One of the main things that has been getting me through this Quarantine has been my constant search for new, awesome music to listen to and write about. Good thing so many great musicians have still been releasing music during these dark times because otherwise, I know that I would really be doing crazy. If music industry had completely halted like the rest of the word has, I have no idea what I would be doing or where my head would be right now. I know that so many of us are already going crazy with no sports to watch; I knew that I was a huge sports fan, but I never realized how much of what I watch is related to sports. I have never felt like there is nothing for me to watch on Youtube or Netflix, but not that I have no sports to watch, I feel like I have watched everything I can on those sites now. Just like there have been quite a few big artists dropping great songs and albums lately, there have always been so many local artists to Milwaukee and the Chicago area dropping some great music as well. I feel like it has been too long since I wrote about some of the local artists that have been killing it lately, so this article is strictly devoted to them. With that being said, here is a list of some great songs from some artists that I feel like need to be heard by way more people. If like any of these songs, or know of any other Milwaukee/Chicago area music that I should check out, tell me about it in the comments below!

RICH N****A POET – GWAPO CHAPO

‘Rich N****a Poet’ is the latest single from the rapper who is doing as good of a job as anyone has done in the last few years at breaking out of the Milwaukee music scene and making it big. Gwapo Chapo is one of the leader’s of a group great young drill rappers from Milwaukee(a few of which are also in this article) that have been making waves on Soundcloud and Youtube over the last few years, putting more eyes on Milwaukee Hip Hop than there have been in a while(If you’re interested in learning more about Gwapo Chapo and some of the other good Milwaukee drill rappers, check out the “Milwaukee” tag at the end of this article). ‘Rich N****a Poet’ has that super melancholy and dark vibe that I love about drill music. The melody sounds like something that should be played in a horror movie; I just love how creepy and chilling it is. As usual, Gwapo Chapo’s super gruff and catchy vocal tone and a super killer flow on this track that will draw the listener in immediately. If you are into rappers like Tee Grizzley, Lil Reese, or Chief Keep, I know that you will like Gwapo Chapo as well, so stream ‘Rich N****a Poet’ below!

OUT THE MUDD – SOLOWKE

Solowke is another drill rapper from Milwaukee that has made waves online over the last couple of years. One thing that is immediately recognizable about Solowke is his voice and flow. Solowke has a very big and loud-sounding voice that reminds me a lot of Gucci Mane, and an off-kilter flow that sounds a lot like E-40. Solowke is the type of artist that you will immediately remember when you listen to him because of how unique his voice and his flow are. ‘Out the Mudd’ is a retrospective song about how Solowke had to grow up and get to where he is today; he raps about all things and activities that happen in the streets, bragging about how he has gotten rich off of his promiscuous actions. ‘Out the Mudd’ has a super sick instrumental that has a really hard and distorted underlying bass line that I absolutely love. The instrumental for this song just goes so hard, and it definitely matches the gruff energy that Solowke is rapping with. ‘Out the Mudd’ is another great drill track that you will love if you are into that kind of music, or if you like the track above by Gwapo Chapo.

STACK IT UP – HOOD MVP

‘Stack It Up’ is the latest single from Chicago Area rapper Hood MVP, and is the last single he released before dropping his new mixtape Lil Huemungus: Litty As a Titty which just came out. This song is just as hype and hard-hitting as the last song I reviewed by him, ‘Cappin,;’ this song is intense as hell, and it would be really great to listen to in any high energy situation. This is the kind of song that would be excellent to listen to while you are getting ready for a football or basketball game. Once again, Hood MVP’s flow reminds me of Waka Flocka Flame in the late 2000s. The instrumental is also super fierce; it has that super tough Chicago trap sound that Hood MVP excels at rapping over. If you are looking for a new hard as hell rap song to listen to while you are stuck inside killing dude on Call of Duty during this seemingly eternal quarantine that we are stuck in, or if you’re just looking for a good song to work out to, ‘Stack It Up’ is a track that you should add to your playlist.

HELLA GOOD(FREESTYLE) – MIGGY BARS

Miggy Bars is a fast-rising rapper hailing from Racine, Wisconsin who has been prolific with his output over the last couple of years, showing off a really impressive amount of diversity as an artist during this time. One thing that is great about Miggy Bars is that regardless of the overall sound or vibe of the instrumental from the song is, you can always depend that he will have a super kill flow. The name Miggy Bars is a very fitting name for him because this guy really does have bars for days. His flow sort of reminds me of early 2000s rappers like Eminem, Cam’ron, or 50 Cent; this style of rapping is not too common these days, and the fact that he is rapping this way over very modern-sounding instrumentals definitely makes his sound stick out. ‘Hella Good’ has a super catchy instrumental that is sort of a mix of 90s New York Party Rap music and up-tempo Atlanta Trap music; the beat is simple but perfect, with the distorted bassline making it really fun and interesting. Miggy Bars lives up to his name more than ever on this track, and his rapping equals the fun and hard nature of the instrumental. If you are into lyrical rappers, Miggy Bars is someone that you need to start listening to immediately.

DON’T WANNA – SEAN SISON

One thing that is super cool about genres like EDM, Electro-Pop, and Bedroom Pop, is that they can be truly DIY and can be produced or made in any location. You’re favorite Electronic Producer could very well be living in your city, and you might not even know it. Sean Sison is an excellent example of this, being a producer from Milwaukee with millions of streams online. Milwaukee is not a city that is really known for artists that make Electro-Pop or Future Bass music, but Sean Sison is a super talented producer that may be starting to change that. His latest single, ‘Don’t Wanna,’ is one of my favorite songs right now; this track is just so catchy and so great, and I have had it on repeat for the last couple of weeks when I am not listening to other music that I am writing about. I love everything about this song, from the very personal-sounding and emotional lyricism to the vocal tones and vocal distortions used to the very Flume-style drop that comes after the chorus of the track. This song is just so excellently produced and is a perfect chill Future Bass Electro-Pop track, and it is songs like this that make me very excited to see what Sean is going to do next because it is obvious that he is going to be a star.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE? – FUZZYSURF

If you were looking for a new Pop-Rock track that is super chill and will definitely brighten your mood, look no further than the latest song from Milwaukee’s own Fuzzysurf, called ‘How Do You Decide?’ Fuzzysurf is an artist that I have been following for a while now because their sound and style is so unique compared to the other music being made today(I actually mentioned them in an article I wrote at the end of last year about some of the artists from Milwaukee that I am really looking forward to hearing from in 2020, so you should definitely go check that article out after reading this). ‘How Do You Decide?’, similar to a lot of other music by Fuzzysurf, has this super catchy and bright-sounding Surf Rock vibe that reminds me a lot of The Beach Boys and The Monkees. I swear, if you were to randomly hear this song with no context, I bet you would assume that it was made in the 1960s. Fuzzysurf’s ‘How Do You Decide?’ is the perfect track to play on repeat to get you through this quarantine, as the vibe of it is just so light and chill and it is bound to put you in a great mood! If you are into Pop-Rock or Retro-sounding rock music, I know that you will love this track.