It's a golden age for Milwaukee hip-hop. Here are 15 rappers you need to know about.
Milwaukee's hip-hop scene has reached a golden age.
Not that there hasn't been significant success before.
Atlanta-based Arrested Development — led by Milwaukee native Speech — became the first hip-hop act to win the Grammy for best new artist. Coo Coo Cal had a No. 1 hit on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart. Kinto Sol became award-winning pioneers for Spanish-language hip-hop. Rico Love and Bizness Boi produced tracks for A-list rappers.
But what we're seeing now coming from Milwaukee artists is unprecedented.
For the first time, there are multiple local rappers signed to significant record deals. Music videos, TikTok snippets, tracks on Spotify featuring Milwaukee rappers are reaching hundreds of thousands, even millions of streams. Journalists from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Wired and other national outlets have taken notice, showering the city's premiere players with praise and suggesting the creativity and sounds coming out of the city are one of a kind.
It's a golden age, but Milwaukee hip-hop has a way to go. We've yet to see huge superstars come out of the scene, as they have from other long-heralded Midwestern hip-hop locales, including Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis. Major head-turning gigs starring Milwaukee rappers in their hometown are still few and far between.
But to see Milwaukee hip-hop reach this level of recognition that for so long seemed out of reach suggests other once unfathomable achievements are within reach.
These 15 leaders are essential to its success, and taking Milwaukee rap to the next level.
More: 'This is history in the making': Milwaukee's lowend rap scene is finding a big audience
More: These Milwaukee rappers have millions of YouTube views. When will the music industry notice?
AyooLii
The Kenya-born rapper aptly described his work ethic as "very amateur" in a Journal Sentinel interview. Patient, time-consuming perfectionism isn't his thing, and songs that dare to be three minutes long bore him. But as a result, AyooLii is one of the most prolific artists in Milwaukee, accustomed to dropping songs the same day he starts making them. And the chaotic, anything-can-happen nature of his tracks is key to the fun.
Check out: "Shmackin Town" is AyooLii at his most infectious, with a cartoonish flow bouncing atop blown-out beats and a smirking, shapeshifting sample of Lipps Inc.'s "Funkytown."
Certified Trapper
DIY in every way, Certified Trapper produces all of his own songs and makes his own music videos — often in his bedroom. His relentless effort has resulted in a staggering 38 mixtapes since 2021, nearly 900 videos on his YouTube channel (45 have been viewed more than 100,000 times each), repeat touring and collaborations with rising star BabyTron, and a deal with Columbia's Signal Records.
Check out: Trapper's output is so vast he frequently experiments with his sound, but he's best known for his unapologetic weirdness and affinity for lowend — a surging, Milwaukee-born subgenre marked by metronome-mimicking beats. The instantly catchy "Trapper of the Year" is a testament to his distinct talent and persona.
Chicken P
A key reason Milwaukee hip-hop is so popular right now is that several charismatic creatives, not a single star, are generating heat. But the scene probably wouldn't have reached its current level of popularity if it weren't for Chicken P (fka Lil Chicken). His 2019 collaboration with the late Jigg on "Fast Cash Babies" was a gamechanger, netting more streams than nearly any other local rap track before and since (even without a visual treatment), and he consistently gets hundreds of thousands of streams for his videos. A record deal was just a matter of when, and it happened in 2023, with Chicken P signing with 10K Projects, home to superstars Ice Spice and Trippie Redd.
Check out: Droll delivery of smart punchlines made Chicken P a local star, with growing vulnerability and expanding sounds showing he had the versatility to successfully switch up the formula. One of his newest songs — "Rollin," off his debut 10K Projects project — foreshadows what he could accomplish next. It has all the trappings and appeal of a massive mainstream hit.
Destinee Lynn
There are few rappers out there who are masterful with both raunchy, empowering, Megan Thee Stallion-style bangers and Rod Wave-reminiscent. tear-stained pain rap. But Destinee Lynn is, with a gripping flow that hits like a slap in the face or a jab in the nose (depending on the sentiment), aided by succinct lyricism that goes straight for the throat — or the heart.
Check out: "Conceited" and "Location," two songs from Lynn's excellent 2023 album "Count Me In," showcase Lynn's skills on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum.
DC The Don
Last year, DC The Don became only the second rapper from Milwaukee to be named to XXL's trendspotting Freshman List (Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Future are among the list's superstar alums). He's actually made a name for himself by defying trends, embracing atypically polished, pop-flavored production in his emo-centric songs.
Check out: "Let's Pretend," a smooth and absorbing track from DC The Don's fourth studio album "Funeral" on Rostrum Records (former home to Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller), signals a new artistic beginning.
Emmitt James
A true DIY hustler who was grinding it out in Los Angeles for several years before recently returning home to Milwaukee, James has an affinity for jazz and funk-adjacent production that stands out. (A Tribe Called Quest and the Pharcyde come to mind; James was booked for the latter's inaugural festival in 2018.) His wit stands out, too, signaling that James doesn't take himself too seriously, despite his serious skills.
Check out: "WR-4R (Will Rap 4 Rent)" is a playful but effective rallying cry for every artist who invests so much into their craft but still struggles to be compensated fairly; it's from James' latest album, the almost accurately titled "Undeniably Ground-Breakingly Excellent."
Huey V
Huey V may have "come from the mud," as he raps on the riveting rags-to-riches breakout "After the Deal," but the sky's the limit for him. The rapper brings a cinematic grandeur to his scrappy stories of surviving the streets, processing trauma and finding hope — and landing with Roc Nation's Warehouse Music Group in the process.
