No Sex for Ben

"No Sex for Ben" is a song by American rock band The Rapture. It was made specifically for the soundtrack to the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV, appearing on the game's fictional Radio Broker radio station. Produced by famed hip hop producer Timbaland, it is a diss track aimed at DJ Ben Rymer, sung by Matt Safer, the band's bassist. It was placed at number 26 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2008 list.^[1]

Content

The song is an extended diss track aimed at Ben Rymer, a DJ formerly of British electroclash band Fat Truckers, and a friend of the band's old bassist Matt Safer. The track aims to be humorously insulting, comparing the DJ at one point to "A poor man's Arthur Baker". According to regular collaborator Ewan Pearson, "It's basically Matty taking the piss out of Ben. I think when Ben first heard it he wasn't quite sure how to take it. Whether to take it as an enormous compliment or a terrible slur. Ben has a very Sheffield sense of humour which means that he takes the piss out of everybody so I think it was just Matty wanting to send a little bit back his way."^[2]

Musically, the track is similar to The Rapture's trademark sound, with additional flourishes, such as a human beatbox, coming from producer Timbaland's production.

Release and reception

The track was featured in Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game radio station Radio Broker, a station featuring bands largely from the New York indie scene, and released exclusively on the official soundtrack called The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV which was a part of the Special Edition of the game and was later released digitally. The song was made specifically for the soundtrack of the game and is yet to feature on any Rapture album or release. It was placed at number 26 on Rolling Stone's "'Top 100 Tracks of 2008" list as well as number 14 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of the same year.

In popular culture

The track was featured in the first episode of season 3 of Gossip Girl.^[3]

References