Editor's Note: Back in September I wrote a piece about the House of M. As we explore Milwaukee's Hip-Hop scene for our Journey to Hip-Hop, I felt the need to share again for those that missed the post the first time. The House of M, "The Alternate Reality of..." is something you should purchase immediately ...
Around the time that this blog was reborn early last year, we seemed to find Milwaukee's (and Wisconsin in general) Hip-Hop scene. I’ve never been to Wisconsin nor did I know people there before but I’m happy to have found some of the Hip-Hop cooking up in the area.
As one of my favorite female Milwaukee emcee, Melissa Czarnik, said to me recently, “we are most definitely brewing something other than beer here in Milwaukee right now.”
It’s such a true statement. They are brewing up some great Hip-Hop (which should be evident by the posts in our Journey to Hip-Hop series). The House of M is one of those examples.
I found the House of M by way of Dana Coppafeel. "House of M The Alternate Reality of …" is true Hip-Hop! The crew straight out of Wisconsin is made up of producers D’Matikk, Trellmatic, Dylan Thomas and Lou-Tang; emcees Gambit, Ecko, A.P.R.I.M.E. and Dana Coppa; emcee and producer Raze and DJ DeadBeat. Together the crew creates a powerful sound, rich with classic Hip-Hop influences and a style of their own.
Their tracks are dope! Production is tight! The flow is great! The interludes are amazing! Every track is great as a solid standalone but come together nicely to tell a story of the “Mutants” that form the House of M.
What really impressed me, outside of their flow and story telling technique in tracks like Superhero Shorties, The Initiative, Superman Ain’t My Name and In Your Mind – were their interludes. Their interludes, which are thought out and well executed, poke fun at the word swag (so many variations) and some of the mainstream radio trash (including shots at auto-tune). Very few albums include interludes anymore and to me, they’re important and help make a project well rounded and complete.
The House of M delivers a complete package of well-delivered hip-hop. I strongly suggest you check out House of M The Alternate Reality of …
Scott Knoxx is a local figure in Milwaukee who's titles seem to be almost neverending. He is a rapper, DJ, Club Owner, and many more. But for him, it's about the music and its memories that give him the reason to do what he does. I was blessed to have the opportunity to speak with Scott regarding his history and so much more. Read up!
Talk about your first memories of music, especially Hip-Hop. What was the exact moment in time where you said "This is what I want to do"?
Scott Knoxx: My furthest memories go back to me & my neighbor sitting on the curb, listening to RUN DMC. I was pretending to be DMC and he’d Run. I also remember battling my brother in the kitchen while we cleaned up. I use to ask teachers to rap in front of class if we had down time, because Hip-Hop is something I’ve always loved from day one!
Being a figure in the Milwaukee scene, talk about some of your history in Milwaukee. What life experiences shaped your world view and helped shape your subject matter in your songs?
Scott Knoxx: I’m born & raised in Milwaukee, and didn’t know anything else until I was about 17, but music has always been my escape. I recall when I was about 8 or 9 years old, we stayed in a middle class neighborhood. After my parents split, we moved to Sherman Park, which is where I became a man. Life over there was different; I learned a lot from my hood, that’s why I think the folks in Milwaukee feel me, because I can tell the same experiences, so they can live through me.
What are some of your thoughts on the Hip-Hop scene in Milwaukee? What makes it unique?
Scott Knoxx: We really do Hip-Hop because we love to do Hip-Hop. If you rap here and people know who you are, it’s because your grind is crazy. There’s no strong radio presence here that’s supports home, just the streets and the club DJ’s, so that’s how you got to make your name. I run the #1 club in the city (Texture Night Club) so even if you don’t know I rap, you know who I am. I show love to the rappers from my hometown, so if you’re hot in the 414, then you’ve performed at my spot!
Talk about your discography here. What projects have you released and what makes each one its own body of work?
Scott Knoxx: I’ve done a ton of mixtapes, which can be found on datpiff.com, such as “Live from the Animal House”, “Independence Day”, “HoodFellas”, “Record Breaker Radio,” and so on. Independently I’ve released “Miltown Millionaire” and moved over 25,000 copies out of the trunk of my car. I’ve finally finished my new album, “Gorilla Monsoon: Miltown Millionaire Vol. 2”. I really wanted to establish the Animal House, since they showed me a lot of love and gave me a lot of heat. This album feels bigger, the music feels bigger, the songs are deeper, and it was done over a 2 year span. So it’s all over the place, But I feel like it’s the best project I’ve done to date. I’m also in the middle of recording a group project with Money B from Digital Underground M*A*S*K (Money B And Scott Knoxx) This is jus t one hell of a project, because we got DJ Premier Ras Kass, and Rhymefest just to name a few…. But recording wit Money B is just plain fun, and the music is always good!
