Thursday
A life of controversy and drama can seem like good press for a young artist. But Kodak Black's trips in and out of jail on charges ranging from drug possession to sexual assault have hampered his stardom as opposed to helping it. Still, South Floridians can't help but feel a little pride knowing one of their own is a nationally successful artist. Maybe that explains the hype surrounding Kodak's first show since he was released from jail in early June. If you're all about reppin' the crib, snag your tickets for Pompano Beach's golden boy. 7 p.m. Thursday at the University of Miami Watsco Center, 1245 Dauer Dr., Coral Gables; 305-284-8244; watscocenter.com. Tickets cost $39.50 to $49.50.
Friday
Sinbad has maintained a low-key successful career for 30 years since his first appearance on The Cosby Show in 1987. At 61, he's somehow remained relevant on TV, in his standup, and in interviews. For a chance to see his energetic, fast-paced routine, make the hike to Fort Lauderdale for a wizened veteran's comedy mixed with an old-school view on current events. 8 p.m. Friday at Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-462-0222; parkerplayhouse.com. Tickets cost $33 to $43.
If you thought Miami's hip-hop scene was limited to a few young rappers taking nosedives off venue rafters or shuffling in and out of jail, think again. Trick Daddy and Rick Ross aren't the only OGs in town. The Flipside Kings have been carrying the traditions of break dance and hip-hop for more than 20 years, and their annual FamFest is here to remind us of what "fam" is really about. Aside from performances by the likes of Spam Allstars, Fusik, and DJ Lean Rock, among others, show up for the B-Boy/B-Girl Battle and live art and graffiti. 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday at Miami Light Project, 404 NW 26th St., Miami; 305-576-4350; famfestmiami.com. Two-day passes cost $25.
Miami is home to many film festivals, but most of them have a crucial cinematic flaw: the lack of blood-curdling screams and gratuitous gore. That's why the Popcorn Frights Film Festival is here to introduce us to films that embrace the horror drama, ranging from the truly creepy to the tongue-in-cheek. Highlights include Steven Yeun (better known as Glenn from The Walking Dead) wielding a hammer against diseased corporate lawyers, the tale of two young aspiring serial killers, and scares made right here in our own backyard. 7 p.m. Friday through August 17 at O Cinema Wynwood, 90 NW 29th St., Miami; 305-571-9970; o-cinema.org. Badges are sold out; tickets to individual films cost $12.
If you've ever been new to Miami, you know the scenes here are reminiscent of high-school cliques. Try to talk to strangers and you're met with blank stares at best and an hijo de puta at worst. That's probably why we needed the folks from Orlando's Body//Talk to join forces with Miami Paradise to show us that a good party builds community and fosters friendship. Aside from art and creative ice-breakers, musicians like Miami-based Triangles, Eons, and Native Youth, along with Orlando artists DVWEZ and Phil Santos, will fuel the social with dance tunes. 9 p.m. Friday at 1306, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-377-2277; 1306miami.com. Admission is free.
Miamians can shake their tail feathers at plenty of places, from fancy South Beach nightclubs to Wynwood bars to Little Haiti mainstays. But few places capture the old-school side of Miami that remembers when tourists would travel here as if the Magic City were a Caribbean country. That's why Ball & Chain — the oldest venue in Miami with a liquor license — is helping to mark Electric Piquete's tenth anniversary. The band's approach to Afro-Latin-jazz-funk fusion makes it a quintessential Miami act deserving of celebration. 10 p.m. Friday at Ball & Chain, 1513 SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-463-7820; ballandchainmiami.com. Admission is free.
Saturday
The galleries and shops that flourished in Wynwood's early days are getting pushed farther north because of rising rents. Whatever your opinion is on the subject, there's no doubt they're flourishing up there too. Moksha Gallery & Arts Collective is one example, and to prove it to you, it's celebrating Reinier Gamboa and his show "Indivisible" with a party involving live music and mural painting, the opening of a virtual gallery, plus drinks and snacks. The gallery is free to peruse beginning at 6 p.m., but the good times start in the back a few hours later. 9 p.m. Saturday at Moksha Gallery, 599 NW 71st St., Miami; 305-757-7277; mokshafamily.org. Admission costs $10.
