Themusic ofMiami is a diverse and important field in the world of music. TheGreater Miami area has long been a hub for diverse musical genres. For example,South Florida has been a hub forSouthern Rap. Miami, in particular, is a "hub" forLatin Music in theUnited States.[1]Miami bass (also known asbooty music), a prominent hip-hop genre in the late 1980s and early 1990s, got its start in Miami;Luther "Luke Skyywalker" Campbell and his2 Live Crew were among the more prominent Miami Bass acts, largely because of anobscenity scandal fomented byBroward County, Florida SheriffNick Navarro.[2] Moreover, although not aSouth Florida native,Jimmy Buffett rose to prominence after moving toKey West, Florida and has long been associated with the "South Florida lifestyle". Other notable South Florida-based musical performers includeGloria Estefan,Marilyn Manson (began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida),Leslie Grace,Tony Succar,Vanilla Ice, DJ Laz, andPitbull.
Miami's music is varied.Cubans brought theconga[3] andrumba, whileHaitians and the rest of theFrench West Indies have broughtkompa andzouk to Miami from their homelands instantly popularizing them inAmerican culture.Dominicans broughtbachata, andmerengue, whileColombians broughtvallenato andcumbia, and Brazilians broughtsamba.West Indians and Caribbean people have broughtreggae,soca,calypso, andsteel pan to the area as well.[4]
The South Florida recording industry started in Miami in the 1950s withCriteria Studios,[5] recording top selling albums such asRumours byFleetwood Mac andHotel California byThe Eagles. Local music entrepreneurHenry Stone and his label,TK Records, created the local indie scene in the 1970s. T. K. Records produced the R&B groupKC and the Sunshine Band along with soul singersBetty Wright,George McCrae and Jimmy "Bo" Horne as well as a number of minor soul and disco hits, many influenced byCaribbean music. Tom Dowd, an innovator in music engineering, worked out of Miami for many years and worked with a plethora of artists includingAretha Franklin,Ray Charles,Eric Clapton,Lynyrd Skynyrd.Tom Petty also recorded at Criteria.
In the early 1970s, the Miamidisco sound came to life withTK Records,[6] featuring the music ofKC and the Sunshine Band, with such hits as "Get Down Tonight", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" and "That's the Way (I Like It)";[7] and the Latin-American disco groupFoxy, with their hit singles "Get Off" and "Hot Number".[8] They were on the very same South Florida label that released the first disco song to become a #1 hit on thepop music charts, "Rock Your Baby" by Miami area nativeGeorge McCrae in 1974.[9] Other artists from that local label includeFoxy,Peter Brown, Jimmy "Bo" Horne,Gwen McCrae,T-Connection, andAnita Ward. Miami nativeTeri DeSario was also a popular artist during thedisco era.[10] TheBee Gees moved to Miami in 1975.[11]
Miami-influenced,Gloria Estefan and theMiami Sound Machine, hit the popular music scene with their Cuban-oriented sound and had hits in the 1980s with "Conga" and "Bad Boy".[12]
The 1980s and '90s also brought the genre of high energyMiami bass to dance floors and car subwoofers throughout the country.[13] Miami bass spawned artists like 2 Live Crew (featuring Uncle Luke),[13] 95 South,[14] Tag Team,[15] 69 Boyz,[16] Quad City DJ's, and Freak Nasty. Examples of these songs are "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team in 1993, "Tootsee Roll" by 69 Boyz in 1994, and "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJ's in 1996.
The influence of Cuban culture and music history on the music of South Florida is undeniable. The 1997 hit albumBuena 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 byRolling Stone magazine as #260 inThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[17]
Cuban American female recording artist Ana Cristina was born in Miami in 1985.[18]
In 2017, the music video for "Despacito" byLuis Fonsi featuringDaddy Yankee reached over a billion views in under 3 months. As of December 2020, the music video is the second most viewed YouTube video of all time. With its 3.3 million certified sales plus track-equivalent streams, "Despacito" became one of thebest-selling Latin singles in the United States.[19]Reggaeton artistBad Bunny releasedX 100pre in that one year later that in which in 2020 the album was ranked number 447 onRolling Stone's500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[20]
MTV Latin America is based in Miami, serving residents inMexico,Argentina,Venezuela, and otherLatin American countries since 1993.
Electronic dance music (EDM) and its subgenres have been important in South Florida. Miami is considered a "hot spot" fordance music.[21][22] Starting in the 1970s with acts likeJimmy Bo Horne andKC and The Sunshine Band, dance music coming out of Florida could be heard all over the world. With the demographics of South Florida being made up of Cuban, Haitian, and many other Afro-Caribbean cultures, dance music became very popular, adopting a lot of the grooves and percussion from those cultures. Early on, the dance scene in South Florida was mostly playing the EDM subgenres disco, house, andfreestyle. Freestyle, a style of dance music popular in the 1980s and 90s, was heavily influenced byelectro, hip-hop, and disco.[23] Many popular Freestyle acts such as Pretty Tony,Debbie Deb,[24]Stevie B,[25] andExposé,[26] originated in Miami.