Say you were showing a person around Milwaukee and its different locales for Hip-Hop. Which places to you are worth frequenting?
Scott Knoxx: Some of my favorites are Pak’s Jewelers, Envisions Clothing Store, Disc Man CD Store, and Live Wire Music. These are jus the spots that we frequent, and then a couple clubs, because I have tp show them how my Record Breaker DJ Fam run the clubs here!
Anything else you'd like to tell the folks out there?
We continue on our Journey to Hip-Hop through Milwaukee, with Dylan Thomas up next. The emcee turned producer has an impressive discography and many of the artists we've featured so far and some of the artists coming up have a track produced by Dylan Thomas. That says a lot about his influence and talent.
His tracks, dope. I dig his style, a lot. I reached out to Dylan Thomas for a Q&A. Enjoy.
The Mad Bloggers: Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
Dylan Thomas: I was born and raised in Racine, WI (25 miles south of Milwaukee). It’s a small city with a big city feel. Racine is located between Milwaukee and Chicago, so most people head north or south on the weekends.
TMB: How long have you been producing?
DT: I was an emcee before I started making beats. I really wasn’t feeling the beats that were being made in my area. My guy Robert Hollingsworth hooked me up with a computer program in the fall of 1999. That computer program was Mixman Studio Pro. I was away at college at the time but I would make a point of going home on the weekends to sample my pops extensive record collection. Me and my guy Phraim, from Chicago, pretty much freaked the program way past its potential and later graduated to Fruity Loops in 2000. Around the same time I bought the MPC 2000XL. The rest is history.
TMB: What equipment do you use to create your tracks?
DT: I still use the MPC 2000XL, Fruity Loops, stacks of records and a MicroKORG.
TMB: As a producer, who are you influenced by?
DT: I have been influenced by the greats: Dilla, Primo, Madlib, Pete Rock, Dre, and the Rza. I am also influenced by my peers that are making good music: Haz Solo, Adlib, Phraim, Dima, Lex Luthor, Trellmatic and the Ricanstrukta.
TMB: What's the concept behind All Jokes Aside?
DT:It started off with me sending beats for Haz to work on. I had done work for him on a couple of his albums prior to the All Jokes Aside album. Anyone that knows us knows that we spend a lot of time ribbing on each other and anyone around. I would always joke around that I could spit better than a lot of emcees in my area. I finally penned something, recorded it and sent it to Haz. He loved it, wrote and recorded his verse and that ended up being the first track for the album, “Don’t Turn Around.” After we played that joint for a couple of people and got some positive feedback, we basically said fuck it and decided to make a loose feeling album centered around our love for dope beats, fresh lyrics and comedy. Anyone sitting in on our studio sessions saw the chemistry was there and nothing was forced and that feeling is captured in the flow of the album.
TMB: How many projects have you worked on before And It Was Good
DT: Man, I’ve worked on tons of projects before AIWG. Some of the most significant projects were “The Vero Project” (an instrumental album 2003), “The Collective” (an album featuring six emcees 2003), “The Street Scholar” (Adebisi’s solo album. I produced eleven tracks 2005), “The Racine Stories” (Tom Wood’s solo album. I produced seven tracks 2006), “Life is a Heist” (Element’s solo album. I produced two tracks 2007), “Mo Profit, Mo Progress” (Prophetic’s solo album. I produced five tracks 2008) and all of Haz Solo’s albums (too many to count). I most recently did work on JC Poppe’s “Sleep Therapy (four tracks 2009), The House of M’s “The Alternate Reality of…” (two tracks 2009), Kash’s “Black Bauer mixtape (two tracks 2009), and One Self’s “I of the Storm (ten tracks 2010).
TMB: What projects do you have upcoming?
DT: In the near future you can hear my work on albums from Tay Butler and Frankie Flowers. I’m still working with Haz, Proph, JC Poppe and Element. I’m also working on a solo album (recorded the first two tracks today.)
TMB: If there was one thing you'd want people to take away from Milwaukee Hip-Hop what would it be?
