SnapShot Press Release: Milwaukee Pull Up, It's a "Partyat4" | A Milwaukee 'Ish interview with Partyat4
/I believe the phrase “renaissance man” is overused.
Where it is defined as, “a person with many talents or areas of knowledge” that theory of humanism has long been surpassed by the reality we call the 21st century [You know the era of social media, Artificial Intelligence, BBL’s, Catfishing, & fake “real” N*gg*s].
But with that critique also comes the opportunity to coin a new phrase for a man who embodies various talents, has an authentic aura, and carries his grace with just enough posturing to appeal to a mass audience of tastemakers and fan like dreamers. Maybe we should call him a “virtuoso of the era” or maybe we can just make the moniker fit the prototype.
Let’s just call him . . . Partyat4.
Now everybody knows that I firmly believe [& I have the receipts] that Milwaukee breeds creative genius [I said, what I said. So fight me!]. However, that creativity is usually mystified by the infantile infrastructure big money has mishandled. So our talent usually sees a need to leave our “little big-city” to make things pop. The problem with that is some never come back and totally disown their 414 roots. So when we were informed that Partyat4 was repping his native land and showing his face around these parts, we were pleasantly surprised [& also curious what part of town he is from, where his grandma stay, and what he rep when “Who You Wit” by Lil John come on LMAO].
So when your /CW Fam was invited to his Meet & Greet / Listening Session happening at Scene 1 Restaurant & Lounge MKE [5526 W North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53208] on April 27th, 2023 we accepted [with the caveat that we would like to chat with the man of the hour]. What follows is that very casual, “Let’s just do a Milwaukee a** interview” we had standing on the block in front of a red sprinter van covered in images of Partyat4, with all his people around [What a mutha f’n sight to see LOL].
CW: “First of all, why are you HERE?”
Partyat4: “It was my son's birthday. My first born, London. Then after that I had the listening session. So I felt it was more conducive to stay the whole week instead of flying back.”
Back to ATL that is. With a buzzing music & creative market, Atlanta has become the base camp for many Milwaukee linked talents [Including K Camp, Lakeyah, and Josie Thompson]. With one of his good friends from high school [S/O B] moving to Atlanta and him feeling Atlanta to have a strong music culture when he made his decision to move three years ago, it just felt right.
CW: “There is this idea that people don’t make it out of Milwaukee or that there is no talent in Milwaukee. . .”
Partyat4: “It’s a stigma.” He said with a playfully smug look on his face.
CW: “It is a stigma. It’s definitely a thing. But you are a multifaceted talent. Of course, I have interviewed many recording artists before. But I was really intrigued [that, that's not all you do].”
His creative punch card includes, Fashion [yep, he can design & sew], visual arts [like drawing & painting, somebody get this man in the gallery], culinary arts [his PR team informed us he was once upon a time a Hyatt chef], and his music lexicon includes rapping, singing, song writing, and production [get’er done then!]. With those skills fitting several of CopyWrite’s pillars of focus [Art, Music. Fashion, Community, and Culture], we could do a whole magazine issue on him.
*wink wink, nudge nudge*
Partyat4: “Yea, I just hate to put myself in a box. I’m all about expression and creativity in general. So I paint, I sew, I am definitely into fashion. I just hate everybody wearing the same sh*t, so to speak. Excuse my belligerence and what not. . .”
Belligerence, Sma-lligerence! I have heard and seen some crazy sh*t in my time covering the creative scene. One of the craziest is that cookie cutter, straight off the mannequin style that these “sheeple” try to pass off as originality. Speak your truth my guy! No apologies needed here.
Partyat4: “I just try to be unique the best way I can. It’s 2023 everybody is doing their own thing. Whether it’s podcasting or selling something or cosmetics. . . I just try to be me to the best of my capacity.”
And that's not that easy to do in an industry that is known for making individuals “more marketable”. But maybe that’s just it. Maybe there is really a space for someone to fit the mold and break it at the same time.
CW: “How did you figure out that you had all of those different types of talents?”
Partyat4: “Just being bored really. I had a sewing machine a few years ago. But I just got another one [a gift]. . . I was kind of board at 3AM and I had just smoked my last blunt and the weed man was sleep. . .” [That’s what we call a tragedy lol]. “So I just got the f*ckin with the sewing machine. I probably watched a minute and a half video on how to thread my particular model. After that I just got to freakin’ sh*t.”
