Mayday refreshing to Miami drought.

Miami has always had a questionable hip-hop scene, but Mayday is here to change that.

The duo of rapper Bernbiz and producer/keyboardist Plex Luthor first hit it big when their debut video “Groundhog Day,” which features Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley fame, was watched more than one million times its first day on YouTube.

On their self-titled debut album, Bernbiz raps about everyday life while Luthor provides keyboard-heavy hip-hop backdrops with funk and rock elements. This brings a refreshing new sound to Miami hip-hop, which has usually been associated with the bass music of Luke and 2 Live Crew, the drugs-and-thugs of Trick Daddy and Rick Ross, and the latin club music of Pitbull.

As a Miami native, I can finally be proud of a local hip-hop group. The lyrics and music are both challenging and progressive and help lift the stereotype that Miami is only a city of scantily-clad women and drug trade.

Mayday are currently featured artists on mtvU, MTV’s college channel. Audio samples can be heard on their MySpace page.