DT: Its diverse. Its fresh. Its bubbling. Its…oh…that was three things, my bad. One thing … hmmmm … Milwaukee Hip-Hop is untapped, therefore any astute listener can pick up on how hungry we are.
"Crills" Haz Solo and Dylan Thomas [All Jokes Aside]
"Phone Sex" Haz Solo and Dylan Thomas [All Jokes Aside]
Here's a track by the Rusty Ps that I'm digging. Got that throwback Hip-Hop feel, DJ scratches and all. Milwaukee definitely has some talent. Check it out...
Shoutout to Oddisee, Blu, Exile, yU, XO, Trek Life & Fashwan for the good music dudes put out and shoutout to whoever put this mixtape together. Had to spread the word. Good music will prosper! Haha.
In preparation for our gig in Paris together on February 16th, this mix-tape was put together.
matic « Le Hip Hop Sur Ecoute » présente:
01. Frequency Modulation (prod. Exile) 02. Diamond District - Who I Be (prod. Oddisee) 03. Fashawn – Ecology (prod. Exile) 04. Trek Life – Big Picture (Remix) (prod. Oddisee) 05. Blu – Dancing In The Rain (prod. Exile) 06. Oddisee – Hip Hop’s Cool Again (prod. Oddisee) 07. yU – Thought About It (prod. yU) 08. XO – Blah Blah (prod. Oddisee) 09. Do It (prod. Blu) 10. Trek Life – Hard Work (Remix) (prod. Oddisee) 11. Fashawn feat. Exile – Bo Jackson (prod. Exile) 12. Diamond District – The District (prod. Oddisee) 13. No Mine (prod. Blu) 14. XO – Fast Life (prod. Oddissee) 15. Blu – My World Is (prod. Exile) 16. yU – Lunchin (prod. Oddisee) 17. Fashawn feat. Blu – Samsonite Man (prod. Exile) 18. Trek Life – Cold For That (prod. Oddisee) 19. The Sound Is God (prod. Exile)
Female emcees are a dying breed. Scratch that, quality female emcees are a dying breed. So, it's so refreshing when you find one. Signif, the Milwaukee born and raised emcee, is quality. Her rhymes rooted in a passion for poetry and well delivered over fresh beats.
Far too often female emcees are over sexual and tacky but Signif is the opposite.
Her bio reads, "we live in a time with a lot of fads and modern day aristocracies and people desperately seeking approval, she just want to remind everyone out there that’s 'it’s OK to be yourself.'"
Her style, "reality rap." And she's dope.
I reached out to Signif for a Q&A. Enjoy.
The Mad Bloggers: As a female emcee to you find it hard to get people to listen to your music in a male dominated industry?
Signif: Yeah. Sometimes people have these preconceived notions before they even hear me out, which is cool. I don’t really fret about it, I just keep building and creating while they continue to judge, and sleep.
TMB: How long have you been rhyming?
Signif: Since I was 8 or 9, but I started out writing poetry growing up which eventually turned into songs.
TMB: I've heard the recent project, it's dope. How many other projects have you completed?
Signif: Thank you. Just two that I actually put out there for the people. The Transition, which I just dropped, and the Flaws EP I put out in March (2009). But I have recorded over 200 tracks.
TMB: Who are your musical influences?
Signif: I grow up with more soulful influences; Marvin Gaye, Teddy P, James Brown, Luther, ect. Being a baby in the 80s remembering my parents dancing the night away to those records just intrigued me.
TMB: Which one of your tracks best describes who you are as an emcee?
Signif: Definitely "Lovely Imperfections", that’s why I revamped it for this project. I think I have a few tracks that could fill that slot though.
TMB: How would you describe your sound?
Signif: Beats, Rhymes, and Life with LaToya Smith
TMB: Who do you work with?
Signif: I have a great team of producers who keep me laced, and motivated. Shouts to Tay Lee, JBM, Gee Wiz, and Lucchi. For the most part I work with people who are willing to collaborate, and come up with something different.
TMB: What upcoming projects do you have in the works?
Signif: I have an EP in the works with Wiz, plus I’m already planning my next LP. Both projects will be released this year.
TMB: If there was one thing you'd want people to take away from Milwaukee Hip-Hop what would it be?
Signif: How genuine it is, how sincere it is. It’s truly a city of untapped resources when it comes to music in general.
