Critic's Notebook

In Miami’s over-saturated megaclub market, it’s difficult for homegrown bands to stand out. But the Llamabeats dudes drew local hype from the moment that they burst onto the 305 music scene. And by the time their debut album, Como Se Llama, was released, George Spits, The What’s Good, and MF…

If you’re scanning the FM dial and miraculously land on a song that doesn’t suck, chances are you’ve found Miami’s newest low-power radio station, 107.9, AKA Shake 108. For that, you can thank Miami native Peter Stebbins. The 44-year-old first thought to start his own station years ago, after returning…

With no label and no overground radio backing him, Miami’s Ice Billion Berg has rallied the support of close to 100,000 dedicated fans, mostly in the Gunshine State alone. Thanks to high-caliber wordplay, slamming Magic City beats, a new studio, and a dedication to the grind, his latest mixtape, Damage…

“He was superfunny. He was full of conviction. He was so talented.” Three months ago, on the afternoon of Monday, June 23, 2014, Nicole Salgar lost her 29-year-old brother, Louis, a well-known Miami punk musician and bartender, when he was fatally shot in his own home by an intruder who’d…

You may take for granted that Miami is a great dance music mecca, but there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Big-name DJs don’t just decide to come to town. They’ve got to be invited, and then provided for and paid and all that backstage business shit. Same…

The ForePLAY has ended. So has the “hottest hip-hop Friday in the world.” Yep, Club Play has closed. And taking over its place is SoBe’s newest part spot, Ivy Nightclub. Since its grand opening last month, Ivy’s already hosted some of the biggest names in the biz, including the world’s…

The man appears to be allergic to any article of clothing that covers his taut, tan sexagenarian chest. And yet, Iggy Pop, the 67-year-old rock god, punk pioneer, and Miami resident, who’s spent much of the last six decades going shirtless, is gonna be designing a clothing line. Teaming up…

Here at Crossfade, we have mad love for SpaceGhostPurrp, but not everyone shares our feelings. In fact, some offhand remarks about bad rap music have got 11-year-old rapper Lil Shark feelin’ more than just some type of way. The whitest kid in hip-hop not only put out a less-than-scathing diss…

Fresh Kid Ice is the only member of 2 Live Crew to appear on every 2 Live Crew album. He’s one of three founding members who got together in a dorm room at an Air Force base in Riverside, California, started rocking shows in Miami, moved permanently to the 305,…

On the afternoon of Monday, June 23, 2014, Louis Salgar was shot and killed in his own home after interrupting a home invader during the commission of a robbery. The confessed murderer is Raul Reinosa, an ex-convict and drug addict, who used a gun found at Salgar’s residence to commit…

We used to lovingly refer to Rick Ross as the “Fat Boy,” but it must have been getting under his skin. He’s embarked on a tireless mission to get back in shape, and he’s made the effort public by using the hashtag #RossFit, snapping pics along the way, and even…

Brother Marquis was 19 years old when he joined 2 Live Crew and started recording some of the most famous dirty raps that the world has ever known. He was born in New York, moved to L.A. at 14, and flew straight to Miami when the Crew needed an extra…

Dress-up is officially cool again. So is being a sci-fi geek. In our opinion, that stuff never went out of style. But even if you’re not a nerd for robots, the latest nightlife endeavor from sexy, dark DJ Uchi will get you bleepin’ and bloopin’ like a vintage automaton on…

“Bass Rock Express” was the first international Miami bass hit, and it opened the floodgates for the rush of quad-heavy records that followed. The song was produced, engineered, arranged, and vocalized by Amos Larkins II for MC ADE, and executive produced by William “Billy” Hines on 4-Sight Records in 1985…

Burn down the disco, hang the blessed DJ. For too long, those classic indie, Brit pop, post-punk tunes, from the Smiths to the Kinks to the Strokes, have been conspicuously absent from the downtown Miami soundtrack. “Not a lot of bars are playing this stuff that we all used to…

Beefs ain’t what they used to be, and the world of hip-hop is honestly better for it. But over the weekend, one California rapper was happy to have a war of words over social media — and let some fists fly — with one of Miami’s local legends. At the…

Anjuli Stars has a voice that could make the devil change his ways, the sun shine brighter rays, and the ocean calm its waves. She’s a rapper, a singer, and a business woman reppin’ West Kendall to the fullest who has taken the sounds of The Hammocks to the world…

Every serious music lover dreams of opening a live-music bar. The chance to program and design your own venue, every week, six days out of seven, is the life. Sure, it can be tough, but fellow fans will recognize the quality and appreciate your vision. That’s what Steam Miami owner…

A lot has changed for the boys of GTA. They’re no longer Miami’s most promising upstarts but internationally known DJ-producers. They’ve opened for Rihanna’s world tour, played nearly every major music festival in the United States, and relocated to the West Coast. But even though JWLS (AKA Julio Mejia) and…

It’s been a few years since EDM became big business. But the bubble hasn’t burst. And those folks who wear bulky headsets and press play (i.e. celebrity DJs) are still laughing all the way to the bank. The giddiest jock is once again Calvin Harris. The scruffy-faced Scotsman topped Forbes’…

Walking up the familiar stairwell of what was once Soho Lounge, there are now the sounds of hammers and electrical saws. Reaching the building’s second level, it looks like Bizerq — the newest nightclub in mainland Miami — has a long way to go. To say the space is in…