as Gnarls Barkley, a.k.a. DJ Danger Mouse and... More >>

• [CD Review] Morrissey, 'Greatest Hits' (Decca)

  published April 3, 2008

  The greatest Morrissey songs aren't just sad, creepy and boastful; they also contain telling details, counterintuitive punch lines and surprise... More >>

• [CD Review] Rick Ross, Trilla (Def Jam/Slip-n-Slide/Poe Boy Entertainment)

  published March 20, 2008

  [OC Weekly offers some helpful advice to Miami-based rapper Rick Ross, free of charge.] A) First of all, don't... More >>

• Eight Months After Its 'Burial,' Explosive Epithet 'Nigger' Is Still Rampant Among Rappers

  published March 13, 2008

  The N Word Ya Love to Hate Eight months after its 'burial,' the explosive epithet is still rampant among... More >>

• [CD Review] Del the Funky Homosapien, 11th Hour (Definitive Jux)

  published February 14, 2008

  Del the Funky Homosapien is an outer-space hip-hop trailblazer, helping to pioneer a weird-for-its-own-sake rap style by focusing on absurdist... More >>

• Billion Dollar Babies

  published January 31, 2008

  Irrational exuberance is so widespread in hip-hop right now that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke might freak out—if he understood rap... More >>

• CD Review

  published January 10, 2008

  Montreal DJ/producer Ghislain Poirier is known for remixing songs from artists like Lady Sovereign and Lil Mama to excellent effect; his mix of... More >>

• Old Dog, New Tricks

  published January 3, 2008

  A pint-sized novelty act who made preteen girls swoon with his 2000 debut, Beware of Dog, Bow Wow has somehow evolved into an elder... More >>

• CD Review

  published January 3, 2008

  Kate Nash's debut album, Made of Bricks, was released in the U.K. last summer, and she became an overnight sensation, with both the CD... More >>