Via facebook.com/brentonbrownmusic

​Brenton Brown knows how to hustle.

Having come back to his native Miami after graduating from the University of Florida, he doesn't let the haters throw him off his quest to be the next big rapper. Signed with new management, he just made a video for his song, "Lemme Know," with Ghostwridah, and it's gotten a lot of blog love.

We talked with him about the struggles of being almost famous as he gets ready to release his debut LP, The Brenton Brown Affair, and we're letting you snag a couple free downloads.
More >>

SomeJerk and Dubporn are bass badasses.

​Miami's not exactly behind the curve when it comes to bass music. After all, we invented booty bass.

But we're no strangers to the UK's bass exports either. Local crews like BassHead were playing dubstep in Miami when Skrillex was still squeezing his pimples.

And now that dubstep has become mainstream commercial stadium arena fare, we're lucky to have locals championing the more experimental strains of post-dubstep or future bass.

Case in point: DJ-producer Gooddroid's Dubporn label, whose mission statement is "keeping the soul in bass music."
More >>

​Miami's So Sound Recordings was among Crossfade's Five Best Electronic Music Labels in 2011.

But what we didn't point out about DJ-producer Jazzy Eyewear's beloved imprint was the eclecticism of its catalog.

Sure, the label focuses on house and electronica. But there's also plenty of traditional dance songcraft, from disco to pop-rock. And no So Sound artist embodies that more than local singer-producer Fra Nefarious.
More >>

Cover of 50 Cent's new mixtape

​Curtis Jackson, best known as 50 Cent (pronounced fitty) unloaded a mixtape about an hour ago via Hulk Share, one of those download sites that looks mad shady.

Evidently, The Big 10's so popular that it's caused a massive cyber traffic jam and subsequent comment uproar.

Crossfade's working on four different computers and 23 separate browser's trying to download the damn thing--we're really anxious to hear what "Shootin' Guns" and "Put Ya' Hands Up" are all about.

In the meantime, however, we'll share some of our favorite Hulk Share user comments with y'all. Check 'em after the cut.
More >>

​Earlier this week, the Black Keys dropped one of the best albums of 2011, El Camino. The record quickly skyrocketed to the top of the iTunes chart, slapping Michael Buble's Christmas record out of the top spot and triggering a Miami-based remix from one of New Times' favorite hip-hop acts.

Inspired by the Black Keys's latest, local rap crew ¡Mayday! "hijacked" one of its favorite tracks off El Camino and dropped a "Sinister Kid" freestyle. Listen to the song and download a free copy after the cut.
More >>

​Throwing together some preset drum loops and samples doesn't qualify you as a bona fide electronic music producer.

And even if you do know your shit, that doesn't necessarily put you in the same league as UK tech-house wizard Glimpse, AKA Chris Spero.

That's because Glimpse is the kind of obsessive artisan you can only compare to one of those passionate vintners who know their wine intimately, from grape on the vine to fermented finish.
More >>

​He's a rapper. He's a scholar. He's the next candidate for the President of Hip-Hop.

In just a couple of hours, Miami-via-D.C. rap mastermind, Square Biz label boss, and Harvard grad Larry Harris Jr., known on the streets and in the studios as Black Bobby, will be holding down the early slot at the Fillmore Miami Beach, alongside Black Star's Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

"It's kind of a BIG DAY," Bobby wrote on his Tumblr this morning. "Not only am I opening Rock the Bells tonight ... but I am also dropping an EP called Black Bobby's Best Kept Secrets."
More >>

​In the beginning, Domo Genesis dropped Rolling Papers, an ode to getting high in the guise of mixtape. Pardon the pun, but it was dope.

Now, Odd Future's squinty-eyed stoner is back with a new mixtape, Under the Influence.

Yesterday afternoon at 4:20 p.m., Domo released his sophomore effort via his Tumblr. The 35-minute, 14-track mix features guest spots by Remy Banks and Odd Future's de-facto leader, Tyler the Creator.
More >>

Young, fresh, and fly like ... Jonas Valanciunas!

​If you ain't a total b-ball junkie, you might not know there's a 19-year-old Lithuanian phenom named Jonas Valanciunas who's been going hard in the paint, snatching down rebounds like Moses Malone on steroids, and dunking with impunity on the entire motherfucking European continent.

But on June 23, 2011, homie got picked fifth overall in the NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. And while the (almost) seven-footer won't even play pro ball in North America until the 2012-13 season, he's already got his own rap anthem, "Valanciunas (Big V Lithuanian Hero)," courtesy of local street ballers and swaggish shot callers, O'Grime.
More >>

Steve Bug

​The LINK crew has been busy all year booking some of the biggest stars on the international techno scene at venues like Space and the Electric Pickle.

And earlier this month, LINK auspiciously kicked off its new Summer Sessions with world-renowned DJs Heidi and Bill Patrick at TreeHouse, a newer venue that's quickly becoming South Beach's number-one haven for underground EDM.

This Sunday's Summer Session features a jaw-dropping, three-way lineup worthy of WMC and Miami Music Week with celebrated DJ-producers Steve Bug, Matt Tolfrey, and Miami's own Danny Daze on the bill.
More >>