Host website of South Florida's star athlete the Miami Heat's LeBron James announced that the three time league MVP has teamed up with Unknwn and Youheardthatnew.com to present an official playoff mixtape titled The Campaign.  

The 13-track digital mix features some of the bigger players in the rap game right now, and includes tracks from Fabolous, 2 Chainz, and Maino. Freddie Gibbs' sends a personalized shout out to James with "LeBron Shit," while Broward County-native Ace Hood represents the host city of The Heat with a praise freestyle titled "Elite."

Also contributing quality bars to the projects are rising hip-hop freshmen Fly Union, Brooklyn's boom bap queen Nitty Scott, MC, and many other hype artists like Travis Porter and Trae The Truth. Making it even more relevant, Nitty was in town on Tuesday night for her first show in Florida, and opened the show by dropping her freestyle verse on The Campaign over Schoolboy Q's instrumental for "Hands On The Wheel." (We've got exclusive video of that here.)  More >>

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​Has materialism and excess overtaken what the holiday spirit is really about? Perhaps we will feel better after enjoying a few extra-spiked eggnogs with friends and family around the Christmas tree -- or Hanukkah bush or whichever kind of spiritual shrubbery you chose -- but for now we'd like to relish in the "Bah, Humbug!" spirit.

Not everyone during this holiday season spends their time roasting chestnuts or snuggling with loved ones watching Charlie Brown Christmas specials. There are those among us who probably had their wife/girlfriend just leave them, dog die, lost their job, or have a general disdain for the holiday season. We feel you, we made this list with you in mind. After the jump, check out the top five songs we think would have made it on Ebenezer Scrooge's iPod. More >>

AlligatorCity.com

​Things are aligning nicely for Alligator City, a new local hip-hop duo looking to take over your next informal gathering with their rhymes about the various forms of intoxication and the many, sordid routes used to arrive there.

Made up of Protoman, a guy who has gotten a load of ink on the blog lately for his solo work and collaborations with the Party Monsters, and Miami-Dade's Bizerk, this is a pop-oriented venture that is just starting to unfold. The first chapter is the just-released Alligator City D.U.I. mixtape, which features a brash update of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" and a wealth of drinking boasts well-suited for their dorm-based constituents. Just peep the video for "Whiteboy Wasted" (below) to get an idea of what this is about.

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Awesome art courtesy of Chegeman Graphics.

​Already know what you're thinking: is Protoman now a member of the No Limit Army? Did he get that tank chain? Get him on the court with Percy "Master P" Miller and Romeo, and would there be trouble? As amusing at a little stunt like that would be, our homegrown South Florida hip-hop hero (and Kreayshawn jokester) is not dipping his pen into that particular inkwell at the moment.

Admittedly, the Pen & Pixel-inspired cover for his new mouthful of a mixtape prepped by DJ Rob Riggs, I'm Very Proud of My Accomplishments Megamix 2, is a tantalizing dry hump for the eyes. Upon a couple listens, though, this is vintage-to-current Proto unfurling his knotty verbiage at high speeds, and a great follow for his first Megamix. We to got him to say a bit about the collection below.

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Hurricane's got clout. Other DJs -- get the hell out.

​South Florida, we seem to be in the clear right now. Hurricane Irene doesn't look like she's planning to stomp all over us -- as of Wednesday a.m. Even as we say this, we know we may be wrong. We can't think of a time that a hurricane came through and we were 100 percent sure that it would. At any rate, our hearts go out to the Bahamas and all the islands that are suffering now and those who will feel her windy wrath.

Since hurricanes are known to be erratic and unwieldy, we know it's best to be prepared. So even if you know she isn't going to murder you, do yourself a favor and stock up -- if not for now, for next time. Get lots and lots of water, canned goods, batteries, flashlights, and magazines; and put your shutters up, or at least be ready to almost do it.

There's one thing everyone forgets to make: an excellent mixtape of jams to hold you over during and after the storm. First, it is key that the songs you choose have plenty of weather/storm references. Second, you need songs that can help you pass the boring powerless time.

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FloridaYoungNaturists.com

​This Friday marks the third-annual Naked End of Summer Bash organized by amiable nudist club Florida Young Naturists. In our opinion, the Young Naturists have the right idea -- probably no better way to revel an end of summer blowout than going au natural. The group has lined up a plethora of activities for the nudie eager beavers headed to the main campsite at Loxahatchee Groves this weekend. A drum circle, bonfire, midnight skinny dip, yoga, volleyball, a trip to the Lounge for some sushi dining in the buff, and much more. Also included in the weekend of clothing-optional merriment are performances from the Funky Nuggets, the Soulbirds, Grassy Waters, Jungle Funk, and a couple of acts who have just recently graced our pages, Mike Mineo and the Leylines.

So in honor of tossing the skivvies aside and throwing caution to the wind, we compiled this collection of tunes we think would fit right in on a naturist's iPod (which will be hung around his/her neck, we imagine?), after the jump. More >>

Diplo's new compilation, Mad Decent, Volume 1.

​"So this year I realized, if I don't do the stuff I feel like, if I make rules about what I can't do, someone is going to take my rules and fuck it and do it better than me. Someone like will.i.am will do a record that sounds like something I did and sell a million copies. What are we fighting for?" -- Diplo, July 2010

A year on from throwing down his creative manifesto during a Pitchfork interview, it's fair to say Diplo is living his fighting talk. In short, the bangin' beat prince is DJing internationally, taking Major Lazer worldwide while recording a new album (which should drop soon); remixing Kelly Rowland, Robyn, and Sleigh Bells; collaborating with Skrillex; championing Moonbahton; and, of course, being the creative genesis behind two of the biggest radio songs of the year -- Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" and Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)." Whew.

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