Editor's Note: Almost a year ago, I met Melissa Czarnik. Well, “met” is a relative term. Melissa continues to be one of the coolest people that I’ve never actually met but have created a friendship via the Internet. She was the first MKE artist we ever featured on the site and it was like opening Pandora’s box, because that gave way to finding many more talented MKE heads. I interviewed Melissa just under a year ago and I revisit that interview now; plus some new music! Enjoy.
Three years ago we launched The Mad Bloggers as a way to vent about the way we saw thing in the world. Then we began to morph and push music. Twenty-four days ago, we re-launched The Mad Bloggers, with a bit of our old sarcastic edge coupled with a desire to share real music and talented artists.
It’s because of commercial radio, MTV, BET and other commercial outlets that our site and other sites like ours can exist. I turned off the radio a few months ago because every time it was on, there was some new instructional dance garbage passing itself off as real music. Because of our discontent with mainstream music, we constantly comb the Internet for good, unheard of and mostly underground music. We then share it here with you.
Melissa Czarnik is one of those finds. She is one of the first heads that we spotlighted on our revamped blog in early April. I was immediately impressed with the emcee out of Milwaukee. To me, she has content and a lyrical delivery to back it up. Her music has something a lot of music on the radio is missing – passion. I’m happy to support real music. Melissa has an album out, Strawberry Cadillac, which is available on iTunes. Get that! Only $9.99.
Like I said, we’ve featured her music in the past but wanted to take an opportunity to do a Q&A and hear from the woman behind the music. Check out what she had to say.
The Mad Bloggers: How do you describe what you do? Like, would you consider yourself an emcee, poet, etc?
Melissa Czarnik: I consider myself a poet/emcee. I read a lot of poetry. I work at a destination poetry bookstore, Woodland Pattern Book Center, which brings in poets from across the nation and so I’m constantly surrounded by inspiring wordsmiths. I also grew up on hip-hop. Some of my favorites are 2 Pac, Lauryn Hill, and Diamond District, and so I mix the two together sort of naturally. I think the one thing that defines me, as poet/emcee, is that I don’t pay any attention to the rules of hip-hop (per say). That whole verse, chorus, verse, chorus thing ain’t really my thing. If I want to have a 24 bar poem that leads into a 16 bar verse that exits back into a 24 bar poem then that’s what I’ll do.
TMB: How much time do you spend per week dedicated to music?
MC: In terms of time spent working on music, I feel like all my free time goes towards working on music. Because when I’m reading, I’m furthering my vocabulary and my knowledge, which eventually ends up in my rhymes. When I’m listening to music, I’m constantly analyzing, “OK, what did I like about this, what can I borrow from to make my music better.” And in terms of writing, I’m always writing. Now whether it ends up in a song or not is one thing but like I always say a “line of rhyme a day, keeps the haters at bay!”
TMB: Shows, events that are upcoming and exciting?
MC: Yes, I am currently talking with some people over in Europe about doing a couple of shows possibly in Frankfurt, Germany and Brussels, Belgium in May. If those two shows come together I will try and organize a mini tour over there in some other cities. My fingers are crossed!
TMB: You're a female ... how does that play in hip-hop for you? (Woman in mainstream music often had to come off more sexual than talented for example) Do you see it as an issue in presenting who you are?
MC: I see it as an issue for women in general, more than just for me. I mean women in music often use their bodies to sell themselves. The problem starts with mainstream record labels putting a pretty face before talent. The next thing you know you got little girls growing up thinking all I got to do is look sexy, play dumb and I’ll get ahead in life. I think that’s why I look up to women like Ani Difranco, india.arie, and Lauryn Hill. Cause these are women who are talented, intelligent, and naturally sexy. I mean Lauryn Hill could rock a mini-skirt and some combat boots and be sexy as all hell, and yet kill whatever Pras or Clef were spittin next to her. Which actually brings me to your first question about being a female in hip-hop. I feel that I constantly have to watch my back cause it’s a male dominated game. I want to be strong, taken seriously, but at the same time I don’t want to hide my sexiness. I also want to make sure people like me for my talent and not for my body. So at one show I might be rocking a dress and the next show I’m in dickies, timbs, and a hoodie. But, I usually always got some sneakers on or some boots, cause you never know when you’re gonna have to take off running!
TMB: If there was one thing you could change about that state of Hip-Hop right now, what would it be?
