Stand w/ Riverwest FemFest 2019 (Sponsors still wanted)
/Want to put your name on something worth repping? Support by contributing to Riverwest FemFest 2019!
(See details below)
/CW
BOOK OF EDEN *CopyWrite Partnership Sponsored Event*
/Milwaukee rapper Genesis Renji brings his album ‘S.I.N.S: Stories I Never Shared’ to life. The show BOOK OF EDEN will be hosted on May 25th, 2019 at Company Brewing. Doors open at 10pm and the cover is $10. Online tickets are available for purchase for $7 at http://bookofeden.eventbrite.com or http://genesisrenji.com/tour.
Genesis Renji is a 26 year old rap artist focused on creating the highest quality of music he can, while pushing forward the narrative of self love accomplishment. Coming off a dynamic year in 2018, receiving a Murray Award, an Emmy nomination and a milestone performance at the Milwaukee Bucks halftime in November, Gen is looking to evolve his artistry and showmanship while sharing his truth.
BOOK OF EDEN serves as a night of sonic paradise. This will be the only time Genesis will ever perform the S.I.N.S album. Joining him for his live set are the Milwaukee duo Streetlight Society. The night will be opened with performances from Milwaukee songstresses Ammorelle, Jayne Joyce, and Amanda Huff.
The night will also be sponsored by Wisconsin businesses CopyWrite Magazine, The Fochshole, SayWerd Clothing, and the House Of Renji.
/CW
Happy Birthday Lexi !!!
/“She makes IT happen.”
(& she is also taking the day off lol)
/CW
Community Post: Local students to be awarded the Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship at City Hall
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*Info from Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – On Friday, May 17, 2019, at 6:30 p.m., The Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship Foundation (MFSF), in partnership with several local businesses and community organizations, will award graduating seniors with the Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 each. Nearly 100 students applied to be a Milwaukee’s Finest Scholar, but only 15 students were selected, making it one of the most competitive scholarships in Milwaukee County this year.
“As a Milwaukee native who graduated from Milwaukee Public Schools in 2013, I’ve witnessed first hand the lack of financial resources for deserving students who desire an education after their high school career,” explained Jerel Ballard, Founder of Milwaukee’s Finest. “It’s important that we continue to uplift foundations like Milwaukee’s Finest to encourage our youth regardless of their zip code or financial status.”
Students were selected by a Scholarship Review Panel consisting of local parents, educators, college students, and business owners. During the ceremony, honored students will receive a signature glass award with their name engraved on it, a congratulatory certificate from the Mayor of Milwaukee, the scholarship monetary award, and the title of being selected as a 2019 Milwaukee’s Finest Scholar. The Office of the Mayor will present the Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship Foundation with a proclamation during the award ceremony. This event is free and open to the public.
About the scholarship
Founded in 2016 by Jerel Ballard at the age of 21, The Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship Foundation has grown tremendously throughout the City of Milwaukee. Since its inception, more than $30,000 have been allocated towards scholarships for students who come from low-income backgrounds. The average donor for the foundation is only $25.
As a one-time, merit-based scholarship, these awards are given to individuals who demonstrate strong leadership traits and have a minimum of a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Unlike other scholarships, the funds are issued to the student directly and there are no stipulations on which college or university the scholar attends.
To date, Milwaukee’s Finest Scholars are enrolled at prestigious, historic and local universities across the country including Harvard University, UW-Madison and Milwaukee Area Technical College. Each student had to submit an essay answering the question, ‘How has growing up in Milwaukee shaped who you are as an individual?’ and ‘How do you plan to use what you’ve learned in Milwaukee County and apply that in your higher educational goals?’ More information on the scholarship can be found at www.mfsf.org.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Jerel Ballard, President
/CW
Trashman Shunny - "Time Well Spent" ft. King Myles (Video Submission)
/We’ve reviewed Hiii Tribe’s work on CW before, so they’re not new to this, they’re true to this. However today, we are highlighting just one member from the collective, Seattle artist, Trashman Shunny. He just dropped a new visual for his song “Time Well Spent,” which features fellow Hiii Tribe artist, King Myles, and is directed by Holleywould Filmwerks. This is Trashman Shunny’s latest single that will be on his upcoming album “Bob Lost”, dropping later this month on May 24th.
