Milwaukee is a Midwestern gem, a city known best by the people who endure the temperamental weather. They know that this city is full of musical talent and entertainment that has been brewing, creating a buzz all its own.
If you would ask a hip-hop lover if local artists have a distinct sound many would say yes, and it is true. What I have discovered is that Milwaukee has a sound that is extremely unique to this region, and to the Midwest. Heavy beats full of base, drum samples, and studio genius are the major elements that come to mind. While the majority of the artists are community super stars other regions are starting to take notice.
Milwaukee is suspended in the middle of the Great Lakes region, with Detroit to our East and Chicago to our south, Minneapolis to our west. Those are the cities that have countless emerging artists that have made it beyond their city limits and now Milwaukee's got next.
Sounds penetrating the airwaves and lyrics from emcees that make you want to get up and move. One popular Milwaukee artist that has seen success outside of this market while representing the "414" is Ray Nitti. His music has an appeal that is liked by the southern regions and has a general mass appeal. Though not born and raised in Milwaukee, St. Thomas Virgin Islands, being his first home, Nitti possesses a certain quality that has everyone dancing to "BOW."
Nitti's is the kind of sound that radio programmers are looking for, and for the most part Milwaukee has mastered it. There are reasons for this mastery, while Milwaukee is more known for its beer than its music, artists and music lovers alike have always relied on other cities to produce those hits. In terms of hip-hop music, if you listen to the Milwaukee sound, it will give you a little bit of each region. The bass lines and 808's, a sound that was perfected in the south, soul beat samples, that comes from cities like Detroit and Chicago, lyrics about making money can be attributed to either coast east or west, to determine the exact location you must music analyze the lyrical the content.
Another Milwaukee artists making noise is the very well known Scott Knoxx, who has music and event marketing down to a science.
I've sat on several panels where I have been asked why material or demos don't make it to the next level. Truly, it takes a lover of all things entertainment, marketing and advertising to understand the language you speak through visual aids. Not only us Knoxx creating his brand musically but he is using all of the available marketing tools to propel his brand.
Scott Knoxx began rapping at the tender age ten, mostly battling his older brother, then transcending to lunch battles competitions. Knoxx has been determined since his a young age, and continued to impress his audience with his impressive rhyme style. Years later he is still on top of his game, traveling coast to coast, booking shows across the nation and putting in his work in his home town Milwaukee.
Both of these local talents are bringing the buzz back to Milwaukee music and putting local artists on the map.
Nirvana graduated from Riverside University High School and attended Wilberforce University, an historic black university in Ohio.
Not satisfied that she was receiving the proper training for her career goals, Nirvana was accepted into Public Allies Milwaukee and worked at the Sherman Park Boys and Girls Club for her program year.
Before enrolling at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Nirvana did some traveling and sports marketing and event related internships, most notably with the Chicago Cubs.
She has also worked for Chicago's No. 1 radio station WGCI, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Illinois Action for Children.
Nirvana also has a children's clothing line called Pineapple Eggplant.
