Jens Eriksson via Wikimedia Commons

A Burton memorial in Ljungby, Sweden

​If you clicked on this, you probably already know the story: It was 1986, and Metallica released their third album, Master of Puppets to wild acclaim. They took their Damage, Inc. tour on a massive swing through Europe, only to have the excursion interrupted by a bus crash in Sweden. Everyone escaped the turned-over tour bus except for their bass player, 24-year old Cliff Burton, a classically trained metalhead with long hair, denim jacket, and a Misfits tattoo. He was crushed by the bus and died Sept. 27, 1986.More >>

L'Trimm likes the lists with the boom!

​As an official South Florida welcome to New Times contributor and Brickell transplant Jesse Serwer -- who recently dug up Blowfly/Clarence Reid's best tracks for us -- here's a heavy nudge to check out his "The 50 Best Miami Rap Songs" list at Complex.com.

The usual suspects like Trina, DJ Khaled, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, and 2 Live Crew all figure in. But this this heavily researched collection has plenty of regional gems too. (A few of us dig into L'Trimm from time to time -- but are you up on Smitty and Poison Clan?) Expect some nodding, maybe some shouting at the screen, and definitely the wish that you were reading this list with the computer hooked up to your Ford Mustang's subwoofer.

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Photo by Ian Witlen

Sleigh Bells making us lose our shit at Respectable Street, West Palm Beach on July 8, 2010.

​Two acts with Sunshine State ties are canvassing Florida in February! Diplo and Sleigh Bells team up for the Paradise Lost tour, which includes eight dates -- including two in South Florida. Judging by the trailer dropped last week for Sleigh Bells' sophomore album, Reign of Terror, this is going to be a tour of legend.

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​For the boisterous fan base of Rick Ross, it's almost like two suns rose in the sky today or the Wingstop delivery boy accidentally brought two orders. Making the rounds are a pair of new tracks that are reportedly part of the South Florida-bred rapper's fifth studio album, God Forgives, I Don't, which is due in December.

Since both seem to sound expensive and polished and they were debuted via Funkmaster Flex's site, there's considerable evidence to suggest that the Just Blaze-produced "I Love My Bitches" and "You the Boss" featuring Nicki Minaj will be on God Forgives. It's a ballsy move to unload a pair of high-profile tracks at once, but so's hanging out at Tate's Comics.

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​We are now at the finish line. DJ Khaled's Cash Money debut, We the Best Forever, is out next Tuesday. After many, many, many months of buildup since "Welcome to My Hood" entered our consciousness back in January, the rollout has been steady.

Most will hold every Khaled track to come up against the star-studded "All I Do Is Win" from last year's Victory. However, the impressive thing about "I'm on One," featuring Drake, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross, which dropped in May, is that it's relatively restrained (for a Khaled tune). Regardless, it's the highest-charting single of the Miami impresario's career. The third single, "It Ain't Over Till It's Over," is an upbeat Mary J. Blige special from the gritty concrete.

Compared to the party anthems just mentioned, a new leak from We the Best Forever -- "Money" featuring Young Jeezy and Ludacris over a Lex Luger beat -- is downright grim.

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​Last month, we reported the initial release of Psychopathic Records' Gathering of the Juggalos 2011 infomercial. It was a long, wonderful success filled with space-aged characters and Vanilla Ice.

It is with a great deal of enthusiasm to announce that a second infomercial had been posted! While prosaic in its delivery, gem after gem arose as each addition to the already-extravagant pseudocircus was announced.
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​Back by popular demand, we present a second installment of Diplo's best production work over the past decade. With calls for revoking our "cool" privileges help from some commenters and a bit more research, another worthy baker's dozen to follow up Diplo's 13 Most Bangin' Beats is here.

Note: Not all of the suggestions from the peanut gallery made it in. "Make You Pop" is still not a personal favorite, and stuff from La Roux Lazerproof mixtape is pretty good but not quite bangin' enough for this list.

The original posting came as a result of Diplo garnering BET accolades for his part in creating Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now," which has reached five-times-per-hour status in this cube. And there are definitely more hip-hop beats from Thomas Wesley Pentz's ever-expanding arsenal included in this lucky 13 below.

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A photoillustration depicting what the Gathering of the Juggalos crowd might look like this year.

​Insane Clown Posse's record label, Psychopathic Records, has been petitioning Charlie Sheen to appear at the Gathering of the Juggalos since May. That's the time that the fallen star of Two and a Half Men decided to bunk up with some porn stars, drink tiger blood, and lose his shit for the public to see.

Why does ICP want Sheen at the annual gathering for the remarkably different fan base? Because it would be weird.

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​At first glance, the lineup for the 2011 Rockstar Mayhem Festival appears to provide exactly what is expected. The day-long nü-metal smorgasbord hits Cruzan Amphitheatre August 14 featuring two of the biggest names in bro-bounce, Godsmack and Disturbed, as well as Megadeth.

Upon closer inspection, however, Portland act Red Fang sticks out in this grouping (in a good way) almost as much as Busta Rhymes does on the Gathering of the Juggalos roster. There is now a reason to arrive at the Jägermeister stage at the ungodly hour of 2:35 p.m. on a blazing Sunday in August, as opposed to drinking in the parking lot until In Flames plays.

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Sugar Slam as intergalactic temptress Sugar Blaaam.

​If you have not already familiarized yourself with the splendor of Insane Clown Posse's yearly live extravaganza, the Gathering of the Juggalos, do so immediately by visiting its official site. There, you can now experience 27 minutes and two seconds of the treasure that is the 2011 Gathering of the Juggalos informercial. This year, the 12th running of the fest takes place August 11-14 in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois.

We're first met with a parody of the classic scrolling Star Wars text. Naturally, this was altered significantly. As everyone knows, the Juggalo is a creature born of individualism, so it's not surprising to see the the slow scroll abound with alternating capitalization, grammatical errors, and of course, profanities.

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