Cool mint, tart lime, sweet syrup, and rum make the mojito a perfect Caribbean cocktail: refreshing, light, and boozy. If you're looking to get a good day-buzz going, the Miami Mojito March is using the green-flecked drink as an excuse to take a bar crawl through Brickell. Spots on the way include American Social, Candela Bar, and La Mexicana Cantina, but the party starts at Batch Gastropub. You're guaranteed up to eight mojitos, making this march a decent deal on top of a good time. Noon Saturday at Batch Gastropub, 30 SW 12th St., Miami; miamimojitomarch.com. Tickets cost $55.
Beards possess a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, they are the pinnacle of manliness; on the other, they're the scary stuff of biker gangs. If you have a glistening chin forest but struggle to find true acceptance, look no further than the Bearded Villains World Meet. This band of bushy brothers is hosting an international hangout that includes a swimsuit contest, live graffiti and tattooing, food trucks, and raffles. Of course, no true peacockery is complete without some healthy competition, so lube up your whiskers for a facial-hair face-off. 3 p.m. Saturday at Wynwood Café, 450 NW 27th St., Miami; 786-342-2987; bv305.com. Admission is free with RSVP.
¡Mayday! is one of Miami's most enduring and popular hip-hop acts. The six rapper/musicians broke through the neon ceiling that this city's artists find so hard to crack. They reached a national crowd and are even featured on Kendrick Lamar's song "Fragile." Signed to Tech N9ne's label, Strange Music, the crew will play live at the cool Brickell haunt Blackbird Ordinary. The place has fruit-muddling, cocktail-slinging bartenders and now a renovated patio with A/C, a retractable glass roof, and a new stage for ¡Mayday! to christen with its heavy beats and clever rhymes. 9 p.m. Saturday at Blackbird Ordinary, 729 SW First Ave., Miami; blackbirdordinary.com. Admission costs $10.
Even after claiming his penis is a white supremacist, John Mayer has continued to make music consumed by the masses. And though he insists he's a reformed "ego addict" with a misguided sense of humor, the real reason his career isn't limited to a washed-up celebrity TV show is the same bluesy acoustic pop that won him seven Grammys. His latest album, The Search for Everything, is the impetus for this tour. So if you can put all the other nonsense aside, head out to enjoy the songwriter's newest repertoire as well as the power-ballad-belting band the Night Game. 7 p.m. Saturday at the BB&T Center, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise; 800-745-3000; thebbtcenter.com. Tickets cost $44.75 to $350.
No amount of parties, eulogies, or covers can encompass the multifaceted significance of David Bowie. Whether you love him best as Ziggy Stardust, the Goblin King, or the Thin White Duke, Churchill's Pub's annual Bowie in Space party is here to preserve the memory of this legendary musical chameleon. Armada!, Godsend, and the Killing Floor will provide live tributes while DJ Fire & Ice spins tunes to keep the party going. And even if it has become a cliché, you should don your best Bowie look, if only for posterity's sake. 8 p.m. Saturday at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave, Miami; 305-757-1807; churchillspub.com. Tickets cost $5.
The popularity of "Despacito," the most streamed song of all time, indicates that the world market is craving more Latin sounds and that reggaeton definitely is not a genre of the past. So it's likely that the riddim-loving crowds will turn out for artist Farruko's show, along with performances by Lary Over and Jacob Forever, at the James L. Knight Center. A Daddy Yankee collaborator, the Latin Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican is in town touting his album TrapFicante. 8 p.m. Saturday at the James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami; 305-372-4634; jlkc.com. Tickets cost $11.50 to $68.
Sunday
The Design District and Buena Vista are areas best experienced by bike. Their flat terrain and quiet, laid-back weekends on the road make these neighborhoods perfect places to explore Miami. The Dade Heritage Trust is taking advantage of these perks and bringing Stylin' in the Design District and Buena Vista East Bike Tour, a bike ride through the historic districts beginning at NE Second Avenue and NE 38th Street. The tour will involve discussions about the architecture and cultural richness of the neighborhoods. You can rent a bike in advance through Brickell Bikes or Citi Bike. 10 a.m. Sunday at 190 SE 12th Ter., Miami; dadeheritagetrust.org. Tickets cost $5 to $10.
