DJ Khaled's Annual Birthday Bash TONIGHT

Some people love DJ Khaled. The brash Palestinian-American DJ represents Miami to the fullest in whatever he does. He’s worked alongside some of our city’s grimiest, grittiest, most talented rappers to successfully put our city on the musical map with his all-star collaborations.

Some people can’t stand DJ Khaled – they find his strident voice and repetitive catchphrases to be annoying. Khaled haters tend to be the kind of hip-hop heads who still oppose the rise of the Dirty South, who complain about the pervasive materialism and braggadocio that is the main message of most mainstream material. But whether you love him, hate him, or hate to love him, nobody can deny that Khaled’s had a pretty incredible year this far.

Following the undeniable success of his debut album We The Best, has already spawned three monster hits – “We Taking Over,” “Brown Paper Bag,” and “I’m So Hood,” a T-Pain vocoder-fueled boast you’re likely to hear blaring from the speakers of the least hood vehicles on US 1.

Khaled’s star shows no sign of fading. He’s bound to be in fine form at The Temple -- his annual birthday bash, which has become an all-star, must-attend event for hip-hop luminaries and their ardent admirers. This year's edition takes place tonight at Mansion.

Come out in your numbers and help Miami’s loudest, proudest DJ ring in another year of success tonight at Mansion. The lineup of performers will be ridiculous –Lil Wayne, Birdman, T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Plies, Flo-Rida, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, and Bounty Killer, are all expected to take the stage, and there’ll be a slew of other famous faces in the audience. Khaled will be in the middle of it all, screaming catchphrases like there’s no tomorrow. All you need to do to gain admittance to tonight’s rap video in the making is show up, look fly, and hope the bouncers whisk you past the velvet ropes. -- Patrice Yursik

Tickets are $60 in advance and at the door. You can purchase them at R & R Sports in Carol City (in the flea market at NW 183rd St and 7th Ave), Shoe Gallery in Downtown Miami and Opium Nightclub on South Beach. The number for VIP and table reservations is 786-319-1477.