Check out: "Mo Money Mo Problems" resembles the vibrant verbosity of peak '90s rap, with Huey V holding his own against one of the most respected rap veterans in the game, Jay Z protégé Memphis Bleek, who has in turn taken Huey V under his wing.
IshDARR
About a decade and a half passed after Coo Coo Cal's No. 1 rap hit "My Projects" before Milwaukee rappers started making some significant national noise. Of that crop in the mid-2010s, IshDARR arguably was the most accomplished, getting millions of streams for his breakout single "Too Bad" — completely unheard of from a Milwaukee rapper at that time. That led to more big streaming numbers for other sleek, soul-and-dance-leaning hip-hop tracks; a massive crowd for a Summerfest weekday afternoon appearance; his own Summerfest headlining set; and a role in the movie "White Boy Rick" starring Matthew McConaughey.
Check out: IshDARR's breakthrough success may have been before the latest wave, but he continues to make music (including last year's project "Rested"), and songs from earlier in his career still get mileage. His infectious single "Sugar" from 2016 was prominently sampled on Yung Gravy's "Sugar Baby" in 2022, earning IshDARR a featured credit.
Kia Rap Princess
For the biggest hip-hop showcase of its 55th edition, Summerfest assembled A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Trippie Redd and City Girls for an American Family Insurance Amphitheater show. But Kia Rap Princess, in the opening slot, was more engaging than all of them, a local rap veteran who has both sharpened and broadened her skills with an unflinching work ethic and unbridled talent.
Check out: Kia Rap Princess has done vulnerable tracks, swagger-soaked stunners and everything in between, but the feel-great, dancehall-infused jam "Issa Vibe" is a particularly fun listen.
Lakeyah
If you asked casual hip-hop heads to name emerging rappers from Milwaukee, chances are Lakeyah would be mentioned more than anyone else. She was the first rapper from the city to end up on XXL's Freshman List and was signed to Quality Control, recently one of the most successful hip-hop labels; it was the launching pad for Migos, and home to Lil Baby and Lil Yachty. Lakeyah has held her own with a series of big-name collaborators — including Gucci Mane, Latto and City Girls — and stood out with cutthroat, guest-free tracks and cyphers.
Check out: Even though Lakeyah is based in Atlanta and hangs with A-listers, Milwaukee remains a focal point of her narrative and sound. "313-414" serves as a stirring tribute to the local street rap scene while sharing some aesthetic with the Detroit rap sound, which is also honored on the track by a star from that city, Tee Grizzley.
Mariboy Mula Mar
Another crucial player who generated hundreds of thousands of YouTube views for his videos in the late 2010s, Mula Mar challenged conventional thinking of what Milwaukee street rap could be just as the modern-day scene was finding its footing and a large following, seasoning — or, arguably, saturating — his sugary flow with Auto-Tune. He’s a man of the streets, but crucial to his appeal, comes across as a softie, too.
Check out: “Compliments” from Mula Mar’s 2023 album “Bitty Breakers” brings the raw, blown-out street rap sound to the club. The oddly appealing result sounds a bit like Usher and T-Pain at the end of a wild bender.
MarijuanaXO
In Milwaukee street rap, MarijuanaXO's voice is truly singular — a deep, blunt instrument with just a touch of sand in his tone. It's different from the elasticity of his peers', but it grabs you with every syllable, makes every punchline slap, every boast soar, every vulnerable sentiment sting. That distinct gift makes him a go-to collaborator and scene star in his own right.
Check out: MarijuanaXO is all over the scene, but he seems to relish his collaborations with Joe Pablo more than anything else. The pair are an especially dynamic force on fraternal love letter "My Brother" from their 2021 "Window Service" tape.
Munch Lauren
As a seasoned veteran who remains at the center of the conversation, Munch Lauren is a rare kind of rapper — essentially, the Drake of the Milwaukee street rap scene — and a major local influence since the early 2010s with his clap-heavy, club-ready tracks. Lauren's new songs, dropped at a rapid clip, remain popular.
Check out: Munch Lauren's 2015 breakout "Big Money" hasn't lost its luster. Whenever a DJ pulls it out at a major hip-hop show in Milwaukee — and that's happened often — it always gets a strong reaction.
Myaap
Lowend is a beautifully bizarre niche with Certified Trapper, AyooLii and others making names for themselves with the made-in-Milwaukee style. But Myaap may be the best representative for lowend’s mainstream potential. Her 2023 track “Getting to It” triggered a TikTok dance craze, with Reneé Rapp, Coco Jones and Meghan Trainor joining in. Like those three stars, Myaap, through social media and music videos, has demonstrated her winning, fun-loving personality.
Check out: “Getting to It” has been pulled from streaming services for now — guessing that prominent sample of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” has something to do with it — but other sweet-and-sour earworms, like “Wham,” show Myaap doesn’t need a well-known hook to hook ‘em.
SteveDaStoner
TikTok has become an essential source for music discovery in the past few years — and the same applies to Milwaukee hip-hop. (Just search "#MilwaukeeDance" and you'll find a seemingly endless stream of dancing videos set to Milwaukee rap songs, sometimes starring the rappers themselves.) Several rappers have been using the platform to their advantage, but perhaps no one quite as effectively as SteveDaStoner. Dancing alongside nearly anybody — young kids, older relatives, David Gruber — the rapper, more than anyone else in Milwaukee, is making a strong case that Milwaukee street rap really is for everyone.
Check out: There are nearly 10 million TikTok video views with the hashtag #stevedastoner, and many of those are for "Barkin'," a blast of a track that features both a cheeky interpolation of "Whistle While You Work" from Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and an irresistible roll call.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or [email protected]. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 15 essential rappers that have made Milwaukee hip-hop hotter than ever
