The 5th Annual Miltown Beatdown kicks off this Friday night!
If you’ve never heard of this legendary series, check the history:
5 years ago, Jordan “Dj Madhatter” Lee was spinning records at local Hip Hop shows and DJing with his award winning Rap group the Rusty Ps. Throughout all of his time in the Milwaukee Rap scene, he observed that the city’s cultural segregation seemed to be magnified in the Hip Hop community. Artists from Milwaukee’s east side and Riverwest neighborhoods, rarely found themselves in the same room as those who resided in the city’s north and south side areas. Jordan began to observe that the primary reason for the segregation, seemed to stem from the content of the lyrics. This prompted him to create the Miltown Beat Down. An event where Hip Hop producers from all walks of life could come together for one common goal; to show the world that Milwaukee has got some great Hip Hop beats!
Production battles have been gaining popularity in the hip-hop scene worldwide. What makes the Miltown Beat Down so unique is its long run and it’s nontraditional format. No beat battle in the world last as long as this one. For over three months, downtown Milwaukee will host dozens of local rap producers in a multiple round format. Jordan “Madhatter” Lee hosts the morning drive show on 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, is a member or Milwaukee hip hop giants the Rusty Ps and a member of the Red Bull Music Academy’s Mr. X Program. An impressive list of celebrity producers, local musicians, deejays, and radio personalities will be judging the final event. Past judges have included ?uestlove of the Roots, Maceo of De La Soul, Masta Ace, Diamond D, DA Wallace of Chester French and a laundry list of who’s who in the Milwaukee rap scene.
This year’s beatdown is already shaping up to be one for the ages, just check out this schedule to get a small taste of what’s to come –
The Miltown Beat Down has traditionally been held on Wednesday nights in the winter at the Jackalope Lounj in Milwaukee’s 3rd ward. With sold out crowds and hundreds of Milwaukee rap fans in attendance throughout the season, this year’s event has been moved to a larger venue and a bigger night. The Wherehouse ( 818 s. Water St. ) will host the monthly bouts on select Friday nights in the months of March, April, and May. Each night’s battle will feature 4 of the city’s top producers and a list of local Hip Hop MCs. In an attempt to always re-invent the battle, competitors will also have a new series of challenges, in addition to some new rounds of battle.
For more information, check out the Miltown Beatdown on Twitter and Facebook. To get a feel for the event as a whole, check out some video footage from last years event on Vimeo.
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