Opinion & Commentary

Luke’s Gospel: Before South Beach got boring

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is how the old saying goes. Same applies with music. Don’t judge certain albums, or in this case, mixtapes, by their covers. J.NIC$ (pronounced jay-nix) is a versatile emcee/rapper/artist out of the northern side of Dade County — or uptown as he calls…

Our favorite reality show that we loved to hate, Miami Social, didn’t do so well in the ratings. So it seemed it wouldn’t get a second season.But industry bible the the Hollywood Reporter says Bravo is adding a fifth franchise to the Real Housewives series. No, not in Miami, but in Beverly Hills. But…

On July 23, 2004, Steve Shiver plunked down $1.5 million for 4.2 acres in a severely depressed neighborhood of Homestead. The city’s former mayor and ex-county manager had become the proud owner of a laundromat, grocery store, office complex and 44 rundown cinder-block “shotgun” row houses for low-income tenants.It was convenient…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. Up this week: He tackles VIP bottle service and a plan to roll back last call at city bars and…

Find out what your neighbors are listening to without putting your ear up to the keyhole by reading our Moving Units column. Mike Ramirez over at Fort Lauderdale’s Radio-Active Records graciously keeps us up-to-date on the current releases flying out of his store each week.Radio-Active’s Top 5 Releases for March…

Rumble at the Rock 2Hard Rock Live, HollywoodFriday, March 5, 2010Better Than: A $50 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino players club card. Dhafir Harris sat near the door to the fighters waiting room just outside the Hard Rock Live’s main staging area. A black  hoodie draped over his high-top…

Yet another installment of MP3 of the Day, which ideally appears on a daily basis here at Crossfade. If you’re in a South Florida act, or know one we at the New Times Broward-Palm Beach office should co-sign for, please drop a line to mp3ofthedaysofla@gmail.com.On the single, “Phone Home,” West…

Freaknik: The Musical – T-Pain & DJ Drama clipT Pain | MySpace Music VideosGood afternoon! Broward-Palm Beach’s contributions to Crossfade this week were greatly enhanced by Lil Wayne (and his dentist) but we can’t ride that pony forever.Nas is coming! Plus, local art-punks Alexander took over Poor House on Saturday…

Despite some early hype as a potential favorite, local girl Michelle Delamor was voted off American Idol last night.What’s the deal? She had pipes, and, well, some people who made it this week did not.There’s only one explanation: She sang Creed.But as we said yesterday, America is too embarrassed to…

Sorry Joan Rivers, but we like our award recipients unwashed, uncouth, and unwilling. Let’s go to the red carpet of regional idiocy! 3. The Proposed Don’t-Feed-The-Homeless Rule We don’t usually give these awards to policies, but this clinched it: Though the change could draw objections, David Karsh, spokesman for Development…

Back in January when the New Times named Lil Daggers’ limited-edition Stragglers Tour EP to our “Best Local Albums of 2009” list, we said: “If you were either lucky or obsessed enough to score one of these exceedingly rare 10-inch discs at the outset, you’ll already agree Yuri, Ruben, Gabe,…

Conjuring up 9-11, which was carried out in part by terrorists who’d used phony student visas to enter the States, federal prosecutors charged two Miami women this afternoon with running a bogus school in Miami to sell fake visas to foreigners. ​​Lydia Menochal, who is 58, and 75-year-old Ofelia Macia…

Even if our readers won’t be able to make it to Vancouver’s Biltmore Cabaret in April, special props to graphic artist Vincent Parker for his lobster-y lettered Surfer Blood/Turbo Fruits poster design. Check out a lot more eye-melting concert art, including another SoFla fave Blowfly, the Ruby Suns, Why?, and…

We realize there are probably some people who play their Creed records late at night, when no one else is awake, so as not to let anyone know their deep, dark secret: that they still listen to Creed.But didn’t most of us agree to pretend that Creed, Scott Stapp, and…

Last Thursday, Destroyio Records invaded Churchill’s again. And every species of Miami punk was there: Hialeah soccer hooligans, dreaded lezzies, Calle Ocho crusties, Subhumans squat rats, weekend anarchists, Misfits aerobics instructors, hardcore dudes with neck tattoos, etc. It was a mixed pit. Everyone sipped some kind of clear alcohol from…

Listen up taxpayers! Miami-Dade School administrators have put our kids at risk. No, not of failing, but of their school toppling on their heads. We’re talking little kids. Six year olds.How else to explain the sudden closing of  North Miami Middle School and moving of kids from the North Dade…

While we update Crossfade a bunch of times a day, the Miami New Times still features a fresh crop of music news weekly, including features that go into more depth than the usual blog post. This week, Christopher Lopez gives the run-down on Choc Quib Town, a Colombian urban fusion…

Karl Thompson, accused of scamming victims in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, is sitting in jail awaiting trial on felony counts of grand theft, organized fraud, and resisting arrest without violence.Before his arrest this past October 6,the North Miami Police Department opened an investigation into Thompson after three victims alleged that…

Letters from the issue of March 4, 2010