The Black Market pop-up slathers Churchill's Pub with vendors slinging vinyl, cassettes, vintage threads, handmade jewelry, and crafts, all to the sounds of live bands, the sights of live art, and the flavors of food from the do-gooder food truck Vibe 305. The soundtrack of your afternoon will feature the skilled music of Deaf Poets, Rip Junior, Pocket of Lollipops, Lone Wolf OMB, and others. Get a spiritual consultation and tarot reading by Reno to find out how you'll fare with your purchases and at the pop-up skate park going up across the street. This month, the Black Market is supporting the Louis Salgar Fund to bring the arts to kids in Overtown, so be a good human and make sure not to skirt the door charge. 3 p.m. Sunday at Churchill's Pub, 5501 NE Second Ave., Miami; churchillspub.com. Admission costs $5.
Monday
For 19 years, the Ife-Ile Afro-Cuban Dance Festival has kept Cuban culture swaying and shaking to the sound of the bata drums right here in Miami. August 14 through 19, it will return to the Koubek Center with orisha-worshipping performances and workshops by dance companies Ife-Ile, Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba, and Ban Rarra. Its must-attend academic conference is hosted by HistoryMiami Museum and titled "Following the Steps of the Orishas: Afro-Cuban Spirituality in Urban Spaces." The kids will be occupied at a three-day children's camp while you watch company director Neri Torres' choreography on display. 8 a.m. Monday at Koubek Center, 2705 SW Third St., Miami; 305-284-6001; ife-ile.org. Admission costs $20 to $220.
North Carolina native J. Cole is taking his art to the next level onstage with his 57-city world tour and on the small screen with HBO's 4 Your Eyez Only. Titled after his recent release, the documentary tells the complicated stories of black southerners through his music and interviews. J. Cole is a contemporary, mainstream rapper who's smart about how he conveys his personal convictions. He knows the world is watching, and he's taking full advantage of his voice. You can hear it singing his radio tunes at the American Airlines Arena this Monday, along with Aril Lennox, J.I.D., and Bas. 8 p.m. Monday at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786- 777-1000; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $45 to $306.
Tuesday
You know you love baseball when you head to a game just to heckle the team doing worse than your own. The Miami Marlins aren't doing too hot, but at least they're not the San Francisco Giants. You could catch an eyeful of Pablo "Panda" Sandoval, who just returned to the team after jumping ship for Boston, or the unenviably named Madison Bumgarner, recently back from an injury. Then hurl out your greatest jabs. Either way, there'll be plenty to keep you entertained even though a championship isn't in the cards. 7:10 p.m. Tuesday at Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami; 305-480-1300; mlb.com. Tickets cost $12 to $116.
Wednesday
Kizomba is a slow, sensual dance that originated in Angola and went on to be influenced by the Cape Verde Islands. It is danced to songs with a touch of African rhythm with Portuguese lyrics. The performers of this dance are headed to the Eden Roc Hotel for the third year in a row for the Miami Beach Kizomba Festival. Taking place August 16 through 21, it will offer live musical and artistic performances by Maren and Steve, Fabricio, Divinia, and others; sunrise beach parties; and world-class dance instruction. There's no better location than Miami Beach for trying out your sexiest dancing shoes. 10 a.m. Wednesday at Eden Roc Miami, 4545 Collins Ave., Miami; 855-433-3676; thembkf.com. Tickets cost $145 to $185.
The sweet nectar of the Santería gods, rum is not a beverage for those with a weak stomach. Whether you drink it with Coke or in a piña colada, light or spiced, the experience of consuming this beverage is better done in the company of friends and strangers. You can celebrate the sticky liquor on National Rum Day at the boutique Angler's Hotel with $2 mojitos, Hemingway daiquiris, rum and tonics, and rum cake lollipops to cushion your belly for all of that booze. Enjoy the cheap drinks while watching a screening of a story by Hunter S. Thompson told in the 2011 flick The Rum Diary. 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Angler's Hotel, 660 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; anglershotelmiami.com. Admission is free.
"Isn't it awfully nice to have a penis?/Isn't it frightfully good to have a dong?" So begins "The Penis Song," an insightful ditty by the comedic Brits of Monty Python. It's a joke, but it's funny because it's true. Penises: Everyone wants the power they wield in this society, and those who have them can be a bit too attached to their wangs. Host of The Penis Talk Show Ronnie Larsen knows the draw of the dick, and with a cocksure plan will bring three anonymous penis-holders to the Empire Stage to tell their most personal wiener stories. The audience is free to ask them questions, so if you have any queries of the pecker kind, here's your chance to whip them out. 8 a.m. Wednesday at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Dr., Fort Lauderdale; empirestage.com; ronnielarsen.com. Admission costs $25.
