Music of Miami

Music of South Florida is music from the South Florida metropolitan area, which comprises cities such as Miami, West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

The South Florida area has been a hub for diverse musical genres. For example, South Florida has been a hub for Southern Rap. Miami, in particular, is a "hub" for Latin Music in the United States. Miami bass (also known as booty music), a prominent hip-hop genre in the late 1980s and early 1990s, got its start in Miami; Luther 'Luke Skyywalker' Campbell and his 2 Live Crew were among the more prominent Miami Bass acts, largely because of an obscenity scandal fomented by Broward County, Florida Sheriff Nick Navarro.[1] Moreover, although not a South Florida native, Jimmy Buffett rose to prominence after moving to Key West, Florida and has long been associated with the "South Florida lifestyle". Other notable South Florida-based musical performers include Gloria Estefan, Marilyn Manson, Vanilla Ice, Pitbull and Ft. Lauderdale rapper, Mike West.

Recording industry

The South Florida recording industry started in Miami in the 1950s with Criteria Studios,[2] recording top selling albums such as Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Hotel California by The Eagles. Local music entrepreneur Henry Stone and his label, TK Records, created the local indie scene in the 1970s. T. K. Records produced the R&B group KC and the Sunshine Band along with soul singers Betty Wright, George McCrae and Jimmy "Bo" Horne as well as a number of minor soul and disco hits, many influenced by Caribbean music.

1970s

In the heyday of Disco, South Florida produced such groups as KC and the Sunshine Band. [3], they were on the very same South Florida label that released the first disco song to become a #1 hit on the pop music charts, "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae in 1974. Other artists from that local label include Foxy, Peter Brown, Jimmy "Bo" Horne, Gwen McCrae, T-Connection and Anita Ward.

Cuban and Latino influences

The influence of Cuban culture and music history on the music of South Florida is undeniable. The 1997 hit album Buena Vista Social Club was performed by a group featuring former stars of the Havana nightclub scene, it won a Grammy, became a hit, and was listed in 2003 by Rolling Stone magazine as #260 in The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [4]

MTV Latin America is based in Miami, serving residents in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries since 1993.

Miami bass

Main article: Miami bass

Miami Bass is a popular style of music from the Miami area of South Florida and is embodied by the musical style of local rap stars such as Trick Daddy. Miami Bass is a part of the robust music scene in the South Florida metropolitan area, which comprises cities such as Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. These cities have many locally famous rappers; and dj's who are on their way up in the rap game.

Miami bass is a booming, bass-heavy style of hip hop that developed in the mid-1980s in Miami. The distinctive sound evolved from electro hop, including sounds from Luther Campbell and his group, 2 Live Crew. The Miami Bass scene that 2 Live Crew typified is simply one form of southern rap and Miami Bass' club-oriented sound garnered little respect from hip hop fans. But the 2 Live crew is not the only music artist in Miami. This city also holds Trick Daddy, DJ Uncle Al, Rick Ross, Trina, Jacki-O, Pitbull, Cool & Dre, DJ Khaled, Smitty, Pretty Ricky and many more. Miami rapper Trick Daddy also grew up in the Liberty Square Housing Projects of the Liberty City section of Miami, one of the city's and America's roughest areas. The city of Miami is also home to the label Slip "N" Slide Records.

Miami bass innovators include Maggotron and Luther Campbell's 2 Live Crew. The lyrics to Miami bass are sexually explicit, so when 2 Live Crew achieved national attention, these explicit lyrics caused a controversy. Several music stores were prosecuted under obscenity laws for selling the disc, and the members of 2 Live Crew were arrested for performing songs from the album Nasty As They Wanna Be The charges were subsequently dropped.

Southern rap

Southern rap is a category of hip hop music that arose from the influences of hip hop culture in New York City and California in the late 1990s in cities such as Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, and Dallas. Miami and Southern Florida are a major hub and driving force for Southern rap. Floridian artists such as Plies, Epitaph, Trick Daddy, Urban Horror Clique, DEMONIC, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Randum Shotz, JT Money, Rick Ross, Trina, Jacki-O, Gold Rush, etc.....

Miami Rock & Singer Songwriters

The Miami Rock scene had a particularly successful period in the late 1980s-mid-1990s, sparked by the many rock and acoustic venues within South Beach and Fort Lauderdale, including Washington Square, Roses, the Stephen Talkhouse, Cactus Cantina, South Beach Pub, Blue Steel, the Chili Pepper(Now Revolution), The Culture Room, Squeeze, Edge, Nocturnal Cafe, and Tavern 213. Popular local artists included The Mavericks, Nuclear Valdez, I Don't Know, Marilyn Manson, The Goods, The Holy Terrors, Forget the Name, Natural Causes, Peter Betan, Nil Lara, Diane Ward, Broken Toys, Ed Hale, Matthew Sabatella, Zac, Paul Roub, Dennis Britt, Harry Pussy, Magda Hiller, Quit, Sixo, Brian Franklin, Curious Hair, Robbie Gennett, Rudy, the Baboons, Tommy Anthony & Goza, Four O'Clock Balloon, Machete, and Amanda Green.

A local producer and noise-artist from the Miami Rock Scene, Rat Bastard, has recently been celebrated in a rock opera, entitled "Hearing Damage (aka the Rat Opera)"

See also

• Southern Rap
• Music of Florida
• Donk (automobile