Miami Music Matters

Blast from the '90s: AZ and Cormega to play White Room

Today's hip-hop fans may not recognize the names, but throughout the '90s (and even the early '00s), AZ and Cormega were two of New York's most respected and talented MCs. The two will take the stage at White Room in downtown Miami on March 5.

AZ, from Brooklyn, and Cormega, from Queens, were half of the one-time super-group The Firm, with Nas, Foxy Brown, and producer Dr. Dre. After making their group debut with "Affirmative Action" on Nas' 1996 sophomore release, It Was Written, Cormega was ousted from the group and replaced with another Queens rapper -- Nature -- for the group's self-titled (and only) album.

AZ debuted in 1994 on "Life's A Bitch" from Nas' seminal debut, Illmatic. His career is highlighted by many critically acclaimed albums (Doe or Die, Pieces of a Man, Aziatic) and a long-term collaborative relationship with Nas.

Cormega, on the other hand, has had a rough relationship with Nas. After feuding with Nas following his removal from The Firm, Cormega's highly anticipated debut album for Def Jam, The Testament, was shelved in the late '90s (it was finally released in 2005). Cormega's career spiraled out of control after being dropped from Def Jam, until he imerged in the early '00s with two excellent independent albums: The Realness and The True Meaning. He has since squashed his beef with Nas.

Raekwon brings Cuban Linx to Miami Beach

Wu-Tang Clansman Raekwon will bring the sounds of his recently released Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II to The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater on April 16.

Raekwon will be performing as the headliner of the Loudes 68 Urban Hip-Hop Tour, which features a cast of relatively unknown hip-hop and reggaeton acts: Black Eigen, Eric Nelson, Don Greco, J-Cost, P-Blades, Ecko, and Baby Rasta.

Wu-Tang's 'Chef' is in the midst of a career resurgance. His 1995 debut solo album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx not only pioneered the mafioso cocaine raps that influenced everyone from Jay-Z to the Clipse, but also established that Wu-Tang's individual members were capable of success outside the group. After releasing two subpar albums in the late '90s and early '00s, he dropped Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II in September 2009. It was an impossibly worthy successor to the original, and the best Wu-affiliated album in years.

Now, Raekwon and fellow clansmen Ghostface Killah and Method Man are working on a group project set to release later in 2010.

Tickets for the Loudes 68 Urban Hip-Hop Tour with Raekwon go on sale Friday (January 29) at 10 a.m. at Live Nation.

The Who reveals Super Bowl setlist

Rock legends The Who have revealed their Super Bowl XLIV halftime performance setlist: Unsurprisingly, it's a medley of their most famous songs.

According to a Billboard interview with Who guitarist Pete Townshend, the band will play bits and pieces of "Baba O'Riley," "Pinball Wizard," "Tommy," "Who Are You," and "Won't Get Fooled Again," which has been the theme song of CSI:Miami since 2002.

The Who is the latest "classic rock" band to take the Super Bowl stage since organizers decided to take a "safer" route with its halftime performances after the 2002 Janet Jackson "nipplegate" incident. Recent performers include Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Prince, The Rolling Stone, and Paul McCartney.

Hope for Haiti despite the rain

The Haiti Mizik concert and fundraiser featured great music and vibes but a much smaller turnout than organizers hoped. Rain kept people away for the first couple of hours on Saturday, which didn't help. Still, about 800 people turned out Saturday and Sunday, and the Rhythm Foundation and other organizers raised $18,000 over the weekend. (Only about $4000 is free and clear for Haiti relief, unfortunately - although the bands, sound company, and marketing was all free, police and fire, insurance and so on coast over $7000. Rhythm Foundation folks is hoping to lower those charges so they can give more to Haiti - here's hoping they can.)

Still, it was appreciated. "I'm amazed by the outpouring," Jerry Brierre, a friend of the musicians in the all-star Haitian big band that closed the show Saturday night, including members of Dixie Band, Tabou Combo, and Magnum Vice's amazing guitarist Dadou Pasquet. "This is the first time in my life I've seen this outpouring of love for Haiti, from all nationalities." Brierre said people in the street ask him if he's Haitian and express their sympathy. At his drycleaners, everyone gave him $20 - cash. "I asked them if they wanted to give me a check, they said no, we know you - they gave me cash. I gave it to the Red Cross."

