Sometimes rap music is like an ice cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. If you’re going to be out cruising around in the sun, it’s best to have some driving music by your side to help you not think about the heat. Fort Lauderdale’s Swazy Styles recently…
One of the best things about Midwest hip-hop is that it’s not beholden to any one sound. Detroit-based lyricist Asylum 7 and his production partner, Eddie Logix, recently dropped a solid 16-track album that purposely shifts among various beats and rhyming patterns without even remotely sounding like they’re jocking anyone’s…
It’s always a tragedy when a young person dies before his or her prime. In the music industry, the preferred age for dying young tends to be 27. A host of rock legends including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and even bluesman Robert Johnson are all in the Forever…
There’s a sense when you’re watching Punchanello perform that he’s simultaneously the most loved and hated MC in the room. Watching him onstage instantly puts a smile on your face. And his long, Samsonesque locks and ability to freestyle story raps better than most people can write them is impressive…
Depending on your demographic, Toby Keith is either a big redneck or the biggest thing to hit country music since Garth Brooks. The reality is, he’s both, and most casual music fans don’t know what to make of him. He’s famously pro-American (if that wasn’t already clear, check out “The…
Let’s face it: Rappers don’t have great reputations when it comes to community accountability. The image of a rap star on television involves a nice car, nice clothes, lots of jewelry, but not much substance beyond that. That’s not to say that rap artists don’t ever donate to charities or…
Miami/Hialeah punk stalwarts Guajiro are never ones to shy away from a little controversy. The band’s affable frontman, Will Lopez, has been talking for months about recording a pro-Obama song because he feels like no other local acts are doing anything to get people stirred up for the presidential race…
So I’m definitely coming late to the party on this one, but wow. I’m digging through the archives of some old Miami bass videos and I just came across this one from Disco Rick called “The Nasty Dance.” I’m admittedly not from South Florida originally and didn’t grow on this…
Here’s an old school Miami bass joint from way back in the day. Some of you might remember Half Pint from the early ’90s. He was a short, stocky, and permanently oiled-up little rapper with lots of spunk and stamina. He didn’t release a whole lot of material, but his…
This is one of the few times you’ll ever hear me defend Soulja Boy on anything! I’m not a fan of his music or his immaturity, although at the age of 17, I can definitely understand the latter. Recently, long-time rapper, and current Law and Order cast member Ice-T recorded…
If you haven’t heard of the Fort Lauderdale based hip-hop group, Major League, they’ve been making a strong name for themselves as one of the hardest working groups in South Florida for close to a year now. They gig all over town, throw a weekly every Friday at the White…
For a long time, there was a roadside billboard in Little Haiti that read “Soul Is Waterproof.” It was an ode to Hurricane Katrina survivors, and those words ring true when it comes to one of New Orleans’ finest exports, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. It’s been a force in…
One of the joys of being a music critic is that every day, you get albums from all over the world. Every week, new music shows up in my mailbox from around the globe, and most of it is stuff I think audiophiles around these parts need to hear. The…
It’s hard to believe that 2008 is already halfway gone. There’s no need to lament the New Year’s resolutions you thought you’d keep; six months from now, we’ll all be holiday shopping again and reading year-end top-ten lists of the best albums of 2008. Since it’ll all be a blur…
As of yesterday, the long talked about merger between satellite radio giants, Sirius and XM radio, is one step closer to happening. FCC chairman Kevin Martin, approved, on principal, a merger which would allow the two companies to become one based around a series of concessions and a three-year price…
This abject Amy Winehouse video surfaced on the Internet today, a viral outbreak that started with British tabloid News of the World posting it to their site. The video, shot by Winehouse’s continually-incarcerated husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, shows Winehouse and a friend singing a song that delivers slurs to all sorts…
Ivon David Rojas Last Night: The Cure Friday, June 13, 2008 BankAtlantic Center Better Than: Explaining to your parents why straight guys can wear lipstick. Diehard fans of the Cure were in luck this Friday the 13th when the band performed a set lasting more than three hours, including four…
I’m not sure how on earth this just happened, but breaking news out of Chicago is reporting that R&B singer R. Kelly was just found not guilty this afternoon on all charges of Child Pornography. For the past 6 1/2 years, this saga has played out in front the world…
According to a press release that was forwarded to me a couple of days ago from the incomparable Afrobella (who you all need to check out), Bejan superstar Alison Hinds is performing an intimate concert tonight in Fort Lauderdale. Her gig tomorrow night in West Palm Beach at the South…
Pearl Jam Wednesday, June 11 Cruzan Ampitheatre, West Palm Beach Better Than: Waiting another five years for the guys to come to town. Flashing lights, smuggled cameras, and lots of hoopla inside of the Cruzan Amphitheatre signaled that something big was going on. Last night, Pearl Jam opened up their…
If you’re on the hunt for one of South Florida’s hottest up and coming MCs, let us end your quest right now. Rahsaan has been making a strong name for himself in the local hip-hop world in a very short amount of time. He’s got old school swagger, versatile rhymes,…
Let me know when the funeral is being held, because Fort Lauderdale’s music and party scene is just about dead. Local audiophiles might as well start dressing in all-black to observe the mourning. Although the Riverfront area in Fort Lauderdale was once a vibrant place that, at its best, looked…