“‘Time Well Spent’ is about making the best of the time that you have before your time is all "spent." The music video takes place in both the studio and that classroom that nobody wanted to be in growing up. It's about finding that balance between what needs to be done and what makes your life worth living”
From time to time we like to let the viewers decide if the song is a flop or a bop, so let us know in the comments below what you think about this track!
& s/o to everyone at Hiii Tribe for all their support of CopyWrite! We see y’all! Follow Hiii Tribe's official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hiiitribe/
/CW
Experience True, Personal Forgiveness Stories at End of Season Slam! *Partnership Post*
/*Info Provided by Ex Fabula
Milwaukee, WI - May 8, 2019 Ex Fabula tellers return to the stage to compete for the title “Season 10 Audience Favorite”! Ex Fabula is wrapping up Season 10 with the annual ALL STARS event at Turner Hall Ballroom on Saturday, May 18th. This competitive curated StorySlam will return to Turner Hall Ballroom located in Downtown Milwaukee; doors open at 6:30pm, stories begin at 7:30pm.
What is Ex Fabula ALL STARS? ALL STARS is a StorySlam featuring community members who were voted “Audience Favorites” at regular season StorySlams; they’ll be returning to the stage to share new, 10-minute stories on the evening’s theme, “Forgiveness”. Audience members can also participate in the storytelling by submitting UltraShorts, which are brief, true personal stories written on slips of paper and then read onstage by the emcee. Then, at the end of the night, the audience votes and crowns a Season 10 Audience Favorite.
This year, the Audience Favorites are Elizabeth Brown, Julie Cole, Jude Treder-Wolff, Molly Snyder, Rick Karlson, and Matthew Lewis; these community members are currently crafting new prepared ten-minute stories to share at ALL STARS.
“Last year, the theme was ‘Connection’. The stories ran the gamut: love letters, brothers, addiction and recovery, spreading ashes, reconnecting with family roots, and even an unintentional bank robbery! ALL STARS is always a beautiful evening of feel-good entertainment and I’m so excited to hear the stories this year." says Executive Director, Megan McGee.
Ex Fabula is a Milwaukee nonprofit that has been strengthening community bonds through the art of storytelling since 2009. Please note this is an all ages event, highlighting a variety of stories. Because the nature of StorySlams, with true stories shared in an open-mic format, we do not control the content of the stories that might be shared.
ALL STARS advance tickets are available for $12 at the Pabst Theatre Group’s website; advance tickets are highly recommended and seating is general admission.
Oshi - Oshi (EP submission)
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“Delivering Flow and Rhymes, Oshi's Self- entitled EP plans to be a staple in Millennial Hip-Hop for Women. With snappy punchlines over electric and up tempo tunes, this project is sure to place her on your music radar.”
Women in Hip-Hop have definitely been showing up and showing out lately, which is why we were geeked to do this review on Oshi and her latest self-entitled EP. This four track tape has a nice range of tempos and beats that’ll fit every mood, and has a dope feature from Milwaukee’s very own Sharrod “Pizzle” Sloans. Our favorite song on the EP is “Different Way”, this track has a nice sexy vibe that you can play in your car on a late night drive and just chill. Ya might wanna add it to ya playlist!
The new ladies of rap have something to prove and you better believe they’re gonna prove it. They did not come to play... so fellas, do yourself a favor and work with them! There’s not enough credit going around when it comes to paying women their respects. I would also love to see more collaboration with other women working together. But, hopefully with this new overdue expansion of women hip-hop artists, we’ll see more collective projects!
/CW
Fashion Friday - SickShooters Show w/ Paid With Roots
/Today’s Fashion Friday is from the SickShooters Show Highlighting @paidwithroots as a fashion feature.
Check out these fresh looks, and let us know what you think.
Photos by @lotusvalentinevisuals
/Vato
"Crawfish and High Life" Press interview w/ Jay Anderson returning to perform May 3rd
/The last time we kicked it with Jay Anderson he was just getting back from NOLA and had a bunch of stories to tell! Well, he has returned with more things to share and we were more than happy to chat and get the scoop for our CW fam.
