The Journey to Hip-Hop ... Milwaukee: Haz Solo

I've been listening to Haz Solo tracks for the last few days. Both his rhymes and his beats have been playing constantly since Haz hit me a few days ago with seven different projects from his catalogue. That's right, seven. In between checking the work of other Milwaukee heads and compiling posts for The Journey to Hip-Hop Series, I've constantly gone back to Haz's joints. I mean, there's so many of them and I wanted to work my way through each.

The seven projects really paint a picture of who is his. He's a concept driven producer and emcee. Each project is well weaved together to tell an incredible story. He stays true to the concept, whether it's his beat tape, "June Bug" or his mix tape "SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME NOT" (or any of his other mixtapes for that matter), Haz has an incredible gift to tell a story.

I had heard the name Haz Solo before. He was either featured on a track with someone else or someone was flowing over one of his beats. I am now officially a Haz Solo fan. His production tight. His rhymes solid. Get familiar with Haz Solo, immediately.

I reached out to him for a Q&A to get to know the emcee/producer a little better. Enjoy and peep the tracks below.

The Mad Bloggers: Where are you from? Where'd you grow up?

Haz Solo: I was born and raised on the north side of Milwaukee , WI. 14th and Meinecke to be exact.

TMB: How long have you been doing music?

Haz: From first rap written and and beat made, 10 years. Seriously? A little over 3 years.

TMB: What came first, producing or rhyming?

Haz: Rhyming came first. Producing came a few months after. I was like, "I need beats to rap over..." My pops is a musician, so he had a DR-5 for a drum machine. I used it to my best ability.

TMB: Does producing help you as an emcee or vice versa?

Haz: Kind of... I rarely write to my own beats.. kind of weird actually. Lyrically, I like to be inspired by someone else's track for some reason. And I like to hear what other artists come up with over my tracks.

TMB: Which one of your tracks would describe who you are as an emcee?

Haz: There are many.. "Swell Known" is one of my favorite joints tho. Gives you a taste of my character if you didn't know me personally. "They say I dress weird/ got a beard but he wears not turban"

TMB: Which one of your tracks would describe who you are as a producer?

Haz: Ask me a different question ... (lol) ... no really... I don't KNOW! One of my favorite tracks is ON MY MIND, OFF MY CHEST from the June Bug album.

TMB: In your opinion, what's the state of Hip-Hop music right now?

Haz: I think Hip-Hop is always gonna stay on the up and up. Whether it be Underground or mainstream. As long as the artist keep it true to themselves and true to their fans I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't have a problem finding good Hip-Hop music to listen to because it is there. Of course some artist are getting the praise that I THINK other artist deserve, if not more. All in all Hip-Hop is here to stay.

TMB: What projects are you currently working on?

Haz: GET THAT ALL JOKES ASIDE NOW!!!! I'm currently working on a few projects.... more than a few. I get sooo amped off a concept everyday which turns into a song/project (lol). Okay let's see ... I'm working with a group of amazingly talented cats from London. Their crews name is Anarchy (Propa, Lucchi, Omega, and more). You can get familiar with their work @ astarworld.blogspot.com. Also, I've been working with the LA Prize Fighter JIMIJAMES (www.myspace.com/rahrahgirl). Of course, Dylan Thomas and I stay working. Vinyl Richie coming soon (lol). I've been doing some work with Tay Butler, Signif, UMG, Rtystic, The Cranberry Show and D. Martin to name a few. Lastly, long time friend Bandana and I are launching some tunes in the near future. Gonna be CRAZY. Can't forget about my Bay Area homies F.A.M.E. Be on the search for those cats.

TMB: If there was one thing you'd want people to take away from Milwaukee Hip-Hop, what would it be?

Haz: I want the world to know that MKE Hip-Hop is brewed and ready to serve. There's a crazy roster of talent here and we will be heard. Oh... and to answer everyone's question, YES, there are black folks in Wisconsin.


MY LIKKLE DARLIN (Prod. by TE1)


"Swell Known" (Prod. by Count Bass D)


"MORIA" (Prod. by Dylan Thomas)


"Don't Have Much" (Prod. by Haz Solo)



Follow the madness: twitter.com/madbloggers
Check out more from The Mad Bloggers