But hear me out though, ya man's is cold! I checked out a few of his pieces on IG and he takes that DIY steez to a whole different universe. [Those Beatles and Mushroom Booty carpet pants go crazy!]
Partyat4: “I think people, as individuals, we get stuck at the learning curve. We be scared to initiate things. But once you get past that and jump off the porch, if you will, you can be surprised at what you can do. Like ingenuity wise you can do anything.”
Partyat4 & Lexi S. Brunson, editor-in-chief of /CW | /CW image
Now of course I didn’t stray away from the big question of “Why” leave milwaukee when his talents would allow him to probably make it anywhere and he was honest that something just didn’t make this space feel like the catalyst.
Partyat4: “I just felt like in Atlanta the culture was more music oriented. People there are helping each other. They are more intune with what is going on and on an individual level it feels like people want to see each other win. Not to say anything negative or cognizant of Milwaukee culture. But I just feel like something here, whether it's gate keepers or something, it keeps us in a shell.”
Are y'all listening out there? Hello, is this thing on? *pats imaginary microphone hard*
The narrative is repetitive. We have heard this story and thus, it holds weight. A weight that is quite costly in an era that no longer relies on manual labor but on the contrary Culture [Big C], Community [Bigger C], and Capital [C.R.E.A.M. , Biggest C].
Partyat4: “I appreciate [Atlanta] for that. I mean I be low down there. But still.” He laughed humbly.
There is nothing wrong with being low. It actually allows you to analyze a space, then ebb and flow as you desire. Its strategy and it creates the spark of greatness.
CW: “I think it's okay to be low down there and then somewhere like here [in Milwaukee] you could be a star. I think it's also about cultivating that love at home, and look, you’re here. There are a lot of people from Milwaukee that don’t rep Milwaukee. So the fact that you are even here we fux with that.”
Partyat4: “On the low, not to say no names but there are alot of people from here and they act like they are from where they got poppin at.” [Read between the lines this whole article is a smoke signal].
CW: “Ohhh you noticed that too?”. I said sarcastically. Because, yall funny and we see you!
Partyat4: “Yeaaaaaa!”, he said with the same sarcastic cadence. “That's cute or whatever. But like for me, I moved away but it was more for stimulation of what I had going on. And n*gg*s show love here and I had a great turnout tonight so I’m blessed for that. But it's something about when you can move away and I’m very competitive. . . but it just feels really good to not only come home and get support but be somewhere else, where you're not from, and get that same support where people come out because they believe in what you are doing. It makes you go that much harder.”
Partyat4 performing a live set a Scene 1 Restaurant & Lounge MKE | /CW Video
We believe that Milwaukee definitely has the fandom to pour into its talent but the creative infrastructure is still on the rise. We know big labels have been tip-toeing into our showcases, parlaying with the DJ’s, and sitting in our clubs looking for hungry MKE acts to sit on their rosters before the door burst opens and we are permanently on the map. It’s noted but transparency would probably feed more of us. Just sayin’.
The work Partyat4 is doing is a part of that story. It is a part of a bigger picture that has been shadowed by the decline of the industrial revolution in the midwest, the “I didn’t know Black people lived in Milwaukee” foolery that comes from the ignorance of our rich cultural history, plus the beer and cheese motif that disregards how many of us have more girth to us then that.
CW: “A part of my job is holding people accountable. So you are HERE. I am HERE. The request was to show up & show out. So I showed up & I’m showing out.”
Partyat4: “And I appreciate that.”
CW: “So I really want our audience base to know who you are and that is our Milwaukee Creatives. That’s who I serve. Since you are this multifaceted talent, you have something to share. That means you have to come home every once and a while for that to happen.”
Partyat4: “My kids are here so I have no choice but to come back. I’m blessed to have other obligations so I am on the road a lot but I’m here fasho. I’m only an hour and half away flight wise.”
CW: “Okay! And we are going to make sure of that!”
Real. Rap. Raw. It’s not a threat but a friendly promise. With a network of community supporting Partyat4 [like our media family at Hyfin and all the CORE DJ’s who showed up that night] and other creatives that blossom from “The Good Land”, we can change the game. Oh and trust, these ways we play to win.
CW: “We want to see you at the radio stations. We want to see you on our stages. So get you a** in there. You have to get acclimated. I think it's really important that when we have talent that is making the waves that you are making, we make a notation and vice versa. So we will be on the lookout. We will be watching for you. We want to see more of you. Bigger venues. Bigger turn outs. Let's make it happen. Let's make it pop.”
