Opinion & Commentary

The Jamaican drug lord whose gang once terrorized Miami is in custody, The Guardian is reporting. Christopher “Dudus” Coke was a Robin Hood in Jamaica. At least 73 people on the island have died in battles with police, who were trying to bring him in. The United States has called…

Local songstress CeCe Segarra has been positioned as the next dance-pop star from Miami, and while she’s largely just made club appearances up to now, she may finally have her breakout track. In a major coup for a relatively unknown new artist, she’s scored a feature from newly freed Gucci…

When we saw that the Wall Street Journal whipped up a stipple portrait of Conchita, the Ginger-wig-wearing Chihuahua that belonged to the late Miami socialite Gail Posner, Banana Republican got to thinking what a grand life these little bug-eyed rat-dogs lead. So we compiled a list of the five most…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke confirms the champagne room is used for more than sipping bubbly in many Miami-Dade strip clubs after…

Tokyo Police Club wowed us at the Fillmore just last weekend when they opened up for Passion Pit. But their sugar-high charged sweet sounding tunes are no match for an alternative rock legend.Bassist for the Smiths (yes, that Smiths) Andy Rourke has taken it upon himself to remix Tokyo Police…

Dear Anders Gyllenhaal,It is not breaking news when the Wall Street Journal scooped you three days earlier.Cheers,Banana Republican…

Hey … Can you hear that rumbling, squawking, searing sound that seems to be emanating from Scotland’s west central lowlands? Is it getting closer and closer and closer? Is this freaking you out, too? Blame Glaswegian noise duo Janin and Charles of Blue Sabbath Black Fiji. Earlier this month J…

Fay Wray Fay Wray (No Idea Records)noidearecords.com I think about Loni Anderson with frequence. Call it a childhood thing, call it a semi-sexual thing, call it a Burt Reynolds thing; whatever it is, I’m not alone on this. And yes, this all relates back to erstwhile local punk legends Fay…

Basketball Wives, VH1’s Miami-set train wreck involving NBA-connected ladies, might be coming back for a second season, but one of the cast members won’t. Gloria Govan, the painfully boring and unentertainingly drama-free wife of the Orlando Magic’s Matt Barnes, will not return for her closeup, according to the Orlando Sentinel.The…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke writes a special online column about his favorite sports writer and commentator Dan Le Batard. Luke’s regular…

This week, on Bon Appetit’s excellent Foodist blog, the magazine’s restaurant editor and foodist himself, Andrew Knowlton, takes a look at what the nation’s old-guard dining critics think about Yelp — and other such citizen criticism, or cit-crit. Knowlton culls viewpoints from 17 of the country’s top restaurant reviewers, including…

Jacki-O has had a bit of tumultuous career since breaking out back in 2003. What made most first take notice was her single “Nookie” that was released under a partnership between Poe Boy and TVT Records. She has since parted ways with Poe Boy — TVT went under as well…

The makers of Cocaine Cowboys and The U are teaming up with a leading pro-marijuana activist to get Miami Beach Police to issue tickets to people caught with a small amount of marijuana in lieu of sending them to jail. During an interview at the documentary company’s new HQ off…

What, you thought a little thing like jail would slow down Lil Wayne? Weezy’s now pretty much the Most Famous Nonviolent Criminal in Rikers Island, and a little time in the pen can’t keep seemingly everyone’s favorite rapper down. Voila, his latest release, a quick verse on a remix of…

Any attempt at actually narrowing down the sound of the Providence, Rhode Island-based quartet Deer Tick ultimately comes up short. To the band’s credit, that’s because it actually defies definition. The fact the foursome often falls back on an alt-country approach may enter the equation, but equally important are elements…

With the 2010 World Cup underway, Banana Republican is always scrambling for a ​bandwagon to jump on. Nicaragua’s pathetic soccer team has never qualified for tournament play. Based on an entirely subjective, purely unscientific method of rooting for the most scandalous, the most immoral, and the most corrupt republics, here are my…

That magical moment is fast approaching: Our new, improved Best Of Miami 2010 edition is all set to hit the newsstands and online newsstand. Each year, when selections are released, it angers everybody from advertisers to food bloggers to regular folks who hold strong opinions on matters such as these…

​Local rapper Swazy Styles’ made-for-summer jam “Birthday Suit” is definitely a polarizing song. The title alone looks ludicrous on paper, for one thing, and then there’s the fact that the song is built on a maddening, note-for-note sample of the Tetris theme song. Still, the song’s mash-up of tinny dance music…

​For the past two years, Ex Norwegian has quietly been gaining national traction on the strength of some classic guitar-driven power pop that sounds as though it came from anywhere but here. Anyone still mourning the late, great Alex Chilton can take some comfort in knowing some of his musical…

UPDATE:Earlier tonight, we received a text from Dhafir Harris that tomorrow’s backyard brawl is off. Government interference, apparently. Via text, Harris explains: “Do 2 The Rapid Growth of BkYrd Fights DADA ran n 2 legal issues wit the local Authority’s.”Kimbo Slice’s short lived career in the Ultimate Fighting Champhionship notwithstanding,…

​Let’s start by dispensing with the Willow jokes. Yes, the band took its name from the jumbo-size character played by Val Kilmer in that movie about mystical dwarves. Still, our MadMartigan guys finally got their asses into the studio to record some music.Without sword or sorcery, the rock and roll…