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Interview: John Legend

A different kind of R&B star
Despite being one of the most successful R&B singers of the decade — with six Grammys and three top-selling albums — John Legend is something of an oddball.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  August 05, 2009
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2008 Listravaganza!

An absolute glut of cruelly reductive Top 10 lists from our dedicated staff of tirelessly enthusiastic writers
We are not at all sick of bands with animal names yet and seem to have a soft spot for Erykah Badu that we kept very hush about all year.
By BOSTON PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF  |  December 31, 2008
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Say what?!

East Coast Avengers wrong the right with ‘Kill Bill O’Reilly’
Rapper Esoteric has been getting lots of death threats via e-mail recently. But he’s not too worried about them, if only because of their elementary character.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  September 02, 2008
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The call of the wild

Wolf Parade get instinctual
It’s not easy being in a band whose two primary songwriters have quite different ideas about how to write an indie-rock song.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  July 28, 2008

Variety pack

A compendium of Wolf Parade side projects
A compendium of Wolf Parade side projects
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  July 28, 2008
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The silent rapper

What the hell has Rakim been up to?
One of the most influential hip-hop MCs of all time, Rakim brought rap from its sing-songy beginnings into its late-’80s golden era with his dense lyrics and virtuoso internal rhyme structures.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  July 21, 2008
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Green initiative

Hip-hop’s heads go on Wale watch
In an era when the major labels ignore just about everybody without a nickname that rhymes with “sleazy,” it was no small feat for Wale to land a deal with Interscope Records earlier this year.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  July 21, 2008
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Wolf Parade

At Mount Zoomer | Sub Pop
At Mount Zoomer will give you those same goosebumps you felt when you heard the band’s debut.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  June 24, 2008
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Lil Wayne

Tha Carter III | Young Money/Cash Money/Universal
All rappers ride on the claim that they’re the best, but on III Wayne makes his case.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  June 17, 2008
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Mates of State: Re-Arrange Us

Barsuk
For their fifth album, Mates of State sought out and found the perfect pop tune. Ten of them, actually.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  June 03, 2008
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Ready to wear

Enough respect — Jamie Lidell wants you to like him
It’s difficult to keep up when Jamie Lidell is talking.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  June 02, 2008

Identity crisis

Black Kids know who they are, even if you don’t
Black Kids lead singer Reggie Youngblood is relaxed and focused, articulate and unpretentious, polite with a sharp sense of humor.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  May 06, 2008
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Solid gold

Atmosphere’s Slug grows up. . . . sort of
One of the biggest names in indie rap for the better part of a decade, Minneapolis duo Atmosphere have just released their latest album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  April 22, 2008
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The French are coming

Justice and Busy P bring the Ed Banger sound to Boston
The launch of an extensive North American tour sponsored by MySpace that comes to the Paradise this Saturday.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  March 10, 2008
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New day rising

Mr. Mould goes to Washington
As a member of alternative punk band Hüsker Dü and crunch-pop outfit Sugar, Bob Mould became legendary for blissful guitar melodies and personal lyrics that explored his inner angst.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  March 04, 2008
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No advil, no booze

Sampling the Frozen Food Section
...Musing on science fiction, existentialism, and stalker ex-husbands.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  February 05, 2008
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Hollyhood wills

Three 6 Mafia’s adventures in acting
Memphis rappers Three 6 Mafia were trailblazers in the genre of crunk, a species of hip-hop characterized by big and ugly club beats and chanted semi-sensical choruses.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  February 04, 2008
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Let Kravitz rule

Interview: A love-in with Lenny
International retro heartthrob Lenny Kravitz returns to the fold this year with a new album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution .
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  January 22, 2008
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Talking trash

The loopy world of Lupe Fiasco
For a smart guy, Lupe Fiasco has an unusual propensity for spewing verbal garbage.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  January 14, 2008
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Too legit to quit

Wu-Tang Clan and Ghostface Killah
The early word on Wu-Tang Clan’s new 8 Diagrams   is that it will rip the group apart at the seams.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  December 31, 2007
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From ’Ye to mixtapes

Hip-hop: 2007 in review
To get the full taste of where hip-hop is at, you also have to seek out the unofficial releases, the mixtapes, which often have a bigger impact than the official albums.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  December 17, 2007
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Future rap

Saul Williams teams up with Trent Reznor
“Sometimes I find it very hard to be me,” Saul Williams raps on The Rise and Inevitable Liberation of NiggyTardust! ’s first track, “Black History Month.”
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  December 10, 2007
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Staying alive

Little Brother fight for independence
More than KRS-One, more than Jay-Z, and more than Talib Kweli, Little Brother have become the embodiment of everything hip-hop purists think the genre should be.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  November 27, 2007
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Selling points

Jay-Z ties his fortunes to American Gangster
Jay-Z’s new album shares its title with the new Ridley Scott film about Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  November 14, 2007

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