Onstage the Dixie band and their guests, fresh from a benefit at the Kennedy Center Friday night, were appealing to people in French and Spanish and English. The music was hopped up compas, with a heavy bass bottom, just-this-side-of-cheesey-Caribbean sweet synthesizer, and steady, elaborate, African-sounding guitar lines. About 200 people danced - you can't help but dance to Haitian music - more than with any of the other acts, and when those are Suenalo and Locos, that's saying something.

"We want to do somethign special for Haiti, because it has such a rich culture," Itagui of Locos said from the stage, after they'd just braved Murga from Panama (another irresistible butt buster). I predict a revival for Haitian music. Did anyone see Wyclef playing rara at the close of the tv telethon Friday night? It's raw stuff.

Suenalo and Locos both sounded fantastic. So did Lanzallamas Monofonicas, which has a wildly original line-up: violinist, timbal player (plus guitar), and a cuatro player up front, a guy on the keyboards who looked like a rasta and sounded like a sonero, bass, congas and drums."I've never heard them sound this good," said Mark Weiser, who's been booking bands at Tobacco Road and other places for more or less forever, and had come out with a neck brace from a recent near-fatal accident to show support. Everyone offered prayers for Haiti - usually in Spanish.

For whatever good it will do them, but there's good in hope - and in playing or dancing to music to inspire energy and hope. A benefit "is helpful if you want to participate, feel likeyou're doing something," Carl Salvant, another friend of the musicians, said. "It'll make you feel less helpless."

Super Bowl brings superstar pop acts to South Florida

Not a football fan? Even music fans will have something to celebrate when more than a dozen pop superstars descend on South Florida for Super Bowl XLIV, which takes place at Sun Life Stadium (a.k.a. Dolphin Stadium) on February 7.

The festivities will kick off on February 4, when the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam takes over South Beach. The show will feature a headlining performance by Rihanna, along with sets by Timbaland, Justin Bieber and Miami's own DJ Irie. The show will be hosted by Nancy O'Dell and Kevin Dillon (Johnny 'Drama' Chase from HBO's Entourage), and will be shown live at 8 p.m. on VH1. Tickets are free, and available at Ticketmaster.

Pepsi Musica will take place on February 5, also on South Beach. Nelly Furtado, Paulina Rubio and Pitbull will take the stage, and tickets are available for free on Ticketmaster, as well.

O.A.R., Barenaked Ladies, and Robert Randolph & The Family Band will be a part of Super Bowl Saturday Night, a free celebration of music and fireworks at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. Doors open at 4 p.m.

 And of course, The Who will rock the halftime show of the big game itself.

But that's only NFL-sponsored events. John Mayer, Ne-Yo, Nas and Goodie Mob, and Black Eyed Peas will also be in town that weekend.

Unidos por Haiti

The Latino music world is now stepping up to help their Caribbean island neighbor, including some of the Miami stars I questioned a couple days ago.

 Daddy Yankee 

And so - this Sabado Jan 23 at 7pm on Miami's Ch. 23 Don Francisco - yes, if you're Latino your mother and grandmother watch him, but that's a lot of people - hosts a 4 hour edition of Sabado Gigante to raise funds for earthquake victims. Artists helping out include Daddy Yankee, Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Willy Chirino, Luis Fonsi, Alejandra Guzman, Natalia of La Quinta Estacion, Olga Tanon. Many will perform live at Univision's studios in Miami where Sabado Gigante is taped; others will check in from L.A., NY, DC, and San Juan. Tune into Ch. 23 in Miami.

ArtOfficial readies 'The Payback' for March 26

Miami's own six-piece hip-hop/jazz/fusion band, ArtOfficial, is gearing up for its latest release, set to drop for free online on March 26.

The Payback will feature all-new material, much of which will be set to reworked backdrops from some of the group's favorite songs. Instrumentals from artists like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, and Jay-Z will be covered by the band, with new vocals by ArtOfficial MCs Logics and Newsense.

As part of the buildup for The Payback's release, the group will be dropping several behind the scenes videos showing the creation of the album's songs.

The first video show's the band reworking "The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin:

More videos will be posted in the weeks to come on ArtOfficial's website.

