The Miltown Beatdown, Round 3

By Jesse Tolbert

The 3rd round of the Miltown Beatdown took place Saturday evening as some of Milwaukee’s most elite producing talents gathered at The Wherehouse, 818 S. Water St. While gazing upon the performances, I couldn’t help but ponder the gentle beauty of the onlookers, peacefully thinking to myself how far the musical element of Hip-Hop’s four gems has come here in grand 414. For those who don’t know, the Miltown Beatdown is the brainchild of DJ Madhatter of the Rusty Ps, started roughly five years ago as an alternative to the emcee having all the glitz and glamour that more often than not the DJ rightfully deserves, while also bringing together different cultures and musical backgrounds throughout Milwaukee and beyond. The night was packed full of “ohhhh’s,” “ahhhs,” “woahs,” and “wows” and a handful of other clever expressions meaning the same thing: “DAMN, that’s amazing!”

I was highly impressed by DJ Peru, who was a definite stand out. While he worked his vibrant craft, fueled by the energy of the crowd and an undeniable love of the game, we were taken on his imaginative adventures for minutes at a time, inspiring those of us watching to drop our jaws and raise our voices in utter bewilderment, wondering, “How do these guys do this stuff?” In the final battle Peru beat out Jihad Baracus, thus moving onto the finals. The battle itself was passionate and raw, building to points of greatness that could only have one clear-cut winner, yet for the love of what was put on both sides, No one walked away with their heads down feeling any sort of loss. In the purest sense it shows what it means to love the culture and what devotion is all about.

While I struggle with the belief that as a whole Milwaukee Hip Hop is about the love of the art and not for the overall exposure, I do believe that the Beatdown is an exception. Through Madhatter’s thoughtful endeavors and the many able, hardworking producers/DJ’s, we have been blessed with a unique take on the hip-hop battle, not minding what clever proclamations can be said and focusing purely on what passionate testimonials can be done on the ones and twos. Letting the tables do the talking is proving to be a sound way to show otherwise hidden faces in hip-hop. I commend all those that took the stage and those that were inspired to take the stage after witnessing the battles of the beats.

Let’s keep it moving one and all, and we’ll see you at the finals May 7, which will without a doubt be the biggest and best Beatdown to date. Crown a winner and leave many wanting more. See you on May 7 Milwaukee.