Partyat4: “Oh man, I’m trying to turn sh*t up. I’m Party for a reason.”
CW: “Emmm hmmm. Partyat4! Why didn’t this party start at 4? We were ready then!”
We all blurted out in laughter. “Noooo…it ends at 4!”said one of his guys standing nearby, peeping our whole conversation.
But my “still young enough to take risks, but too old to know better” aged self had to leave around 11:30PM LOL. But not before asking the classic journalistic question of “What can we expect next?”.
Peep the strategic timing of this write up with Partyat4’s remix of “To Da Moon” Ft. Toosii, dropping this Friday, May 12th, 2023, with Its original release honored on Billboard Top 30 hit singles. [Like I said, we are going to make sure that Partyat4 is on our community's radar, so go check that out].
Partyat4: “Y’all can expect my kids to grow. . .”, [Now everybody knows /CW loves a proud parent #CWLovesDaKids]. “Y’all can expect a project coming soon. I’m ready to rap y'all mutha F*ckin heads off. . .”
CW: “You got bars. I ain't even going to lie.”
Partyat4: “I appreciate that. Y’all can also expect some singles and I’m trying to get the song “Touch Down” dropped. I should have played that tonight. But I’ma get back to it. There's a lot of stuff coming down the pipeline for me. My mind is like a stock exchange board. It just ticks all day. . .I’m also going to put out a capsule of clothes that you can buy. . . we got all that coming. I’m just trying to captivate and entice the audience. No offense to anybody but sometimes music gets on dry spells and it has high notes but we are trying to be all falsettos. A whole lot of high notes.”
Ohhhhh dude said that! LOL
And we rock with it. Whether it's Rap, R&B, Country, Rock, or whatever he can do to hit y’all eardrums he is game for it.
Partyat4: “So respectfully, and again excuse my belligerence, we are here to stay!”
Now somebody gotta shake my hand folks because I got the commitment of a lifetime on the strength of me loving my city. . .
CW: “I have to put you on the spot now. Would you consider collaborating with some Milwaukee artist? And not just music, but art, fashion, all that?
Partyat4: “Indubitably. Yes. Absolutely. . . I mean I be talkin’ sh*t too. So we can get a stand up set and crack some jokes”.
Word? Well let’s do the damn thang! Because if you stay ready, you aint gotta get ready.
& Milwaukee, well . . . we been ready.
Love & All Things Urban,
Lexi S. Brunson | Editor-in-Chief /CW
HAPPY 4-1-4 DAY FROM YOUR /CW FAM!
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At /CW we love to #SupportTheLocal & for us that’s the 414!
Stay in the loop by signing up for our /CW newsletter where we keep you plugged in our creative community, poppin’ events, giveaways, and more.
Help Our Neighbor, Shakkiah Curtis | The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) & Milwaukee Visionaries of the Year
/Help Our Neighboor, Shakkiah Curtis of Spinn MKE, raise money for raise money and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
A message from Shakkiah:
I’m running my campaign in honor of my mom. As some of you may know, when I was 17 years old, my mom had a blood clot that brought her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. The doctors didn’t know much about her specific blood disorder, and it was first treated like Leukemia, then Sickle Cell Disease and now fast forward to 15 years later and they still don’t have a specific diagnosis for her. I remember being so frustrated as a teenager that my mom was sick and spent way too many nights at the hospital. My mom recently moved to Atlanta for her care where she is still on medications, receiving blood transfusions, and currently battling seizures…and I’m still frustrated. My mom deserves a diagnosis and specific treatment catered to her diagnosis.
We were so thankful that LLS was there to provide us with resources but there is still so much more work that needs to be done. I am proud to share that LLS is leaving no stone unturned in the fight for equity in healthcare and this includes:
Making sure EVERY patient has access to clinical trials
Preventing discrimination against cancer patients on the basis of race, color, and other factors
Ensuring robust data collection in healthcare that allows us to better understand our progress in addressing racism—and the work that remains
I believe that through better access to clinical trials and better access to healthcare we can hopefully get answers to someone like my mom much sooner.
My team’s goal is to raise $50,000 between March 30thand June 10th. It’s a lofty goal, but I know with the support of my community we can make it happen and I need your help. There are a few ways you can support my fundraising efforts:
Donate via my personal fundraising page:https://pages.lls.org/voy/wi/wi23/dcurtis
Share my message & fundraising link with your contacts via email or social media
Donate a silent auction item that can be used for the Grand Finale Gala auction
Help me secure a corporate sponsorship(Sponsorships start at $5,000 and sponsors receive Gala benefits)
Thank you for your generosity and support. Your donation truly makes a difference and with your help, we’re one step closer to a cure for blood cancers.