MC: I would like to change the fact that most of the hip-hop you hear on the radio today is garbage, degrading, and mindless. I would like to make it so that in order to get on the radio, young emcees had to aspire to be uplifting and have heart.
"Happy Song" Melissa Czarnik & The Eric Mire Band from "Local Live"
It's been a minute but Eternia is back again with Episode 14 of "Road to Release". Check it out!
"In Episode #14, Eternia opens for KRS-One w/ her band @ Southpaw in Brooklyn. E debuts a new song off Eternia & MoSS's "AT LAST" album, & beatboxer Chesney Snow is called out to perform on stage with The Blastmaster KRS-One himself, who kicks an EXCLUSIVE FREESTYLE. Also features still's from photographer Kenny Rodriguez's coverage of the night. E's "AT LAST (We Got a Record Deal) JAM!" on Fri. Feb 26th at Sputnik in BK!"
I first came across Adlib by way of the Umbrella Music Group. His production, dope. His "The Wade Wilson Project" I've had for a while and it's played at least twice a week. "The Wade Wilson Project" is no joke, featuring tight production and incredible emcees from MKE, and the man behind it all, Adlib. I reached out to him for a Q&A.
The Mad Bloggers: Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
Adlib: What most see as a burden, I took as a blessing. What I mean by that is that I grew up in a few different places and it allowed me to experience a lot of different cultures, giving me more of an understanding on how people relate and how traditions are crossed between the American culture.
I was born and raised half of my life in Jamaica Plain, Boston Mass. I moved to Puerto Rico (my nationality) when I was 12 and then moved over to MKE when I was 15. I grew up on the Southside of Milwaukee and I've been here ever since.
TMB: How long have you been producing?
Adlib: I first touched an MPC in 98. It was my guy Phellas, I aint know how to use it all, I knew was that it made beats. In 2000 I got a DR 5 and that's when I started taking it seriously. I've been producing ever since. Now I rock my Motif Mpc1000 Pro tool and a bunch of vst's thanks to my dude Ren (No Gimmicks)
TMB: What was the concept behind the Wade Wilson Project?
Adlib: For those who don't know Wade Wilson is the Marvel Character "Deadpool", the coolest mutha fucka ever! I'm kinda sorta like him. We both do what we do great. We're both smart asses. And we don't have a problem insulting you while beating you at your own game [haha]. Bassed off of that I took the moniker "Wade Wilson" and it sounds better than deadpool. Its a little too obvious and corny.
As far as the direction, I just wanted to do what others may be scared to in MKE and that's EXPERIMENT. I'm all about progression and out doing my last. That's why this album has a diverse sound, you have the "pop" type music, "rockish" type stuff, some abstract thrown in there and the tradition straight forward imma eat your face off Hip-Hop.
TMB: As a producer, what producers are you influenced by?
Adlib:Maan. I'd say the 70s rock group Supertramp influences me musically. As far as who I like....Alchemist, Dr. Dre, Polo the Dawn, Just Blaze, will.i.am, Dj Muggs and a bunch more.
TMB: What's the most rewarding part of doing your music?
Adlib: Knowing that I can create an album from top to bottom with only having to pay for duplication [LOL]
TMB:What upcoming projects do you have?
Adlib: Right now, me maybe a mixtape, a collaborative record with my guy Antagonist and just trying to produce for all the dope artists in MKE. Ohh and of course UMG music, that never seems to stop coming out [LOL]; Yo dot, Tay Butler and Misen Lync are up next! I'm giving Proph and Ka$h some new stuff and just trying to push Maal Himself to that solo. Even if its just for me! I need that [LOL]
Check out a few tracks from "the Wade Wilson Project".
Straight Jacket (feat Maal Himself and Young Focus)
Front to Back (Feat Pizzle, Tonye and Prophetic)
Punish Me (Feat Streetz and Young Deuces)
Peace to all MKE artist! And don't forget to get the Wade Wilson Project
We have a boat load of posts coming featuring Milwaukee Hip-Hop heads ... soon come, as they say. Let this joint from Scott Knoxx, "Lock & Load", hold you over until tomorrow.
"QuESt hooks up with Numonics for a classic cut. Off of Numonic's debut album "Being Cool Doesnt Pay The Bills" & QuESt' "How Thoughtful" Mixtape Presented by YesIamQuESt.com, DJ RTC, & RubyHornet.com, Dropping Feb 11th. Enjoy!"
