What at time for "The Culture": So Greedy brings Skyzoo to MKE for a night we cant stop talking about.

Where were you this past Saturday night?

If you weren't at the Cactus Club (Milwaukee, WI), for “The Culture” set presented by So Greedy, featuring one of  Brooklyn's finest, Skyzoo, you missed out!

Hip-Hop Stand Up!

Milwaukee showed face with a crowd full of true Hip-Hop fans. From the “Youngins” to the “Old G’s”, they had the Cactus Club packed with energy, those culture vibes, and of course that bounce! Politickin’, politicians, artist, artistry, the scenes gatekeepers and the like, mixed it up for what looks like only a sample of what summer plans for Milwaukee could be.

Why did this night feel so right? Why was it the place to be? Well because it's symbolic!

Opening acts for Skyzoo were MKE’s very own Kareem City, Genesis Renji, with DJ Bizzon spinning on the 1s and 2s. The balance between the two generations of “local” fire, caped of by Skyzoo’s well anticipated first ever performance in Milwaukee shows a range of cultural appreciation and generational exchange that does not often get to simmer in one room, and it’s about time.

As DJ Bizzon mentioned in his exciting facebook post after Saturday's festivities:

“I get extremely tired of the new vs old rap conversations because to me, there is no separation and it's all dope. So, to watch both "generations" kill it and show the respect each deserves tops it all for me. Yall keep debating and Imma keep enjoying this music…”

“The Culture” set showed that the manifestation of greatness from the culture is tangible at all levels, every age, and I must say proudly, right in our own backyard.

Here are the highlights:

Kareem City, the well-vetted duo, came up strong with a character filled performance. Their presentation of “educated Trap”, mixed with the heavy lingo that takes you back to the time where lyricism was the key, and bringing us right into this era of political infractions scolded by bold hip-hop criticism was “mad disrespectful”, in all the right ways. Stepping into the crowd bringing us that cypher mode and passing out shots really set the tone for this celebration.

Genesis Renji, slated to go on House of Renji’s: The Life is Lucid Tour, this month, has set the bar “Oh-So-High” after his performance that night. Crisp, calculated and captivating, Genesis delivered story, craft, and crowd appeal like I have never seen before. Like seriously, the wordplay and flow have just turned into this “nice nasty” showmanship that you have no choice but to respect. As the youngest performer of the night, there was no flinch in the crowd when he delivered his interpretation of hip-hop. Pulling us into a versatile orbit of his catalog including some new fire off of a yet to be released project entitled “Hubris”. (And yes, I'm leaking all the info right now but  I got my hands on the fully mastered file of the goods and It’s probably his best work thus far. But shhh…. Don't tell anyone Lol).

Now SKYZOO:

Brooklyn makes legends. Skyzoo was amazing and not just because he was the headliner of the show. But because he brought everything to the table that reminds us of what hip-hop means. His persona, his delivery, his interaction with the crowd, he was there “In Celebration of US” (which is the name of his most recent album, if you didn't know) and he showed it. These are #BARS. Where he is very New York, he is very Skyzoo. As the beats banged he delivered what felt like instant classics, giving us an opportunity to rock with him. Then he would tell DJ Prince to cut the music so he could run the verse back, letting us hear the truth in his lyricism, moving past the sensationalism of the beats, letting the words speak for themselves. That is true mastery of the game. That intimacy proved authenticity and put the icing on the cake.  

I hope you're like “Damn I missed that?”, so the next time one of these mashups of culture come through in Milwaukee you won't hesitate to show up.

S/O to So Greedy and Cactus Club for hosting such a great event. I need more. We need more!

#SupportTheLocal

/Dirty (Editor-in-Chief of CW)