If you want to catch the band live, they'll be playing at Jazid in Miami Beach on January 22, Club Ecco in Miami on February 6, and Waxy O'Connors in Miami on February 18.

MASSIVE celebrity telethon for Haiti relief on Jan 22

Now this is nice to hear.

Some of the biggest names in music will play and answer phones in Hope for Haiti Now, a massive MTV and George Clooney produced telethon for Haitian earthquake relief that kicks off Jan. 22nd. at 8 p.m. EST.

Hope for Haiti will air just about everywhere: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, HBO, MTV, VH1, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, and many many more. It'll stream just about everywhere as well: youtube, myspace, aol, msn.com, yahoo, bing.com, Rhapsody; and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and FloTV.

Performers include just about everybody: Wyclef, Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira and Sting in NYC; Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Kid Rock in L.A.; Coldplay, Bono and the Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna in London.

All the performances will be recorded and available for $.99 a song on iTunes starting Sat Jan 23.

(left - Wyclef in Haiti Jan 16)

All proceeds from song sales and the telethon will be split evenly among the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the United Nations World Food Programme, Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Yele Haiti.

Pess release promises another 100 of the "biggest names in music, film and television" answering phones and testifying. Go Hollywood. Clooney, Wyclef, and CNN's Anderson Cooper will also lend face time and star wattage.

Plan your telethon parties now.

Damian, Stephen, Julian headline Marley Fest in Miami

The Bob Marley Movement's 17th Annual Caribbean Festival will take place in its familiar home, Bayfront Park Amphitheater in downtown Miami, on February 27.

The event will be headlined by Marley's three most successful sons: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Stephen Marley, and Julian Marley. Also on the bill are reggae acts Shaggy, Capleton, Spragga Benz, Tarrus Riley, and Miami's own Jahfe.

The Marleys are no stranger to Miami: They spend much of their time in Miami recording and performing. The three brothers performed at the Adrienne Arsht Center in November, and Julian will be performing at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on March 26. It is also rumored that Damian Marley will be one of the surprise guests promised at the Nas and Goodie Mob show in February.

Tickets for the festival are $50 for general admission and $155 for VIP, and can be purchased online now.

Where are Miami's pop stars for Haiti?

Where are Miami's big music names, the bright points in its Latin music firmament, in the Haiti relief effort? Why isn't Shakira turning on her celebrity power to help her friend Wycleff? Where are the Latin stars who always turn out when there's a disaster in Latin America?

Yes, local clubs, musicians, promotors and arts groups have stepped up in the face of one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters in decades. The next and most prominent are the Haiti Mizik Relief Benefit Concerts at Bayfront Park's Tina Hills Pavilion this Saturday and Sunday, Jan 23 and 24, with a great line-up of local Haitian and Latin acts, including famed Haitian big band The Dixie Band and musicians from top Haitian bands Tabou Combo and Top Vice. They'll be up with some of the best from Miami's Latin-fusion scene, with Spam All Stars, Locos Por Juana, Suenalo, Afrobeta, and many more from all sides of the local music scene. The Rhythm Foundation, the Bayfront Park Trust, WDNA, and many more orgs have organized this for free. All proceeds go to the Red Cross - admission is whatever you want to donate.

In New York, bachata-R&B stars Aventura are donating $25,000 of THEIR OWN MONEY to Haiti relief. These guys' parents hail from the Dominican Republic, which has historically tense relations with Haiti, and lots of bad blood and bad history - and they're stepping up at the first of their four sold out concerts at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. They've gotten sponsors Anheuser-Busch to pony up a matching $25,000 in a rare example of corporate generosity, and are asking fans to donate as well.

And at City Winery, also in NYC, Patti Smith, Lewis Black, Vernon Reid, Rosanne Cash, and many more artists with national names are playing four nights of benefit shows.

In Miami, Julian and Kymani Marley did a benefit at Cafeina in Wynwood last Friday. The Arsht Center and the Hollywood Center for the Arts did benefits and took donations this past weekend, and so did Florida rapper Flo Rida.

But where's Miami's biggest pop star power? Where are the Miami equivalents of those national names in NY? Haitians are our neighbors, part of our community, our lives. Where are their most famous neighbors in turning their celebrity star power to bring attention and money to their Haitian neighbors' homeland and loved ones when they need it most?