The last time I wrote about all of the new music coming out of Milwaukee lately, I commented on the fact that it feels like the music industry has gotten off to a very slow start as a whole this year. Unfortunately, I feel like that is still the case. With how prolific so many artists within the industry have been over the last few years(especially in Hip Hop), one would think more albums would have come out this year considering a quarter of 2021 is already done. Now that things are starting to open up around the country, it feels like things should be starting to pick up, but for the most part that just has not happened. Thankfully, Milwaukee musicians have not followed that trend. There have been so many artists in Milwaukee who have been releasing so much new music, taking advantage of the void created by a lot of the rest of the music industry. Because of this, I feel like Milwaukee music is thriving more than ever right now. Music coming out of Milwaukee as a whole is as popular as it has ever been. There is always so much great and eclectic music coming out of Milwaukee, and I am glad the world is starting to appreciate the awesome artists we have here. With that being said, here are some of my favorite new songs from some great Milwaukee musicians. Please let me know in the comments below if you enjoy any of these songs as well, and also tell me about some other great songs from Milwaukee that I may have missed out on.

WAVE CHAPELLE – BREAKING IN

As I stated last time I wrote about him, Wave Chapelle is working as hard(if not harder) as any Hip Hop artist in the game right now. He has committed to releasing 52 songs in 2021, with each month having a different color that bundles the songs from that month into a pack. Now that it is April, we are now receiving the Green Pack. To start the month, Wave Chapelle released the song ‘Locked In.’ I love the instrumental on this song. the instrumental has an R&B feeling to it, and its pace fluctuates between fast and slow. Wave Chapelle’s flow on this track is immaculate; he rides the beat perfectly as it changes throughout the song and keeps the listener very engaged with the track. His latest release, ‘Breaking In,’ has a hard but sort of low-key Trap feeling to it that complements Wave Chapelle’s rapping style perfectly. The melody, which sounds like it was created by an organ, is very catchy and pretty simple. The fact that the instrumental has this simple quality once again forces the listener to focus on Wave Chapelle’s rapping. He has a super energetic and infectious flow and vocal style on this track that reminds me a lot of Meek Mill. ‘Breaking In’ is a braggadocious track where Wave Chapelle is telling the listeners why he deserves everything coming to him. He knows that he works very hard and is extremely talented, and there is a reason he rises to the cream of the crop when it comes to Milwaukee Hip Hop time and time again. If you are into infectious and fun Trap music, you should definitely download both of these tracks.

GRACE WEBER FEAT. CHANCE THE RAPPER – THRU THE FIRE

Grace Weber has been seen as one of Milwaukee’s biggest musical prodigy’s for a while now. Ever since starting her career while she was a student at NYU in 2011, she has garnered attention from national news and music outlets for her talents as an artist. Grace has always taken a unique approach to music, toeing the line between old school and ultra-modern in an interesting way. In 2016, she earned a Grammy for her contribution in songwriting to Chance the Rapper and Kanye West’s hit ‘All I Got.’ from the album Coloring Book. This helped propel her career to the next level, and this collaboration ended up being very beneficial to her career in so many ways. One of the biggest ways it helped her is the fact that Chance The Rapper’s band, The Social Experiment, is now producing her debut album which comes out later this year. Her newest single, ‘Thru The Fire,’ actually features Chance himself. This song reminds me a lot of some of the music on Coloring Book. The production is very grand and bold and has that Gospel-Jazz sound that was so prevalent on that album. ‘Thru the Fire’ is an inspiring track about keeping on track and fighting when things look bleak. If you have a dream or a goal you are working towards, you have to not get discouraged and try to make a little progress every day. ‘Thru the Fire’ is such an uplifting and cool track, and I can not wait to hear Grace Weber’s album when it comes out later this year.

ELI $TONES – EVERYTHING I GOT

If you follow this blog and have read my articles about music from Milwaukee, you should know how much I like Eli $tones. The last time I covered this topic, I wrote about one of his tracks, and also he was featured because I enjoy his music so much. Eli $tones is a very diverse Hip Hop artist who can not be put in a box. He can excel in multiple kinds of Hip Hop’s subgenres, with his music ranging from smoother R&B tinted music that reminds me of Drake to more brash and intense Hip Hop that is more reminiscent of artists like IDK, Key, or G Herbo. His latest track, ‘Everything I Got,’ is a smoother and more laid-back joint that brings me back to early 2010s era West Coast weed rap. The instrumental for this one is very calm and fun; it makes me want to take a long drive while blasting music with the windows down at night. Eli’s flow on this song is super even-tempered and nice to listen to as well. It sort of reminds me of G Eazy with how silky and relaxed it is. ‘Everything I Got’ is just such a free and easy song that is very fun to listen to. It is an example of another kind of music that Eli $tones can excel at, and I can not wait to see what he does next.

