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May
22

Evan's Memorial Day Baltimore Club Mix

Evan Rytlewski
�It seems only fitting that I dedicate my annual Memorial Day Mix entirely to Baltimore club music, since Baltimore's house-derived strain of rap music has been on the cusp of national notoriety for months now. If you're not familiar with Baltimore club,
Posted at 05:00 PM
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Jun
09

In Defense of Auto-Tune

Evan Rytlewski
Allow me to join the chorus of bloggers largely calling out Jay-Z for his pandering new single "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)." It's discouraging that Jay-Z would hone in on a lightning rod as tired as Auto-Tune; does this mean we can expect The Blueprint 3
Posted at 05:00 PM
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Jul
24

Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy Top an Overdue Sept. 2 Bill at Marcus Amphitheater

Evan Rytlewski
In a bill that almost single-handedly atones for the dearth of rap acts at this year�s Summerfest, Lil Wayne and a slew of chart-topping rappers and R&B singers share a Wednesday, Sept. 2 bill at the Marcus Amphitheater which includes Young Jeezy, Sou
Posted at 05:00 PM
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Wednesday, January 9,2008
Today in Milwaukee

Madhatter Spinning

Today @ the Wicked Hop

By Shepherd Express Staff
DJ Madhatter is perhaps best known around Milwaukee as the DJ for the Rusty P's, one of the city's longest running, most popular hip-hop groups,
Thursday, October 16,2008
Music Feature

House of M

Saves the World, One Rap Song At a Time

By Evan Rytlewski
Gambit is summarizing the namesake for his 12member rap group, the Marvel Comics crossover epic House of M. “Basically, there’s this character, the Scarlet Witch, who can change realities and probabilities,” he explains. “She has this big mental breakdown, and she ends up changing the whole Marvel world. It’s up to all the superheroes in the Marvel universe to band together and get the world back to normal. As his X-Men-derived alias suggests, Gambit has a passion for comics in general, but this particular story line has special relevance for him. “It symbolizes our group,” he says.
Wednesday, March 19,2008
Local Music

How eMC Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Leak

Local Music

By Evan Rytlewski
EMC were in their tour van, en route to a Los Angeles concert this January, when they heard the news: A full two months before its official release date—and just four days after it had been mailed to the media— their debut album, The Show, had been leaked online. “We were angry, especially since we think we know who leaked it,” says Stricklin, the Milwaukee rapper who makes up the group along with veteran lyricists Punchline and Wordsworth and golden-age icon Masta Ace. “We rushed to the hotel so we could get an Internet connection and find out more.” Thanks to the Internet, you can watch the band work out their response to the leak in real time . . .
Wednesday, April 16,2008
Music Feature

Talib Kweli’s Beautiful Business Model

By Evan Rytlewski
Jay-Z had it easy. He faced few restrictions in his quest for money and stardom. Unapologetically driven by material desires and founded on a platform of social Darwinism, Jay-Z’s ascent to mogul-hood represents capitalism in its purest form. Like most rappers, Talib Kweli wants what Jay-Z has—money, esteem, an audience—but in his pursuit of these goals he’s been held to a much stricter standard than Jay-Z. Long ago labeled a conscious rapper by his fans, Kweli is expected to be above the perceived vanity of mainstream rap. While rappers like Jay-Z can play anything-goes, Tammany Hall politics, Kweli must adhere to restrictive campaign finance regulations or risk alienating his idealistic fans.
Tuesday, April 22,2008
Today in Milwaukee

Talib Kweli

Tonight @ the Varsity Theatre - 7:30 p.m.

By Shepherd Express Staff
Hard-touring rapper Talib Kweli returns to Milwaukee for a 7:30 p.m. performance at Marquette University’s Varsity Theatre tonight. In recent years, Kweli has found a comfortable balance between his status as one of the underground rap scene’s favorite conscious rappers and one of mainstream rap’s long-shot stars, releasing . . .
Friday, July 4,2008
Today in Milwaukee

More Summerfest 10 p.m. Headliners

Phil Lesh, The Roots, Slightly Stoopid

By Shepherd Express Staff
Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh revisits the Dead repertoire with a rotating cast of musicians that he bills as Phil Lesh and Friends tonight at 10 p.m. at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard; The Roots are the only major rap act to play Summerfest’s whitewashed line-up this year, but at least they’re an uncompromising one...
Friday, August 15,2008
Today in Milwaukee

A Tribute to Public Enemy

Tonight @ the Stonefly Brewery - 10 p.m.

By Shepherd Express Staff
The title of tonight’s 10 p.m. bill at the Stonefly Brewery, “A Tribute To Inspiration: An Evening of Public Enemy,” overstates its case a bit. Milwaukee’s meat-and-potatoes rappers weren’t overly inspired by Public Enemy’s riotous cacophony, as least no more than any other rappers. Nonetheless, tonight . . .
 
Today in Milwaukee
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