Hip-hop A-listers including Rick Ross, Akon and Plies were caught grossly exaggerating their gangster credentials this year. (Turns out they were painfully law-abiding. The horror!) But even if your favorite rapper wasn’t caught in a lie, you can bet he or she put out a hilariously absurd record or two…
Revolution Fight ClubDecember 19, 2008Gusman Center for the Performing ArtsBetter Than: Who knows?Forgive me, but I don’t have any photos of Friday night’s Revolution Fight Club. No, I didn’t lose my camera. And no, it didn’t break. And I wasn’t shirking my assignment, either. I don’t have a snap because…
A couple of weeks ago, an expert on the Harry Potter series told an audience of high school kids how lucky they were to have this Big Shared Experience–these seven books and 41,000 words in common. What does Harry Potter have to do with hip-hop in 2008? In an age…
And now it’s time for the “I love you like a fat kid loves cake” memorial Worst Lyrics of 2008, March Madness-style tournament, this year a terrifying mélange of appalling oral-sex requests, bargain-bin philosophies, grammatical atrocities, and cringe-inducing pillow talk. To elevate the drama, I provided a trusted colleague with…
In 2008, independent rock returned to the underground, where it belongs. Given the grand catastrophe that is today’s record industry, most major-label executives don’t have the time or energy to convince music fans they might like something a little out of the ordinary. They’re too busy recycling variations on what…
Slip-N-Slide’s 15th Anniversary Party at Hotel Victor in Miami Beach was definitely the best party of 2008. Baby tigers, porn stars, open bars, and lots of millionaire thugs showing off their jewelry. Trina was posing for photos as Keith Sweat performed. I got to sit and talk to Slip-N-Slide’s founder…
Any knucklehead with DSL and a laptop can now make an electronic track. With a half hour of clicking and fiddling, you can sample enough cheesy beats and mashups to clog arteries from here to Berlin. Simple dropdown mouse maneuvers can transform electro tracks into progressive house tracks (from dry…
In a year worthy of your rage, metal delivered in spades. What with the economy circling the drain and Sarah Palin coming down from the tundra and then refusing to go back, 2008’s been the kind of year that really makes you want to smash your head into walls or…
‘Tis the season, ya’ll! And the Opium Group wants you to open your wallets, er, for charity of course! It goes without saying, we are all hurting a bit financially this season, but there still are a lot people worse off than you. So if aren’t aware already of all…
Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that’s true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The…
Americans who still think of Latin music as mariachi bands and gyrating Ricky Martins and Shakiras might want to lend a closer ear to the genre. This country’s Hispanic population isn’t just growing, it’s growing more diverse. More and more unique musical styles are being gobbled up, and that should…
As far as DJs we’re dying to see, we’ll admit that Dim Mak/Cinespace founder Steve Aoki is pretty low on our list. It’s not that Aoki isn’t entertaining, he is, but at times he seems to be more about the showmanship than the music. But love him or hate him…
They say distance makes the heart grown fonder, but we sort of dropped the ball with On the List; its being almost three weeks since our last compilation. Don’t fret children, we’re back! And we promise we will never leave you — er, again.We aren’t sure how many of you…
Yesterday, we told you that Otto Von Schirach, Jose El Rey and El Tigre, who together form Miami Bass Warriors, would make their small-screen debut on Pitbull’s La Esquina on mun2. Their video for (their only song?) “Going Back to Calle Ocho” — which we’re pretty sure is play on…
A Chromeo DJ set, Crookers, MSTRKRFT, and now Switch? Whoever is responsible for the string of bookings at Heathrow Lounge deserves a gold star, because it’s getting ridiculous. Switch, born Dave Taylor, is the U.K.-based whiz responsible for producing dance-floor staples for artists such as M.I.A. (“Boyz,” “Jimmy,” and “20…
No more art, please! Our eyes have had enough. Really! Between the fairs, we were tempted to take naps in the car. But thankfully everything is back to normal and we can look back at the art orgy that is Art Basel Miami Beach and the satellite fairs. Yes, now…
Videographer Jacob Katel wandered midtown and Wynwood to capture the energy and excitement the satellite fairs brought to our city. This is the first of a two-part video series…
One of the unheralded winners of the recently concluded Art Basel was Clive’s Café, (2880 No. Miami Ave. and 890 NW 2nd Ave.). The Wynwood location, generally closed for weekend nights, stayed open for the hipster crowd and was jammed. Best option was the jerk chicken ($7.50) – finest we’ve…
If we don’t see another piece of artwork any time soon, we can count ourselves lucky. Yes, our eyes are sore from the excessive visual stimulus. Art Basel brought with it plenty of fairs, celebrities and parties, so if you stayed home this weekend, what the hell were you thinking?But…
Holy sugartits is this a magical time to be a Dolphins fan! They’re just displaying all kinds of dexterity in the ass-kicking department, as they did yesterday when they flew into Canada’s Rogers Centre and delivered a beatdown to the rival Buffalo Bills. The Fins defeated Buffalo 16-3 in front…
So if you didn’t attend any of the art fairs this past weekend, you missed out on plenty of visual stimulation. This year, Scope definitely was my favorite fair, not only because the work for sale was superb, but their commitment to inviting local artists and musicians to take part…
Prefuse 73 with Eliot Lipp and PG 13Sunday, December 7, 2008Heathrow Lounge, Miami BeachBetter Than: Any of the usual Sunday night mainstream hip-hop club nights. One of the many cool things about Art Basel is all the cool music acts that it brings down to our sandy shores. Case in…
