Hip-hop junkies and beat heads need to familiarize themselves with DJ Houseshoes. He’s one of the foremost experts on all things Dilla related, which is a technical way of saying the two came up together in the same gritty Detroit night clubs and vibed outside of the typical DJ/MC relationship…
Say it ain’t so! First, rumors keep popping up that Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa are getting a divorce–which entitles the soon-to-be ex Mrs. Bryant to HALF of everything Kobe is worth. It’s California and they had no pre-nup. No sympathy there… fools and their money always part. You…
This little disc just landed at the New Times office today–straight from Osaka, Japan and it’s already got a few of us dancing. Of course, it’s past 6pm and those of us still here are minutes away from cracking beers and laughing the night away so we might as well…
Don’t even get me started on this outfit. According to this news story, R. Kelly may finally be heading to trial to face charges on child pornography…which is a really spruced up way of saying “this jackass not only peed on a 14-year-old girl then slept with her, he also…
With striking looks, a voluptuous frame, and a personality that’s both sexy and serious, dancehall singer Ce’Cile has a good chance of being reggae’s new starlet. She’s already the center of gossip, à la Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, in the Jamaican press — rumors of whom she’s dating and…
In the post-Hurricane Katrina days, it seems like all things related to New Orleans music could use some extra love. Maybe not Dr. John — frankly, his hoodoo voodoo shtick is getting old — but as for everyone else these days, most New Orleans musicians are in a bad way…
Now here’s a show I would watch. It appears that Miami’s Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke is getting his own reality TV show. Not sure when it’s scheduled to air, but I came across a pilot for the series yesterday that’s just hilarious. If anyone knows more about…
Hear the new track “My Life” from Jah Cure So reggae crooner Jah Cure is fresh out of prison. Lot’s of folks in the Caribbean are elated at the good news. At the same time, lot’s of folks in the Caribbean feel people shouldn’t be so quick to herald a…
Any fans of breakdancing and viral videos need to watch this South Korean b-boy putting in some serious work! They don’t call this guy Poppin Hyun Joon for nothing.–Jonathan Cunningham…
Faith Hill & Tim McGraw at the BankAtlantic Center Tuesday, July 23, 2007 Better Than: Watching these two duke it out in a Celebrity Death Match. The Review: Move over Korn, Evanescence, and Flyleaf, the real Family Values tour made its long awaited debut at Sunrise’s Bank Atlantic Center last…
Twenty-seven year old Singer Siccaturie Alcock, better known as ‘Jah Cure’, has been released from prison. The Jamaican singer who was convicted on rape, illegal possession of a firearm and robbery was released at 5:30 Saturday morning. Jah Cure was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1998. Although he…
It takes a true dancehall aficionado to appreciate the top-ranking ghetto sounds of Jamaica’s Ninja Man. This is true only because most novice listeners, if they can even understand a word he’s saying, would be scared to death of him. Dubbed as “the original front teet, gold teet, gun pon…
Too often, enthusiasts of African music from the ’60s and ’70s focus on the sounds trickling out of Lagos and Johannesburg as if the barometer for continental coolness depended solely on Nigeria and South Africa. There were dozens of good musical styles emanating from those two hotbeds during that time…
Most single-name musicians are too egotistical for their own good. Singers like Cher, Madonna, and Prince — yes, that type of single-name musician — can be remarkably talented and full of charisma on stage, but when not performing, they’re known stinkers. Sting won’t give you the time of day if…
This may come as a surprise to some, but there’s more than one royal family when it comes to Jamaican reggae. It’s obvious that the Marleys would be a shoo-in for this distinction, but during the late ’60s and ’70s, a slightly lesser-known crooner, Denroy Morgan, was busy creating his…
Apparently, reggae and dancehall music are nothing alike. This might sound confusing to casual fans of the genres, but international reggae star Freddie McGregor says a line needs to be drawn in the sand — and he’s not just talking shit. McGregor, a prominent member of the reggae community who’s…
When it comes to the prototypical urban songstress, there’s no one who commands more respect than the legendary Mary J. Blige. New urban starlets such as Keyshia Cole, Beyoncé, and Alicia Keys have all named her as influences, and she’s been the marquee name within female R&B for the past…
Unlike the Passa Passa dancehall DVDs that are all about booty shots and the hottest dance moves, films documenting true-school reggae concerts are hard to find. You can walk into any Caribbean record store and get the latest Passa Passa vid, but catching acts like Richie Spice, Chuck Fenda, and…
It’s 11 on a hot and sticky Friday night, and I’m sweating inside Hollywood’s Club M waiting on a miracle. The once-popular, always-dysfunctional, heavily loved hardcore band Load is scheduled to play an impromptu set within the hour. If all goes well, it’ll be the band’s first time on stage…
Latin hip-hop is a strange animal these days. What was once perceived as a laughingstock or at best a lackluster subgenre of rap is now a multimillion-dollar commodity. Venture into the right nightclubs, where the tastemakers hang out, and it’s reggaeton and Spanish hip-hop, not just meringue and salsa, that…
Mala Rodriguez looking muy mala The way she holds the voice recorder reveals that some of her fingernails are painted teal. Her middle fingernail sports this color completely, while ring finger is split vertically: half teal, half bare. That’s Mala for you, the reigning queen of Spain’s hip-hop scene. She’s…
Check out a young Bounty Killer and a relatively trim Barrington Levy yamming it up for the “Living Dangerously” video from the early 90s. Bounty has developed a significantly more gangsta image since these days but it’s funny to see the influence of 90s rap videos on this dancehall classic…
