If it wasn’t for Miami, there wouldn’t be ska. This musical style was born in Jamaica during the 1950s from a mix of traditional Caribbean mento with American jazz and R&B. But when Miami radio first started playing independent black music in the 1940s, Jamaica and the rest of the…
Miami’s rap scene is on the come-up. There is no stopping or denying it. Over the past couple of years, numerous local talents have taken to the mic and released quality material that warrants outsiders’ ears. Our city’s rappers aren’t only about the keys picked up at the Port of…
We here at Crossfade almost lost our thick-framed glasses and striped shirts when we discovered that Wood Tavern owner Caesar Morales had leased the former Soho Lounge space. Fond (and somewhat hazy) memories flashed back, as if it were only yesterday that we were getting down to indie-dance tunes on…
In Life’s Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Brown Jr. famously wrote: “An overnight success takes about 15 years.” If that’s the case, Life in Color is way ahead of schedule. Over the course of just seven years, this crew of Miami-based paint party professionals has fought, struggled, and lost a…
Holy Ship!!! Oh yeah, we’re experiencing a level of excitement that can only be expressed with three exclamation marks. That, and it’s the third year running for the world’s greatest electro-based music cruise. This year, the ship is bigger and better than ever. For 2013, HARD upgraded to the brand-new…
Yes, Britney Spears is considering retirement after the completion of her upcoming Las Vegas residency. The show begins in early 2014 and it’s slated for a two-year run, which means we may only have a couple of years left to get our “Britney Bitch” on. And you know what? That’s…
Look, we get it. You’ve been busy. You’ve had important things to do. You had to travel for Thanksgiving, and then you had to go shopping for holiday presents, and then there was that whole week of debauchery masquerading as culture that just ended. Hell, you’re probably still hungover. But…
You can’t tell Steven Braddy shit. He actually says so on one of his songs, multiple times. After devoting years of his life to football, Braddy knew his future and heart were no longer in the sport after high school. Instead, Braddy, known as SDotBraddy to Miami rap fans, headed…
Hey, Arcade Fire! So, uh, like, you guys wouldn’t lie to us, right? ‘Cause we really believed Win (perhaps naively and too eagerly) when he teased us with yet another Miami show during October’s special two-night stand as the Reflektors at downtown’s Mekka Nightclub and the Little Haiti Cultural Center…
If there’s one thing Miami doesn’t lack, it’s flashy, expensive parties. So Eyal Agai, AKA Pirate Stereo, and his Slap & Tickle crew are taking a cue from the gritty underground. “I used to go to a bodega in Boston that sold high-end sneakers out the back,” Agai says. “This…
Exactly 150 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln delivered an address unto the American people (although it’s historically accepted that Secretary of State William H. Seward wrote it) calling upon the citizens of the United States to take the last Thursday of every November as a day of reflection and gratitude…
Say it ain’t so, papo. A year and a half ago, DJ Laz, a Latin booty bass pioneer and 22-year radio vet, shocked fans and listeners by abruptly leaving his longtime home at Power 96, “Miami’s Party Station.” That was April 2012. But less than 30 days later, Laz announced…
Everyone wants to be a “god” or “lord” nowadays. But Carol City rapper Lil Champ FWAY gets straight to the point on his latest effort, the eight-track mixtape Real Nigga SHXT, calling out those posing as being “about that life.” Crossfade got a chance to chat with FWAY a little…
Beware Miami, there’s a hipster grinch out thieving in the clubs. On Friday night, professional photographer Teajay Smith Piersall was robbed of $1,500 worth of camera gear, stolen from a bag at her feet in Churchill’s Pub. UPDATE Thanks to DigUnderRock.com, the music community, Facebook, and Churchill’s security tapes, she’s…
Being a player takes determination, focus, a mean poker face, flawless planning, and a beard that rivals Grizzly Adams’. Fortunately, for Emanuel Alvarez, the latter is in full effect before and after No-Shave November. Better known to many as Glocky Davis, the 25-year-old rapper’s mellow persona can be partly attributed…
Some people feel bad for the music industry, but we don’t. There may be more illegal downloads than ever. But there are still plenty of super-rich musicians sitting on golden thrones, dining on the hopes and dreams of others and little sandwiches with no crust. OK, just because they’re wealthy,…
Have you ever gotten drunk and thought, “Man, burrrp, I wish I could go back to prom and do it all over again. I would really, hiccup, show them.” Well, if you sobered up, you might realize going back to your real prom is a horrible idea, but taking part…
“All these megastar house DJ/producers seem to come from Holland. Is it something in the water?” We can finally put that tired-ass question to bed, because an entire documentary has been dedicated to the incredible significance and domination of Dutch artists in dance music. Dutch Influence takes an inside look…
Everyone knows you can’t trust a rumor. Or a Reflektor. Last month, though, while still tingling from Arcade Fire’s two-night stand in Miami (and wooed by Win Butler’s breathless promises of “be back soon”), we here at Crossfade allowed ourselves to be seduced by Internet siren calls, originating from “Arcade…
In this social media-driven age, it isn’t rare for a producer’s face to be all over your Twitter/Facebook/Instagram feed as tracks flow out by the dozens every day, feeding that need for the epic drop. But not Miami’s Nuri. Aside from his profile picture on Twitter, the producer’s face is…
From the moment the cat’s paw jams an AK47 thumb drive in the laptop, O’Grime’s new “B.A.N.D.” video is a masterpiece of tacos, women, guns, drugs, and money. O’Grime’s L. Rey and Niko Javan have created their own universe, mythology, and language, and invited Lofty to join them for a…
“Open up your thighs, and look inside for a deep surprise.” On any given night, hearing those words broadcast over the loud speaker of a club might be the cue to either get the fuck out or grab up your lose dollars and make it thunderstorm. But Sunday, November 10,…
