Dirty South

Journalist Westhoff offers an excellent introduction to hip-hop in the South that will be informative and enjoyable for both newbies and those familiar with Southern hip-hop. He includes chapters on the most influential and successful Southern artists, from Luke Campbell (who later joined 2 Live Crew) up to Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy. While the author is clearly a fan of Southern hip-hop and defends it against criticism and mockery, he is also critical of some of the music and of those who make it. Westhoff makes no attempt to hide the warts on the personalities he profiles. He also deserves credit for including not only the obvious choices like T.I. and Lil Wayne, but the less-well-known DJ Drama and DJ Smurf. Westhoff describes his experiences meeting and interviewing the book's subjects without emphasizing himself over his topic.