Usher Here I Stand (LaFace/Sony BMG) You really can’t fault entertainers claiming “player for life” status. At least they’re being honest; everyone from Rod Stewart to Karrine “Superhead” Steffans knows that the promiscuous can’t be reformed and that once you get the taste of the easy-lovin’, high society lifestyle, it’s…
The contrast between Jamey Jasta, normal guy relaxing, and Jamey Jasta, frontman of crushing metalcore latter-day legends Hatebreed, is striking. Onstage, the compact 29-year-old is a man possessed by righteous rage, lathering up a roiling pit of burly guys who pressure-cook just short of a full-blown melee. Often rocking a…
Hip-hop artist Camu Tao, known for his membership in acclaimed underground assemblies MHz, S.A. Smash, the Nighthawks, and the Weathermen, passed away Sunday afternoon after a two-year battle with lung cancer. Born Tero Smith, he was two weeks shy of his 31st birthday. In his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, he…
Johnny Louis Barrington Levy performs at Best of the Best Sunday, May 25, 2008. Last Night: Best of the Best Concert 2008 featuring Super Cat, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Junior Reid, Barrington Levy, Tony Matterhorn, etc. Sunday, May 25, 2008 Bicentennial Park, Downtown Miami Better Than: Best of the…
Turkey: Mor ve Otesi – “Deli” (Insane) Turkey was ballsy and pretty ass-kicking on two levels here: 1) For entering a straight-ahead contemporary rock song, with band members actually playing their instruments, and 2) For singing in Turkish. That effectively prevents any kind of crossover success, even within Europe, but…
Because today’s a slow, lazy holiday, here are some more highlights from last week’s and weekend’s Eurovision song contest. The previous blog entry looked at some countries’ intentionally funny entries. Now is time for some possibly unintentional lulz. Azerbaijan: Elnur & Samir – “Day After Day” It looks like they’re…
This last weekend marked the finals of the Eurovision song contest’s 2008 edition…. What, haven’t heard of it? If not, you’ve missed out on years of amazing spectacle, full of slinky costumes, little-heard languages, and some of the most painful strains of Euro dance pop we’ll never hear widely on…
Best of the Best weekend has finally arrived and there’s lot’s of reggae madness going on all over South Florida for the next 3 days. Here are five artists who are a part of the show that you definitely should not miss. 1) Buju Banton. He’s been a mainstay in…
Benga Diary of an Afro Warrior (Tempa) South London dubstep veteran Benga operates on several (next) levels when he plants himself in front of a synthesizer keyboard and a hard drive of edited drum patterns. The producer’s Diary of an Afro Warrior, in its array of divergent sonics, speaks to…
In case you didn’t already know, Senator Barack Obama is here in South Florida today. He’s got two separate speaking engagements, but the one I’m most excited for is his speech at 4p.m. at the BankAtlantic Center where the Spam All-Stars are actually opening up for him. Yes, you read…
Since it’s a very chill Thursday morning and we could all use a few laughs, CrossFade is glad to present 10 of the dorkiest and funniest moments in the history of melanin-challenged rap: 1. Here’s a dorky guy who can impersonate LL Cool J, Mystikal and Digital Underground:…
The Nylon Summer Tour With Switches, the Virgins, Be Your Own Pet, and She Wants Revenge Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Better Than: Seeing Switches, the Virgins, or Be Your Own Pet in the future at whatever bigger venues to which they will graduate. The Review: Everyone seems…
Alicia Keys listened as I nervously explained why her song, “Like You’ll Never See Me Again ” makes me cry. From Alicia’s reaction, it sounds like she really cares about me. So my next question for Alicia is, will you marry me? var so = new SWFObject(“http://media.miaminewtimes.com/players/vvmMiniPlayer.swf?audioFile=http://media.miaminewtimes.com/2186624.0.mp3&autoPlay=no”, “theSWF”, “91”, “32”,…
Some teenaged girls develop obsessions with hot celebrities like Johnny Depp or Justin Timberlake. Some go gaga over the blue-eyed high school quarterback. Some fall for their older brother’s sexy best friend — the one with the washboard abs and broad shoulders. Yeah, I’m a sucker for blue eyes and…
In case you didn’t know, the mayor of Miami is not always Manny Diaz. Although Diaz is a nice fellow and knows a lot about politics, he can handle only so much authority and essentially presides over the city from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But as nighttime falls and…
There is a point early on in every artist’s career when their morals are put to the test. The music industry and personal ideals often clash, and the pathway to success typically has a distinct fork in the road. For 24-year-old reggae singer Etana, the imagery of when she first…
On the surface, Amber Opsincs and Shawn Reed appear to be ordinary 16-year-old girls. Their hair still has that high school sheen, they giggle at each other’s jokes in that special BFF way, and hitching rides from the ‘rents is their modus operandi until they score licenses next year. But…
There’s plenty of fuss made at times by journalists (like myself) about the negative direction reggae music seems to have gone in the past ten years. But for all our boo-hooing, certain artists like Tarrus Riley know how to rise up and silence the critics. The popular singer of the…
Mum’s the word at the first Singers of Haiti concert and idol competition held this Saturday in honor of Haitian Mother’s Day and Haitian Heritage Month. That’s right — mum as in the mamas that gave these artists the great vocal cords, and mum as in the mother country that…
South Florida is one of the most fickle sports markets in the country. Why anybody would want to start a new sport in this region is beyond me. Professional teams can win a championship here one year, yet halfway through the next season, the seats in the stadium are empty…
For her latest album, Blues Blast, 54-year-old blues guitarist Debbie Davies approached the project a bit differently from usual. With a band of all-star musicians, she went into the studio and cut the disc live, playing straight through to give off the feel of a concert rather than just an…
“Can blue men sing the whites?” That is, of course, a twist on the age-old argument about whether white musicians have suffered enough to sing the blues with any credibility. Modern masters like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Duane Allman certainly suggested they can, but the debate is a…
