State of the Art

Live hip-hop music — MCs performing alongside an actual band — is rare these days, unless you count VH1's annual attempt with Hip-Hop Honors and the ever-present Roots crew. However, in Miami this dearth of live hip-hop is not a problem. Trailblazers such as Mayday! are paving the way for the next-school, including the six-member band Artofficial, which incorporates sax, keys, bass, and drums in addition to two MCs. Playing live not only allows the groups to give the crowd a fresh interpretation of their recorded music, but also adds an organic element missing in hip-hop and gets butts moving.

Artofficial will be headlining the State of the Art event, featuring local artists' eye-opening art displays, DJs, and live funk music with a side of instrumental hip-hop.