In 2002 “My Neck, My Back,” Khia’s bass-heavy ode to oral pleasure, took over the urban airwaves. Despite the song’s explicit exhortations, it became a global, mainstream hit for the young rapper from Tampa. Her debut album, Thug Misses, sold 800,000 copies independently. Then the rumors began. First there was…
Movie star brothers have it rough. Sibling rivalry takes on an entirely different meaning when your bro’s paycheck can be counted in the millions. For every Frank Stallone or Joey Travolta who has languished in his sibling’s shadow, there is finally hope. Thanks to Dave Chappelle, Charlie Murphy has become…
The swaggering hoodlum has become a staple of American film, from James Cagney in 1931’s The Public Enemy to 50 Cent in the recent biopic Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The infectious thump of gangsta rap and glamorized images of thug life have found international acceptance in the favela slums…
Damn R. Kelly. While he wasn’t busy making videotapes of distasteful sexual acts and his ridiculously long urban soap opera “Trapped in the Closet,” Kells recorded “Down Low,” a steamy ballad with a phrase that has worked its way into the cultural lexicon. Thanks in part to Terry McMillan’s explosive…
The days of dinner theater are sadly over, and chowing down in front of your TV set has become a pathetic routine. If you are seeking entertainment with a quality meal, lay down the remote and head to Titanic Restaurant and Brewery. It’s karaoke night with Boogie Man George, and…
Going to the farmers’ market on a Saturday afternoon is a seasonal delight. Shopping there feels infinitely healthier than at an overcrowded supermarket — from meeting friendly local growers to choosing the perfect organic carrots. Another way to embrace the all-natural lifestyle is to join the Redland Organics Community Supported…
Aromas of Havana Cigars and Lounge is decorated in comfortingly dark wood and wicker, and features a dazzling array of cigars. From purple-label Bahamian Graycliffs to Nicaraguan Padróns, they are here for your smoking pleasure. The beautiful three-month-old business is owned by Paul Hernandez, Duvi Gonzalez, and Richard Libre, childhood…
Alonzo Mourning is having an incredible year, and it isn’t over yet. He overcame health problems and brought tenacious D to every game this season. Finally, after fourteen years as a professional baller, Zo is part of a championship-winning team. “Oh, man, it was a great feeling. I’m just happy…
Dennis Emmanuel Brown had a voice as smooth as a honey-dipped spliff. His roots-reggae anthems, such as “Revolution,” “Wolves and Leopards,” and “Love and Hate,” influenced a generation of performers, and Bob Marley declared the dreadlocked troubadour his favorite singer. “I refer to Dennis Brown as Jamaica’s most prolific artist…
As her name indicates, soul singer Jaguar Wright is fierce. She has been known to steal the spotlight, most notably when she belted out the hooks on “Song Cry” and “Heart of the City” during Jay-Z’s MTV Unplugged performance. Wright nonchalantly shrugged off an ill-fitting genre via her most recent…
The Leiter Gallery is a three-month-old baby in Miami’s bustling art scene. But if the owners have their way, this two-story space will soon be the anchor of a revived Biscayne Boulevard, offering fabulous food and drink, incredible art, and a constant source of inspired entertainment for a hip and…
As if you needed an excuse to head to Key West. The weather is ideal for a jaunt to our adjoined archipelago, and there is a party around every corner. This weekend, visitors will encounter the 26th annual Goombay Summer Festival, a uniquely Key Westian celebration rooted in Bahama Village,…
They were an indigenous people scarred by colonization and repressed by a society that would prefer to have left them behind. No, we’re not talking about Native Americans. Yolngu Boy, a coming-of-age film set in Australia’s heartland, examines present-day Aboriginal culture in the midst of turbulent adolescence. Tonight’s free screening…
In Rania Zada’s culture, belly dancing is considered an art form. Women undulate in a sensual manner, but the dance is as ancient as the pyramids, and the keepers of the tradition are heralded as paragons of beauty and artistic significance. The marked difference in perception slapped Zada in the…
Like verbose rapper E-40, the crunk-challenging hyphy movement, and screeching car sideshows, the gorgeous chanteuse Goapele remains one of those California phenomenons who, for some inexplicable reason, hasn’t made it to the mainstream. Because of her family-owned record-label roots and nonconformist music, she has not yet found a place in…
Ripples of heat are rising from the street, and you need a refreshing drink, stat. There’s no better way to combat the oppressive humidity than with a mojito. Cool down with Mojito Madness at Ortanique on the Mile. Every Monday all summer long, the famed Caribbean fusion restaurant will be…
Ah, Independence Day. A time to enjoy your American freedom with beer, barbecue, and, most important, fireworks. Gary Avins, owner of pyrotechnics company Firepower Displays, has been lighting up Florida’s skies for almost twenty years, and he promises this year will be among his very best and brightest. The display…
If your parents had long hair and blissful smiles in their photos from the early Seventies, they probably went to at least one laser light show. The eye-popping, brain-searing experience was a rite of passage when just about everyone was turning on, tuning in, and dropping out. The Miami Museum…
Ask twenty rappers what their favorite film is, and you’ll get the same answer over and over again: Brian De Palma’s Scarface, 1983’s bleak snow globe of a movie written by Oliver Stone in the midst of a yayo hangover. The film recalls a flurry of iconic images that speak…
Not long after noon on June 11 at the Playwright Irish Pub in South Beach, the predominantly pro-American crowd was silent. It had nothing to root for in this opening round of World Cup action. A flat-footed Team USA was unraveling against the Czech Republic, down two-zip entering the second…
Green-thumb types keep a vigilant eye on back-yard oases and are quick to pluck strange-looking weeds before they become firmly rooted. Surprise, Miami gardeners: The real problem might be that pretty purple-flowered orchid tree you purchased at the nursery. A quick perusal of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s list…
Neil LaBute’s work isn’t for genteel theatergoers who prefer their drama with a slathering of treacle. LaBute writes contemporary fables that rip the bandages off societal wounds. His incendiary play, This Is How It Goes, tackles interracial intrigue with the kind of brute force that fans of The Shape of…
