Long before I ever started clicking the keys of my laptop to write about Milwaukee hip-hop, there were others that had dedicated their time to writing about the culture and the scene they so loved.
One of those people is Geraud Blanks, former manager of Black Elephant and current manager of Element Everest. Geraud has been doing his part to cover the Milwaukee hip-hop scene for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and has recently announced that he will be doing a fantastic series about Milwaukee hip-hop's past, present and future.
"Starting Monday, Aug. 15, I will introduce an eight-part series called 'Milwaukee Hip-Hop: Past, Present & Future.' This targeted survey will feature more than 20 contributors from Milwaukee's hip-hop scene and will highlight artists who've contributed to its past and are actively building its future," he said.
Some of the contributors are names that you should be familiar with. People like Tony Neal, D. Ellzey, Steven Potter, The Rusty P's, DJ Aaron Wade, Track Lacer, Rob "Biko" Baker, Tone Criss and others will discuss the topic.
Born in Milwaukee and raised in the Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer, Concordia University Wisconsin alumnus Poppe has spent the majority of his life in or around the city and county of Milwaukee.
As an advocate of Milwaukee's hip-hop community Poppe began popular local music blog Milwaukee UP in March 2010. Check out the archived entries here.
Though heavy on the hip-hop, Poppe writes about other genres of music and occasionally about food, culture or sports, and is always ready to show his pride in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
