Few rappers give better interviews than Black Moon/Boot Camp Clik alum Buckshot. Naturally, the pioneering underground MC sometimes refers to himself in the third person, makes bogus political predictions (“We are going to have a female president [this year]. That’s just something that my energy tells me.”) and takes full…
Within the realm of hip-hop, few artists ever garner the level of coast-to-coast respect that Rakim had in the 1980s. When he and his former partner, Eric B, dropped their classic debut album, Paid in Full, hip-hop as a genre seemed to shift — as if the old guard was…
Naturally, Foxy Brown is the object of Ali G’s affections. With her foul mouth and short skirt, she epitomizes the fake gangsterism he parodies. At least she has the track record to support it — she recently finished a stint at Rikers Island, having violated probation stemming from attacking a…
He’s got a few more gray hairs in his goatee now, but James McMurtry is still the dry-as-a-West-Texas-creekbed voice of the proletariat on his latest album, Just Us Kids. And in this new Texas country effort, he’s ratcheted up the discontent of Childish Things to no-holds-barred vitriol, with his plainspoken…
Few reggae albums can muster up strong anticipation from the dancehall and hip-hop communities simultaneously, but Elephant Man’s latest release, Let’s Get Physical, is just that type of disc. Lots of hype was made about Ele’s jump to Bad Boy Records. Not only was that a bold move for both…
Robert Diament just can’t convince me that he’s a dangerous misanthrope, plotting world domination, bondage trysts, and petty betrayal with equal measures of grim glee and haughty apathy. Try as he might, sneering such loathsome lines as “I’ve got time to kill/so how about a quick fuck?,” he ultimately seems…
Last weekend, the Bamboo Room — a longtime blues hub located in Lake Worth — may have closed its doors to the public forever. Fingers are crossed in the local music community as many of us hope that things will change, but as of now, the best blues club in…
You know you’re off to a pretty kick-ass start when Spoon’s producer (Jim Eno) offers to help make your debut album. Thanks to Eno, in September 2007, the quartet recorded its full-length album Say Something and gained a bit of acclaim among certain music critics. That disc is full of…
We Americans often seem averse to immersing ourselves in other cultures, especially when it comes to the arts. Take, for example, Indian music. To the untrained ear, it conjures up notions of studious musicians plunking out sitar scales or furiously thumping tablas, all the while caught up in a meditative…
What can you say about Vampire Weekend that hasn’t already been written? The guys are blowing up faster than they wanted to. They’ve graced the cover of plenty of magazines, and they’re still touring in support of their self-titled debut album. And for the most part, these Ivy League grads…
Back in 1987, when Pimp C and Bun B were first writing the rhymes that would become their debut cassette, The Southern Way, neither one of them would ever have dreamed that their music could grow into a national phenomenon. Their ascent to Southern hip-hop’s upper echelon was gradual, depending…
Rappers out of Palm Beach County don’t get a lot of love in South Florida. Everyone’s eyes are on Miami’s scene, as if it’s the only one worth writing about. Well, actually, that’s kind of true from a national perspective, but local rapper/producer Efon is working to change that. He’s…
The local boys of Social Klash make sweet electro- and Britpop-inspired melodies, effortlessly swapping English and Spanish lyrics as well as crafting a cool, unique sound the band members describe as electro en español. Their confessed passion for ’80s bands like the Cure and Depeche Mode is instantly palpable, yet…
Oh, Memorial Day weekend, three wonderful work-free days to spend drinking, lounging, grilling, and marinating in unadulterated American pride. After all, the average hard-workin’ Joe Schmoe doesn’t get many free Sunday nights to spend hanging with old friends, leaving a pile of empty Pabst Blue Ribbon bottles in his wake…
You might not have heard, but Texas Rose Saloon is home to a little cover band called Shadow Creek (2008 Best Of country band). They take the tiny triangular stage in the corner every Thursday. The rest of the week, this quaint little place known around these parts as the…
The best DJs are those who have, of course, an extensive knowledge of music — but often what’s more important than depth, necessarily, is an accompanying breadth. Members of the iPod generation rarely want to hear hours of even their favorite musical style any more — but they do want…
So there’s a rumor floating around as of today that Karu & Y is temporarily shut down. It’s totally unsubstantiated, and we’ll keep you posted as more news develops, but it also makes sense.I’ve heard from three people today alone that business there has been dead which must make keeping…
A lot of mash-up albums don’t work. Two years ago, every hipster DJ seemed to have a mash-up disc at the ready to help promote their name–and only a small number of those were worth a damn. But a new mash-up came out last week that’s definitely something worth checking…
So what if she didn’t win American Idol this year–…local fans can still come and celebrate with Syesha Mercado tomorrow evening at Gulfstream Park for her welcome home party. If you’re lucky, she might sing a couple of tunes but according to the press release below, she’ll probably just be…
I’ll be honest — I had more or less forgotten about Yngwie Malmsteen’s existence until recently, while riding in a car with a Swedish metal type. “So where does Yngwie live?” he asked out of nowhere. And that’s when I remembered — Oh yeah, that swifty-fingered guitar legend with the…
Gotta give it to Nas for having great videos. This one is an old favorite…half hip-hop/half Goodfellas. Something to enjoy on a Tuesday. –Jonathan Cunningham…
John Hood Nada Surf Monday, June 2, 2008 Studio A, Miami Better Than: Letting Leonard Cohen’s bubblegum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight. I’m not supposed to dig Nada Surf. Their songs are sentimental, sometimes sappy even, drenched in despair, cuddled by consolation and stricken in all kinds of…