A Milwaukee For All | Greater Milwaukee Foundation Strategic Vision for 2020-2025
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The Greater Milwaukee Foundation serves the whole community. As a partner of choice for generous donors, as a champion for our nonprofit sector, as a convener of diverse voices and ideas – we have been woven into the fabric of this region for 105 years. But our legacy together is just the beginning. We are committed to expanding our table, deepening our impact and innovating for a brighter future where everyone thrives. A new tomorrow starts today.
After a year that brought both a global pandemic and an uprising for racial justice, the question we face is not how we rebuild Milwaukee—but how we build a better Milwaukee.
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation envisions a community of thriving neighborhoods that welcomes, includes, and develops the potential of all people. A region that serves as a beacon for the nation. A Milwaukee for all.
But there’s a fault line running through every system we live with today: racism. It’s more than just the disparities and segregation we all know too well. Its many legacies and effects represent the greatest threat to our future as a region.
No one can take on a challenge like this alone: no individual, no institution, no neighborhood. It will take all of us — and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation is how Milwaukee works together.
This is the driving purpose behind our new strategic plan for 2020-25: overcoming our racial divisions to build a Milwaukee for all. It arises from years of listening and learning with our community — and now we’re calling on our entire community to join us in this generational undertaking.
Following our North Star to build a Milwaukee for all The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is committed to building a Milwaukee for all. This work is guided by our North Star of racial equity and inclusion.
*info provided by INPOWER
Ace Parker - 3:17 [Album]
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On January 20th, Ace Parker dropped a full length Album titled “3:17” and it really makes me want to tap into that extroverted energy! By itself it is the perfect playlist for going through the highs and lows of every emotion that comes with the reality of ‘Flexin.’’ The analogy that comes to mind with this theme is the motions that we go through when preparing for a night out; The anticipation that comes with getting dressed, beating your face and pre-gaming with your crew, hair flipping away because you just know that the flex is real and you deserve it, that super litty car ride all the way to the club, and finally that emotional car ride home after you've confessed your heart to your homies and said ‘forget so-and-so’ about 50’leven times is embodied throughout this entire Album. Bangers like ”Sommer” and ”Boogie” are meant for the whip. The high energy beats combined with the charisma of Parker will keep you moving non-stop. The transparent, yet slightly comedic delivery used in “Down Bad” is the last of that ego boost for the listener to absorb before getting gut punched by the tunes that follow. “Sorry I'm late,” and “Anybody” are just a couple of the more somber bunch of songs that close out the Album. Parker shares what's real about the behind the scenes of ‘leveling up.’ It looks like fun and that you are above everyone and everything but the truth is that It's lonely, dark, and leaves room for uncertainty. It's not even clear what the purpose of leveling up really is at times, nonetheless, it's always the right path. In the words of Ace Parker himself “...There’ll be better days..Feel the pain, you're okay, check the time, roll again...” .
Tell me how YOU feel about “3:17” Milwaukee.
/Naomi-Re’a for CW
Wisconsin Conservation Voters is hiring a Communications Specialist
/*Information provided by Erin Bloodgood | Communications Manager Wisconsin Conservation Voters
Wisconsin Conservation Voters is hiring a Communications Specialist!
Fighting for action on key issues like climate change, safe drinking water, and democracy has never been more urgent. Wisconsin Conservation Voters (WCV) is seeking to add to our team a passionate, strategic, and collaborative Communications Specialist who will use their skills to engage decision-makers, media, our members, and the public to advocate for climate solutions and other key issues at all levels of government.
The right person for this position will use their knowledge and the strength of the organization to ensure that racial justice and equity are incorporated into environmental and democracy policy-making. This full-time position will last one year with the possibility of extension through the November 2022 election. This position can be based in Madison, Wisconsin, but there is flexibility around location within Wisconsin
Who we are
Wisconsin Conservation Voters engages voters to protect Wisconsin’s environment. To achieve that, Wisconsin Conservation Voters advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-conservation candidates who will champion our priority issues. Learn more about us at conservationvoters.org.
What you'll do
Support Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ communication and marketing efforts by working closely with the Communications Director and Communications Manager. This position has an emphasis on developing written content for internal and external communications, including content for members, media materials, online presence, and more.
