Miami Music Matters

Do you have videos of Joaquin Phoenix (the rapper)?

 

Remember Joaquin Phoenix? The critically acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated actor who decided to become a rapper and had a public meltdown on the Late Show with David Letterman?

Were you at LIV Nightclub when Joaquin Phoenix performed a handful of new (awful) songs before getting into an altercation with a club-goer?

Do you happen to have video from that incident?

If so, Casey Affleck wants to hear from you.

Affleck, the director of "Untitled Joaquin Phoenix Documentary," has set up a web site asking fans to submit their videos for the film.

Just as bizarre as Phoenix's appearance and attitude change is how I found out about this: A suggestion left in the Miami Herald's feedback page.

So how legit is Phoenix's meltdown and career change? I'm willing to be it's a Sacha Baron Cohen-esque attempt at making a satirical comedy. But only time will tell.

Vibe magazine shuts its doors

Vibe, the ubiquitous magazine for hip-hop and R&B music and culture, is ceasing publication.

Smaller music magazines have come and gone over the years, but Vibe was probably the most prominent music magazine after Rolling Stone. It touched on urban music and culture trends that other magazines ignored, and recently, featured an excellent companion-piece web site.

It's a sad (and scary) day for music journalism and readers, but it's not a complete shock considering how fast music news travels across the web.

Here is what the AP had to say about it:

Vibe magazine to cease publication

By SOLVEJ SCHOU and ANDREW VANACORE Associated Press Writers

NEW YORK -- Vibe, the popular hip-hop and urban culture magazine founded by legendary producer Quincy Jones, is shutting down.

Vibe Media Group Chief Financial Officer Angela Zucconi confirmed the closing and said most of the company's 50 or so employees will be laid off.

The closing comes amid a historic decline in ad revenue across all media that has left many categories of magazines struggling. Among recent casualties have been Portfolio, Conde Nast's high-end business monthly, the style and home decorating magazine Domino, and Blender, another music magazine.

Founded in 1993, Vibe had a paid circulation of roughly 800,000 during the last six months of 2008. The magazine was acquired by The Wicks Group, a New York private equity firm, in 2006.

 

Ace Hood makes quick comeback

Less than 8 months after releasing his debut album, Gutta, on Def Jam Records, South Florida rapper Ace Hood returns Tuesday, June 30 with Ruthless.

The 21-year-old from Broward County has been slowly gaining buzz for his association with DJ Khaled (of WEDR 99 Jamz) and his 2008 single "Cash Flow."

Ruthless features the hit single "Overtime" with singers Akon and T-Pain, plus appearances from Ludacris, The-Dream, and Miami rappers Rick Ross and Ball Greezy.

I caught Ace opening for Method Man and Redman in Gainesville last year, and although he didn't overly impress me live, he's managed to achieve some mainstream success, especially in South Florida.

Look for my review of Ruthless in The Miami Herald on Monday, July 6.

King of Pop dies; Will 'Thriller' top charts once again?

In the wake of the death of Michael Jackson, the greatest pop story in history, an interesting thing has happened: Thriller has topped the iTunes album charts.

And it probably isn't an anomaly, either. Don't be surprised if the historic album tops the Billboard charts due to overwhelming support after his death.

The pop star's death touched people of almost every living generation, including Miami Herald reporters James Burnett and Greg Cote.

Jagged Edge joins Slip-N-Slide records, celebrates Friday

R&B foursome Jagged Edge are officially members of Miami-based Slip-N-Slide Records, after 10+ years on Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Records.

The group is best known for its hit singles "Let's Get Married" and "Where The Party At."

Slip-N-Slide, owned by Ted Lucas, is responsible for much of the explosion of Miami's hip-hop scene in the last decade, including artists like Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross and Plies.

To celebrate the signing, Jagged Edge will perform at Cameo in Miami Beach on Friday, June 26.

Orishas to make rare Miami appearance

Orishas, the Cuban hip-hop group that burst onto the scene with its 2000 debut album A Lo Cubano, will be making an extremely rare Miami appearance at La Covacha in Doral on Friday, June 26.

The appearance is only one of a few in the U.S. (other dates include New York City and Detroit) to promote the group's latest album, last year's Cosita Buena.

Tickets can be had for 40 bucks, and are sure to sell out quickly.

Check out this performance of "Naci Orishas" from 2008:

No service charges on 4-pack concert tickets

For the fourth Wednesday in a row, Live Nation is dropping service charges. This time, appropriately, on 4-pack tickets for most amphitheater shows.

For South Florida, this means shows like Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd (this Friday), Rascal Flatts, Vans Warped Tour and Dave Matthews Band at Cruzan Amphitheater.

The sale runs for 24 hours, starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday (June 24) at Live Nation.

Will.i.am accused of assaulting Perez Hilton

At around 3 a.m., gossip blogger Perez Hilton accused Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am of assaulting him in Toronto.

How did we find out? Via Twitter of course.

Perez Hilton's (@perezhilton) tweets included:

"I was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke." (See it here)

He also continuously pleaded for his Twitter followers to call police for him (Doesn't that take longer than just calling police yourself?)

In response, will.i.am created a Twitter account (@iamtherealwill) to refute the claims, and he shot two videos to tell his side of the story.

UPDATE: Read the full AP story on what happened.

Album reviews: Week of June 22

Another week, another batch of albums reviewed. Make sure to read the full reviews.

• Al B. Sure! - Honey I'm Home (**1/2): "...despite the smooth production and new-school swagger, his comeback after nearly two decades doesn't offer much new." - William McGee (Miami Herald)
• ¡Mayday! - Technology (***): "Musically, some of the most compelling moments on Technology re-create what makes ¡Mayday! a great live band..." - Adrian Ruhi (Miami Herald)
• Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (**1/2): "Not every song is memorable, but this debut makes it clear that these guys have decades of talent and indefatigable energy." - Stephanie Rosenblatt (Miami Herald)
• Steve Martin - The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo (***): "The songs, most of them instrumentals, show that Martin possesses not just technical prowess but also an ability to strike emotional chords." - Nick Christiano (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

¡Mayday! invades Transit Lounge, debuts EP

 

By 1 a.m. early Saturday, the packed crowd at Transit Lounge in Downtown Miami was ready for ¡Mayday!. Not because the DJs were disappointing: They played nonstop hip-hop from the brand new (Kid Cudi's "Make Her Say") to the classic (Whodini's "Freaks Come Out At Night"). But because the bar was barely breathable, a scorching sauna with little room to even move elbows.

When the lights dimmed shortly after, the audience, both ¡Mayday! die-hards and newcomers, probably wasn't expecting what it got from the album release performance for Technology, available on iTunes Tuesday.