In the 1980s, due to a combination of clubs staying open till 5 AM and the glut of easily available drugs, Miami's dance scene began to get noticed internationally. In 1985 theWinter Music Conference, a yearly, week-long dance music conference/convention/showcase started in South Florida. The event has happened in Miami ever since. WMC as it is also known as, is famous as well for itsUltra Music Festival which happens the same week. By the 1990s many local DJs and producers where getting noticed. Acts likeMurk, aka Funky Green Dogs,Planet Soul, and DJs likeRobbie Rivera, were all getting air play not just in Florida but around the world. Clubs like Space, Crobar, and Mansion also attracted first class international DJ as well increasing the musics popularity. Miami would wind up allowing its night clubs to stay open 24 hours on the weekend. Thus increasing the demand for dance music. Clubs would regularly have internationally known DJs as well as local acts such as Ivano Bellini, Patrick M, and a long list of others spin into the next day.
There was also a period of alternatives to nightclubs, the warehouse party,acid house,rave and outdoor festival scenes of the late 1980s and early 1990s were havens for the latest trends in electronic dance music.[27]
Southern rap is a category ofhip hop music that arose from the influences ofhip hop culture inNew York City andCalifornia in the late 1990s in cities such as Miami,New Orleans,Atlanta,Memphis,Houston, andDallas. Miami and Southern Florida are a major hub and driving force for Southern rap. Floridian artists such asPlies,Epitaph, DJ Laz,Trick Daddy,Pitbull,Flo Rida, Stack$,JT Money,City Girls, Carl Lovett,Rick Ross,Trina,Jacki-O,Gold Rush,Pretty Ricky, and2 Live Crew.
In the 2010s, Miami had a growing scene based aroundcloud rap that began to emerge with rappers such asSpaceGhostPurrp,Yung Simmie andDenzel Curry.[28] Traditionaltrap music normal in other areas of thesouth such asAtlanta andTexas began to gain popularity in Florida with artists likeKodak Black entering the mainstream.[29] Curry and Kodak Black were later featured on theXXL 2016 Freshmen cover, which features the rappers generally breaking into the mainstream and on the verge of being popular.[30]
In 2017, breakout artistXXXTentacion brought the "soundcloud rap" movement towards the mainstream. The movement, predominately based in South Florida[31] takes its name from the audio distribution platformSoundCloud where the artists generally post their music. The style of music, brought forward bySoundCloud rap, is heavily distorted bass, intentionally bad mixing and fast tempos.[32] The main artists in this movement areXXXTentacion,Lil Pump,Wifisfuneral,Ski Mask the Slump God andSmokepurpp.[33] XXXTentacion was featured on theXXL 2017 Freshman cover.[34] Lil Pump, Ski Mask The Slump God, Smokepurpp, and Wifisfuneral were all featured on theXXL 2018 Freshman cover.[35]
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 asTrick Daddy.[36] Miami bass is a part of the robust music scene in theSouth Florida metropolitan area, which comprises cities such as Miami,West Palm Beach, andFort Lauderdale. These cities have many locally famousrappers andDJs who are on their way up in therap game.
Miami bass is a booming, bass-heavy style ofhip hop that developed in the mid-1980s in Miami. The distinctive sound evolved fromelectro hop, including sounds fromLuther 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 holdsTrick Daddy,DJ Uncle Al,Rick Ross,Trina,Jacki-O,Pitbull,Cool & Dre,DJ Khaled,Smitty, DJ 2nen,Pretty Ricky,BlackMask and many more. Miami rapper Trick Daddy also grew up in theLiberty Square of theLiberty 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 includeMaggotron andLuther Campbell's2 Live Crew. The lyrics to Miami bass are sexually explicit, so when 2 Live Crew achieved national attention, these lyrics caused a controversy. Several music stores were prosecuted underobscenity laws for selling the disc, and the members of 2 Live Crew were arrested for performing songs from the albumNasty As They Wanna Be. The charges were subsequently dropped.[37]
The Miami rock scene had a particularly successful period in the late 1980s to mid-1990s as well as early 2000's, sparked by the many rock and acoustic venues within South Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Popular local artists includedThe Mavericks,Nuclear Valdez,Marilyn Manson,Jack Off JillNonpoint,Nil Lara,Ed Hale,Harry Pussy.[citation needed]Ska punk bandAgainst All Authority is from Miami, and rock/metal bandsNonpoint andMarilyn Manson each formed inFort Lauderdale.[38][39]Indie/folk actsCat Power andIron & Wine are based in the city.[40]