The Communications Specialist also assists with email marketing, events, and other activities. This position develops content for our digital program including social media, email, and website with occasional design responsibilities, working in alignment with the Communications Director and with independent vendors as required.
As an essential part of our Clean Energy for All campaign, the Communications Specialist will develop strategy and tactics to amplify and execute work on federal clean energy policy and connect that work to Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ overall strategy.
Specifics of the job include (but are not limited to):
Write emails, press releases, website content, news articles, social media toolkits, letters of support, letters to the editor, and public service announcements.
Assist in creating communications that promote our work, engage the public, and advance our priority campaigns.
Develop relationships with relevant media outlets.
Implement creative social media campaigns including, but not limited to, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Assist in creating paid digital campaigns across marketing channels.
Offer rapid response as needed and quickly engage and mobilize supporters with content/direction.
Maintain and update program website(s) content.
To succeed in this job, you:
You are able to work well in a team and manage projects that require input from multiple staff and across departments as well as with our partners and legislative champions.
Are comfortable working with people of different political ideologies, racial identities, ages, and socio-economic differences.
Share our commitment to increasing racial justice and equity in the conservation movement.
Are nimble and can adjust strategies and tactics based on the fast-moving nature of the legislature and Congress.
Value learning, are curious, and like to seek out new ideas and opportunities for personal growth and improvement.
Are excited to engage voters and others to fight for a clean environment, a healthy future, and a fair democracy for all Wisconsinites.
Additional valued skills:
Experience with graphic design, photography skills, video skills, and other content creation.
Journalism experience or an understanding of how to work with newsrooms and media contacts.
What you should know
Physical requirements: Ability to use a computer for long periods of time, use a telephone, and perform other routine office duties.
Conditions: This position can be based in Madison, but the location is flexible. Due to COVID-19, the ability to work from home is required for the near future. Some evening and weekend work is required, and during busy times you should have the flexibility to work hours exceeding regular office hours to get the job done. The position is full time, temporary, and classified as exempt.
Salary and benefits: $40,000 to $48,000 annual salary based on experience plus health and dental coverage, technology stipend, and paid time off.
Reports to: Communications Director
Our commitment to racial justice and equity: We recognize that historic and current systems and decisions – including within the conservation community – have created injustice. Through our work we confront these injustices and fight for an equitable balance of power. We hold ourselves accountable to being inclusive and equitable in our own actions and within our organization. Read more about our commitment in our Guiding Principles here.
To apply
Email your resume, cover letter, and three references by July 19 to apply@conservationvoters.org, with “Communications Specialist” in the subject line. This position has a flexible start date in August 2021.
Dubb Saq - Dubb is Down (EP Submission)
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If heartbreak produces this type of work, babyyyyyyy make it hurt!
Dubb Saq is coming in strong with his EP Dubb is Down. Coming out of a heavy breakup, his music now seems matured and reflective. With a clean 5 tracks he stays on the topic [whoever ol’ girl is must be feeling ‘some type of way’]. It’s clean production. Melodic with cutting lyricism. Its fresh enough for the new era of synthesized hip hop listeners but still structured enough for the seasoned to ride the wave.
Our favorite track without a doubt is “i could never”, because real rap raw. . . WE COULD NEVER! And of course we will be adding it to our #CWApproved Spotify playlist.
When you need some music for the love-aftermath. . . This is the EP for the moment.
/CW
Elliott - Clarify and Grow [Project Submission]
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You can hear the God in him and that is something to fear.
Elliott is introducing himself to the /CW audience base with an assertive project he calls Clarify and Grow. This project challenges the track to success. College, music, money, religion, love, dreams, and realities. What are the options? What will be the outcome? It is too early to say, but there is no doubt that he is willing to work for it.
A crips 9 tracks with nostalgic production woven masterfully through, Elliott’s bars are not meaningless. They are stroked with layered ideologies, swaying in a space we like to call the “introduction to adulthood”, and drenched in the aura of something heavy to provoke or to prove.
“I’m a God body. I’m only living for the ni**as that would die by me”.
Where do we draw the genre line? Listen….we draw it wherever it moves you. This could be R&B, Hip Hop, New Era Gospel. It is what it is. The lifestyle is not a monolith and that’s the stuff we rock with.
Our favorite tracks are “Late For Class”, “More and Less”, and “The World We Live In”.
So we are going to have to make at least one #CWApproved.
Keep on the lookout for this new talent. We expect to be seeing more from him.
/CW