Note: As I was writing this piece, Eli $tones released another song called ‘Booted Up.’ This is a track with yet another sound and style that sticks out from the rest of his music. It has a subtle and easy-going Melodic Trap instrumental. Eli $tones’ flow is infectious and smooth on ‘Booted Up.’ this song makes me want to go on a drive on a hot summer night because it is so mellow and serene. ‘Booted Up’ is just another example of a type of Hip Hop Eli $tones can make and yet again shows how his music can be.

DONOVAN SHERROD – OFF THE PORCH

Donovan Sherrod is a rising Milwaukee artist who has a ton of charisma and character on the microphone. He has extremely witty and interesting lyricism, and he has the ability to switch between rapping and singing in a way that not many artists can do. He originally broke through with his EP Mixed Emotions, which came out early last year and ever since has been gaining a ton of popularity online because he is very unique and talented. His latest single, ‘Off The Porch,’ is a song that demonstrates everything that makes him a great artist. His vocals on the chorus are captivating; you can hear the emotion and pain in his voice, and it resonates with me as a listener in a pretty intense way. The verses on this song are so honest and real. On ‘Off The Porch,’ Donovan Sherrod truly gives the listener a glimpse of his life. It has taken a lot of time and effort for him to get to the point he is at right now, and all of the struggles he has gone through are exhibited on this track in a very raw way. If you are a fan of serious and tough rap music about coming up from the bottom. ‘Off The Porch’ by Donovan Sherrod is a song you need to download.

SGOD KING – FIRED UP

SGOD King is a rising Milwaukee artist that straddles the line between melodic Trap and R&B in a very interesting and eclectic way. If you listen to all of his music, it seems like he can fade in and out of these genres at will. At times, he reminds me of artists like 6lack or Rod Wave, and at times he reminds me of rappers like YFN Lucci and YK Osiris. I love how he can make some music that sounds strictly R&B and some music that is strictly Trap. His latest track, ‘Fired Up,’ actually has elements of both R&B and melodic Trap to it. This song actually reminds me of a lot of Drake’s melodic music, as it is tough to put this track into a box or a specific genre. On ‘Fired Up,’ SGOD King is talking about a girl who he wants but he knows is bad for him. Even though he and the girl are attracted to each other, he knows that it will ultimately not work out for them in the long run and that he should just focus on himself instead of trying to get her. I love how SGOD King jumps between vocal styles on this track. Most of the song has a melodic rap flow and sound, but one of the verses is sung in the style of an R&B song and almost sounds like a feature because it is very different from the rest of the vocals. If you are into Melodic Trap with an R&B tint that makes you want to dance, ‘Fired Up’ by SGOD King is a song you should download.

HUEY V – PERSUASION

Huey V is another rising star from Milwaukee whose sound fits in so well with the melodic Trap music that is so big today. After the success of his debut mixtape Get Well Soon, which came out in 2018, he ended up getting a record deal with Warehouse Music Group and moved to Miami to work with top-level producers and continue to develop his craft. Huey V has a very dark and sad undertone to a lot of his music; he tends to use his music as therapy, putting his deepest and darkest thoughts onto so many of his tracks. This approach making music makes him seem super relatable to listeners; he does not sugarcoat anything, and the gloomy nature of his lyrics draws in so many listeners who have similar feelings about their lives to him. ‘Persuasion’ is a hit single from his new mixtape As Above, which came out earlier this month. On ‘Persuasion,’ Huey V is trying to tell his girl that he needs loyalty from her. He will provide her with all that she needs in his way, but he needs her to commit to him and stay by his side. The production of this song is crazy. I love the violin sounds that provide the melody, as they provide so much texture and sophistication to the track. Huey V’s vocals are great as well. Huey V has a voice that reminds me a lot of rappers like Roddy Ricch and DJ Luke Nasty. If you are a fan of melodic Trap music, Huey V is an artist you need to start listening to.