As I have stated so many times before, Milwaukee has a lively and interesting underground Hip Hop scene that deserves more attention. When most people think of Milwaukee Rap, they think of intense and wacky Drill music. Starting in the mid-2010s with artists like Chicken P and continuing today with artists like Certified Trapper, Milwaukee Hip Hop is known for fast-paced and aggressive Drill beats and rappers with offbeat, unordinary flows. This is not the only kind of Hip Hop being made here, though. One of the most popular rappers from Milwaukee who pushes against that theme and style of music is DC the Don. DC The Don is a rising Milwaukee star who has been making waves online for quite a while. After originally getting some online acclaim due to his basketball skills, he started to gain traction in 2017 when his song ‘Everything 1K’ went viral. It garnered the attention of current NBA Lonzo Ball, who posted it all over his social media. This gave DC The Don the boost he needed to start pursuing music full-time. Since He originally went viral, DC The Don has been prolific in his output while steadily gaining popularity. In addition to a plethora of singles, he has released three full-length projects to this point: 2020’s Come As You Are, 2022’s My Own Worst Enemy, and 2023’s Sacred Heart (+). All three of these albums have performed pretty well as a whole(especially when compared to other Milwaukee rappers or just other rising rappers in general), with a few of his songs having flourished in popularity on streaming sites. When listening to DC The Don’s music, it is easy to hear that he is influenced come from a wide range of artists. He is a rapper who is at the cutting edge of what’s being done in Hip Hop while still showing appreciation for the old school. He has such a current sound and style but is still able to incorporate elements of older Rock and Hip Hop into his music in an organic way. DC The Don is an exciting young rapper who has everything it takes to make it big, and I think he could be on the verge of a major breakthrough very soon.

In the last month or so, DC The Don has released two singles in anticipation of his new album coming out on May 5. The first of these singles, ‘Hate Being Lonely,’ is a song that shows his uniqueness and diversity compared to other young popular rappers on the rise like him. This is an upbeat R&B Trap Track that not only sticks out among his own music but also sticks out among what is big in Hip Hop today in general. This song has a retro Pop-R&B element that I enjoy a lot. It reminds me of some of the Pop and R&B that were big in the late 2000s and early 2010s. ‘Hate Being Lonely’ has a bright and colorful synth-driven melody that will put anyone in a good mood when they hear it. It has the kind of melody that just makes me smile because of how warm it is. The beat on this track is punchy and fun, and it makes me want to dance. DC The Don’s vocal performance on this track is excellent, as it matches the cozy feeling that the song has. I like how he extends his notes and sings with a great amount of smoothness, as it makes the song even more pleasant-sounding than it already was. ‘Hate Being Lonely’ has a cheerful R&B Trap track that I think has everything it takes to be a club banger. The second single that DC The Don has released in the last month is called ‘12AM.’ This is another off-kilter track that has a sound that is distinctive in the best way. The best way I can describe this song is that it sounds inspired by artists like Playboi Carti or Lil Uzi Vert but also sounds inspired by artists like Disclosure and SBKRKT. It fuses pioneering Emo-Trap music with Deep House and Future Garage music. The melody for this song is very somber-sounding and is covered in distortion, and the beat is intense, dark, and otherworldly. On ‘12AM,’ DC The Don demonstrates how wide of a range he has as a vocalist, as well as how smooth his flow can be. This is not an easy beat to rap on, and the fact that he sounds so natural on it shows how talented of a rapper he is. ‘12AM’ is a song with an ultra-modern sound that fits in perfectly to the landscape of Hip Hop in 2023. 

DC The Don is an up-and-coming rapper who has everything it takes to be a superstar. He is an extremely adaptable artist with a variety of influences and a diverse sound that sets him apart within the Milwaukee music scene and the overall Hip Hop scene. He is an artist that has something for all Hip Hop fans; if you listen to his whole catalog, it is easy to see that he can make so many different kinds of Hip Hop music and that he is an artist with no limitations. I think that he is someone that everyone would be watching, and I would not be surprised if he breaks out in a major way very soon. Please check out his new album when it comes out on May 5(and read my write-up on this album when I post it), as DC The Don is a rapper that definitely deserves your attention.