(Via Steve Huff, via Fark) The VP debate was Rickrolled! Check out the signs in the back. Incidentally, Rick Astley is up for “Best Act Ever” at the MTV Europe Music Awards — twenty years after he was a chart-topper with “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever.” (No,…
According to a press release that showed up in my inbox this morning, pop icon Janet Jackson has indefinitely postponed her concert scheduled for tomorrow at the BankAtlantic Center due to ill health. Just a week and a half ago, Jackson postponed three shows in Montreal, Philadelphia, and Boston for…
For those who don’t know, Jay-Z is putting on two free concerts in Miami at Bayfront Park starting tonight (Sunday) at 9 p.m. and tomorrow (Monday) at noon. He’ll be here, alongside Wyclef Jean on behalf of Barack Obama’s campaign trying to help register people to vote before the registration…
So Miami-based super rapper/pop-star of the year Lil Wayne is now officially a blogger. He’s recently started a weekly blog over at ESPN.com about his opinions on sports and, so far, it’s actually enjoyable. The first post of his was a little dry but it gave a glimpse into how…
Maraca Lo Que Quiero Es Fiesta!!! (Ahi-Nama) On his first collection of new music in four years, Havana-based maestro Orlando “Maraca” Valle returns to the spotlight with a collection of tunes that basically celebrate life and the need to enjoy it to the fullest. As a former alum of Irakere…
If you’re wondering what happened to popular ’90s band Blues Traveler, the answer is draped all over its latest CD, North Hollywood Shootout. The ten-track disc, released this week, features the band in good form — still focusing on clever songwriting and cheery tunes but also crafting music that isn’t…
You never know what you’re going to get when you see the Roots in concert. The band has roughly 14 years of material to draw from and ten albums full of hits that often keep audiences dancing from the start of their concerts until the last note is played. They…
It’s possible that there’s never been another singer who defined the genre of rhythm and blues the way Bobby “Blue” Bland does. With a homegrown singing style that’s two parts feeling, one part soul, Bland has spent more than 50 years crooning songs that define the black experience as descriptively…
It all started out as a pleasant Sunday. Lauren Reskin, owner of Miami staple Sweat Records, was trying to relax two weeks ago and enjoy her lone day off. Unfortunately, the day’s tone changed dramatically when she swung by her business for a quick meeting and found out that her…
It’s a sure sign that an album is nasty when it takes a strong stomach just to review it. Miami-bred rapper Blowfly’s latest release, Live at the Platypussery, is just that type of hilariously crass disc. It was recorded live in Melbourne, Australia, and it’s full of funny yet crude…
Ann Arbor’s futuristic Afrobeat group NOMO sure knows how to fling out expectations and stereotypes. Just two years ago, critics and anyone in ear range were justifiably lumping this nine-person collective as a group of Fela followers and putting them in the Konono N°1/Antibalas camp because of their strong resemblance…
Within local hip-hop circles, there seems to be a resurgence lately of quality MC-ing, both in the live setting and on new album releases. South Florida has never been known for having a strong hip-hop scene (and it still doesn’t), but individually, there’s a sizable list of talented lyricists here,…
Shemekia Copeland is a woman who knows the blues. She grew up listening to it every night as a child in Harlem at a time when most of her friends were stuck on hip-hop. “I used to get in trouble when I was a kid for coming to school singing…
There used to be a time when South Florida was a haven for good, ol’-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, not just old-timey stuff that was stuck in a time warp. Rootsy Americana bands could make a living here, and crowds appreciated them for their efforts. Fort Lauderdale’s Hep Cat Boo Daddies,…
For the second time in as many years, the Langerado Music Festival is on the move. In a news release sent out last week, the festival organizers announced that the three-day event will be held March 6-8 at Bicentennial Park in Miami next year. It’s the fifth location the festival…
So today, new R&B sensation Jazmine Sullivan has her debut album, Fearless, available in stores worldwide. She’s got a voice that’s at times, reminds me of Lauryn Hill like on the song above, “Need You Bad,” and at other times, she’s unlike anyone I’ve ever heard. The Philadelphia-raised singer used…
It’s good news to know that the O’Jays are still touring. They were easily one of the best R&B groups of the ’70s and have a long list of hits that should make for a fun show tonight at the Hard Rock. But there’s also been a lot of tragedy…
Festival announcements are happening all over the place. Last week, while most local music lovers were caught up talking about Langerado’s surprising decision to host the 2009 edition of that concert at Miami’s Bicentennial Park, a lot of people missed that the on-again, off-again International Caribbean Music Fest had an…
When it comes to the Caribbean carnival season in South Florida, there’s usually no shortage of fun-filled drama affiliated with the weekend-long fete. Big parties, colorful costumes, and street parades are staples during the high-energy fling, which takes place each year during the second week of October. Carnival is almost…
It’s an early Sunday morning inside Spirits Nightclub at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and as usual, the ground floor is filled with hip-hop and reggae beats galore. The crowd is largely black, everyone’s having a great time, and the music fits the demographic perfectly. Way upstairs, past…
Okay, so not all of the members in Pretty Ricky got nekkid for the photo shoot, but at least one member did. And as you’ll be able to see from the picture below, it’s done really tasteful. The latest issue of VIBE magazine has a rather informative article on the…
The screaming voice for hip-hop on the South Florida airwaves has been on the road promoting his newest album, We Global, for many days now. But this afternoon DJ Khaled is making a pit stop in Broward signing as many copies of his album as you want to purchase Starting…
