The city of Miami boasts plenty of local architectural gems. The three-month-old Umoja Shantytown is not one of them. Located in a dilapidated section of Liberty City, the makeshift camp constitutes the only known address of some 40 homeless residents, who are currently protesting Miami-Dade County’s lack of low-income housing…
When Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin and Yandel got together with R&B superstar R. Kelly to lay down the vocals for 2005’s hard-hitting single “Burn It Up,” there was only one problem: Wisin and Yandel didn’t speak English, and Kelly, well, no habló español. “We just improvised and used sign…
We all know by now that when it comes to Miami, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo doesn’t mince words. During a recent trip to South Florida, the Republican House member made national news — and inflamed locals — by portraying the Magic City as “a Third-World country.” Florida’s public officials reacted…
Atlantic Records had big plans for Tego Calderón. Upon signing a contract with the popular reggaetonero, the record company hoped its new star would collaborate with well-established American hip-hop celebrities. The idea was to produce a crossover album that would resonate with the English-speaking public. Unfortunately for Atlantic, Calderón had…
Having grown discouraged with the cutthroat practices of the record industry, Lisa M. decided it was time to investigate a career change. So in 2003 the Puerto Rico-born rapper decided to head for Miami, quickly securing a gig as host for the Telemundo show Jamz. But just as M. was…
There was a time when Latin pop was a fun and inventive proposition, when singers like José Feliciano and Joe Bataan constantly pushed the envelope with music that wasn’t afraid to challenge listeners. Rigo Luna’s debut offers modern hope to those looking for something more than your standard Top 40…
One of last year’s biggest hip-hop beefs occurred between celebrity mogul Diddy and reggaeton’s leading man, Tego Calderón. It all began gently enough when Diddy offered Tego the opportunity to be the official fashion model for his new fall line of clothing. The catch was that Puffy was willing to…
In the mid-Seventies, Memphis DJ Rick Dees composed a novelty tune called “Disco Duck.” That song turned out to be a massive hit and transformed Dees into a Top 40 radio celebrity. Thirty years on, the non-Spanish-speaking Dees is trying to capture the Hispanic youth demographic with his very own…
Like Christopher Lee’s Dracula in the classic Hammer horror films from the early Sixties, speed metal cannot be killed off. Every time we think it’s finally dead and done, a new band comes along and resurrects the art of the endless guitar riff. Power trio High on Fire is the…
It seems like there’s some unwritten law dictating that all great American jazz performers must migrate to Paris in order to be appreciated back home. Dee Dee Bridgewater is no exception. During her self-imposed exile in France, Bridgewater’s great voice finally found its place as a great interpreter. Her majestic…
Electroclash was simply too retro for its own good. Why listen to Fischerspooner’s carbon copy of “Blue Monday” when the original was still around? Then Princess Superstar along with DJ Alex Technique formed the DJs Are Not Rock Stars collective. The duo learned the elusive art of beatmatching and quickly…
Why see a tribute band when you can see the real thing? Well, when the real thing is U2, and nosebleed tickets go for about $85 each, a good tribute band goes a long way, which might explain the growing popularity of acts such as UV. An obsessive fan’s dream…
It feels like any other morning at Calle Ocho’s world-famous Domino Park. Groups of elderly guayabera-clad Cuban men play dominoes amid the usual exile chatter and cigar smoke. But only a few feet away, a small crowd of city officials and camera crews breaks the monotony as the men witness…
Remember back in 2002, around the time Rolling Stone magazine famously and lamely declared that rock was finally back, we were hit by an avalanche of bands trying to sound like the White Stripes or look exactly like the Strokes? Now we can all safely say that the Hives are…
Only a few short years ago, a Wisin y Yandel album would have meant little to international hip-hop playas such as Ja Rule. How quickly things change. With reggaeton now firmly implanted as the musical ambassador of the Latin American world, and Ja’s star fading further amid litigation and mediocrity,…
The Strokes First Impressions of Earth (RCA) The Strokes were labeled the saviors of NYC’s rock and roll scene in 2001. But in the ensuing years, all the tricks that made the fab five so exciting — snappy hooks, drunken confessions of love/lust, and off-balance, VU-meets-AOR riffs — began to…
Hate it or love it, reggaeton was everywhere in 2005. It became the format for dozens of Latin radio stations across the nation. Two of its biggest stars — Tego Calderon and Daddy Yankee — were the first in the genre to sign with major labels. This year reggaeton faced…
Wearing a black bowler hat and baggy pants, Latin hip-hop MC Platano steps inside Hoy Como Ayer and struts through the crowd. He settles near the back of the club, where he anxiously awaits the stage while watching the SoFla Kings finish their set. The Kings (consisting of MCs Bombillo…
Yeah, prank calls and shock jocks go together like Fred and Barney, peanut butter and jelly, or Bush and bullshit. But you gotta give El Zol 95.7 DJs Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero their due: No one else can claim to have called Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez while pretending to…
Ivy Queen might call it bachaton, but I prefer reggaebachata. Regardless of the name you give it, there’s no denying that OG Black and Master Joe know how to hit all the right booty buttons on “Mil Amores.” Dance to this hip-hop tropical mix and try not to hurt yourself…
