Memorial Day weekend

Whether you're chillin' with grandpa or Beenie Man, there's plenty to do during your three-day vacay.

Beenie Man performs Sunday as part of the Best of the Best concert.

By Amy Reyes

Forget New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta or any other metropolitan area in the great United States this weekend. The hip hop, sports and urban fashion worlds will converge at South Beach to celebrate Urban Beach Week with a long weekend of parties, fashion shows and concerts. The sassiest video vixens, the most ripped rap stars, the flashiest money makers in the entertainment industry will call our shores their home for the next few days and will bring with them over 350,000 party seekers.

The major venues on South Beach have their calendars jam-packed with parties with the big names in hip-hop. Cameo kicks of the weekend on Friday with Welcome to the Bottom featuring a performance by Rick Ross and hosted by Trick Daddy, Trina and the king of the Miami booty sound, Luke. Opium Garden will have its own star power in the form of Lil Wayne, Bird Man and DJ Khaled for their Friday night party Lollipop.

Cameo's throw down on Saturday night is called Young, Rich & Muthaf#%&$@! Gangsta and will be hosted by Jermaine Dupri and Allen Iverson. DJ Drama and newcomer Charlie Hustle will perform for the crowd. Another spot on the beach to put on the itinerary is The Bar Next Door/Ouzo, which will host Afro Desia, with a long roster of DJs, including DJ Questone, Eric Levan, Fred G. and Sela V, who will keep the vibe mellow with house, acid jazz and dance classics. Not a bad choice because of the low cover (a mere $10), so you can take your bountiful savings and invest it in cocktails.

If you survive Saturday night and are out of bed before 1 p.m., head over to Bayfront Park for the second annual Best of the Best concert, which features Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Sizzla and Bounty Killer. If you're still hunting for sexy celebs to gawk at in the evening, swing by Mansion, where LL Cool J will be hosting the Def Jam Records party. But if you plan to stay on the mainland and are in the mood for some underground hip-hop, then White Room is your venue. They're hosting the South Florida Indie Hip Hop Festival, which will feature Mayday!, Artofficial, Butta Verses and others. Maybe some of the record label types will float over from South Beach and lure our indie rappers into the industry with promises of riches. Oh no!

For the smart folks who took Tuesday off, the party continues at venues like Mansion on Monday night. Their Last Call for Alcohol party will have DJ Khaled, Kfoxx and Bigg Will keeping the music going for the hardcore party people. Cameo's Monday night won't slow down either and will feature Jadakiss as host.

If all this partying has your head spinning and your wallet empty, remember the beach is free, if you can find yourself a spot on the sand.