All photos captured by Freakish Nerd.
Jay, Recording his new album “Crawfish and High Life” in MKE.
Jay came back in town to record the album, Crawfish and High Life, which is about his experiences between New Orleans and Milwaukee (such a fitting title, right?). Jay’s experiences in NOLA have been nothing short of amazing, so much so that he knows he definitely isn’t moving back to Milwaukee. He wants to live in NOLA for a while then eventually move to Cuba. There are parts of the culture here in Milwaukee that he isn’t completely satisfied with, but it’s not really a Milwaukee thing, it’s more of a Northern vs. Southern thing.
“Walking past people on the street and they don’t make eye contact with you, or if you’re walking alone down the street and someone else is walking alone down the street, down South you say hi to people. You greet them and make eye contact whether you know them or not,” Jay says.
Jay wants to try to embark on the path of being a master musician. He wants to be able to know everything about his voice and his saxophone that he possibly can. He says Jazz and Blues is pretty much what started this country and because of the Congo Square and the transatlantic Slave trade in New Orleans, if you want to go to your musical roots, that’s where you go.
“If you want to learn French, you move to Paris. So if I want to learn Jazz and Blues, then I’m moving to New Orleans.”
Immersing yourself completely around the culture of what you want to do or learn about is one of the best ways to master it, in our opinion. The moment Jay feels like he has the ‘critical acclaim’ in NOLA like he has in Milwaukee, then he’s going to Cuba. Why Cuba though?
“Everything goes back to Africa and the transatlantic slave trade which brought people through the Islands first and then to the mainland. So after I get done learning what I need to learn from New Orleanian culture and history [of music], the next stop for me is Cuba or Puerto Rico because slaves were there as well.”
After Cuba and PR, Jay would like to go to Côte d'Ivoire. Then next stop Japan or Europe. So basically, y’all not gonna be able to catch up with Mr. Anderson lol. But his passion for music will always keep going.
“I don’t think it’s ever going to stop. As soon as I find another musical style I want to understand, I don’t care if I have to learn another language. I just want to emerge myself in all music. I’m just on this quest to find the rarest sounds. Nothing is enough for me.”
Jay said he’ll dig through crates of old records left behind, finding the stuff that’s not on iTunes or Amazon. Things everyone else isn’t listening to. Now this wouldn’t be Jay’s first soul search. The soul searching and the music are one in the same to him. Since he has decided to dedicate his life to music, if he’s traveling and searching for more then, it’s for the music.
Jay, so far, has written 4 albums of material in NOLA. He claims he can produce so much content because it’s such an interesting place to live as a musician. There is inspiration galore. Doing music full time in Milwaukee, damn near drove him crazy. He argues that in NOLA he has more time, and there are so many things that will spark an idea in his head.
“Your ideas are gold. All you have to do is remember to keep them,” says Jay.
As soon as he booked his May 3rd show here, (Performing with Stomata the new album “Crawfish & High Life” 7pm at Wilson Center For the Arts) he utilized his time to get the album done. Setting deadlines that nobody truly knew would ever work but have now proven to be quite genius. Feeling strongly about these compositions he up some amazing “local” talent, and asked them to come for a 1 day no holds bar session at Riverwest studio. Everyone he called did what they were supposed to do, so much so that they cut 11 tracks in 10 hours. YES 10 hours!
Sure, it’s amazingly insane! But why does he have such a strong pull here in Milwaukee?
“I was extremely fortunate and lucky. And because I know my lineage. A lot of musicians don’t talk about that or acknowledge it and it’s one of the most important things in any type of artistic career. The person who raised me in music in Milwaukee was David Wake. And I learned from Mark Davis. It’s a blessed and charmed life. Somehow I always ended up being around the people who were the real movers and shakers.”
Social media also has factored in to Jays unorthodox pull and success. In New Orleans the people tend to do a little research on who is “playing” in the lively and competitive music scene. They see his profile and say, “Apparently there’s a whole city of people who are like ‘this is our boy’.” Like him or hate him, he really has been a force in Milwaukee music industry the past several years.
