People say Miami's a dance town, and we can't deny that. But the 305 is a hip hop town, too. Look at Mr. 305, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Flo Rida, Trick Daddy, or Trina. Or if we need to take you from those last old school to out of school, the godfather himself, our very own Luke Campbell. And when Katrina shellacked New Orleans, where did Weezy relocate to?
But if you want to know who the current kings of Miami's hip hop scene are, look no further than ArtOfficial. Blending rap vocals from MCs Newsense and Logics with a hybrid featuring elements of jazz and funk courtesy of Danny Perez on keys, Manny Patino on drums, Ralf Valencia on bass, and Keith Cooper playing sax, theirs is a full-on band, hip hop style, akin to what you'd expect from the Roots.
"We put on a really high energy show," explains Logics. "It's the type
of show you tell your friends they should have been at when you emerge
from your alcohol induced coma the next day." He knows us so well. And
he goes on to say, "People have violated their parole to come see us.
True Story."
We can't in good conscience tell you to violate your
parole or leave your ankle bracelet at the front door. But we will tell
you that you don't want to miss their gig at Transit Lounge
tomorrow night. "The people are really laid back, and they come ready
to party," the MC says of the expected vibe. "It's a no frills type of
place."
And ArtOfficial are presently hard at work on a new album
they're preparing for the end of the year, following up their
highly-touted mixtape, The Payback, which they made available in April. "With the Payback
project, we got to collaborate with some great people, and it opened
our eyes to the possibilities of working with other artists to enhance
our sound," explains Logics. "You'll probably hear some things you
haven't heard from us before, all while still bringing that musiciality
and funk to the table."
ArtOfficial plays Transit Lounge (729 SW 1st Ave.) on Saturday, Sept. 4 with The Malcriado. There will also be a screening of Taking Back Sunday's new acoustic DVD Live from Orensanz, with giveaways and contests. No cover.