With a new band, Jay Anderson and the Night Trippers, that has members that he admits are all better musicians than him, he is once again pushing his limits. He suggest that they all hold him accountable for his mistakes and tell him where he needs to improve. Which is why this method is more strategic then one would think.
“Whatever you’re doing down there in NOLA, if you’re around the right people, they’re going to correct you and help. I wouldn’t call Milwaukee soft, but Milwaukee doesn’t exert the same pressure that’s necessary to cultivate that kind of environment,” Jay says.
Shots fired? Maybe. But think about it, does he have a good point?
Even outside of music, Jay only wants to be around people who are conducting themselves seriously. Holding themselves and their your peers accountable. If you only hold yourself accountable, it’s just you against the world.
Like our Editor, Lexi said, “you’re only as strong as your weakest link” and Jay noted that “the best position to be in is if you’re the weakest link.”
Now you know we had to ask him about his label! Voodoo Honey still exist but has shifted it’s attention to just his solo projects. Instead of managing artists, if he sees that “thing” in you, if you have that drive and he knows something that you don’t, he’ll put you on game. But only if your ears are open.
CopyWrite was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of “Crawfish and High Life” and we think it’s dope! It gave us that down south NOLA, Louis Armstrong vibe with a balance of new era genre mixing that MKE is getting quite good at. The Crawfish part of the album is definitely there with the smooth jazz feel, and all the Milwaukee features and musicians added, brings it all home with the ‘High Life’. There is imagery, word play, experimental homages, and some vocals that we didn't expect out of Jay. It combines creative expression with experience, and pulls at the strengths of true collaboration. He really couldn’t have chosen a better title to combine the two things that captivates who he is now and where he has been. We’re excited for the album and we can’t wait for your show this week.
Thanks for chatting with us again, Jay!
/Carrie for CW
Dirty Thoughts - A New Boss (Baby)
/Over the past few years at CopyWrite there has been a running joke when I am introduced by /CW staff at an event or when I walk into a room, to call me the “Boss Lady”. I used to chuckle at the idea of me being the boss of anything, let alone anybody because as my Old Head (that’s my grandma for those of you who are still not on game) has always told me, “It cost to be the boss”. AND I PAY FOR IT EVERY TIME!
Not that it was ever something I thought of, but by default I have become a “boss” and it has shaped my mental growth, my ambition to help others, and to always strive for greatness.
But being a boss is more than just being in control, its being a role model, a leader, a mentor, a resource, a sounding board, a pep talker, an assist, a defender, a barricade, an extension, a counselor, an ear, a test dummy, and so many other hats that morph through necessity.
It's been a learning experience but soon my biggest challenge will arrive and my “boss” training will be put to the test. I have been called many titles in my life but this one might just be the most important: Mommy.
Photo by Sean Chris . Taken while overseeing a CW fashion feature photoshoot.
Yup, that’s right . . . I am having a baby!
Oh, and not just any baby. This is the kind of baby that stops you in your tracks, tells you to take your over working, doing too much homework, not eating right, not sleeping, over extended self and sit theeeeee heck down, type of baby. This is the kind of baby that will karate kick you for sitting at a desk too long, waking up too early, going to sleep too late, or entertaining anybodies bull and getting anxious . . . and I mean kick like the whole foot will stick out of my side and it will not stop until I listen.
So I guess I’m having a Boss Baby Lol. I always said that I wanted a little monster that would probably plot world domination, but would settle for holding society accountable for its actions, and lead others to greatness. Ha! Well here is a good start.
I’m very excited to be having a little human with my best friend, and plan on listening as much as I teach. I plan on giving as much as I receive. I plan on not knowing all the answers and finding them together . . . and knowing that I’m no longer the boss of me but “She” is.
Mommy & Daddy getting gifts for the New Boss. Am I too old to rock unicorn too?
This is the one role that I’m the most determined to succeed at. Thank you to all the people who have been pouring into me well wishes and positive affirmations that I, without a doubt, will be a great mother. (I don’t think you guys understand how much that means to me).
This summer the new boss will arrive & I will have finally met my match.
/Dirty
