junkiesRpeople is the plug.
As we enter 2025, the midpoint of the decade and the start of another Donald Trump term here in the United States, I humbly suggest finding solace in the radiant beauty of the bustling Milwaukee rap scene—an antidote to all the incessant noise we can’t control and a welcome reminder that it’s not all bad out here.
The strong sense of community is reminiscent of what I felt in the mid-late 2010s as a full-blown Lil Peep and GothBoiClique stan. On several occasions, when I’ve written about my favorite local music and shared it with the artist on Instagram, my notifications have been flooded by their friends, family, and fans, who are all so appreciative to see their people getting love. I find great joy in sharing the music and helping spread the gospel of the Mil, especially when so much of hip-hop media outright ignores the music and instead focuses on the clickbaity negative aspects of the culture.
Milwaukee rap shares a lot of DNA with the Detroit scene, and one of the highlights of both is how motivating these rappers can be. All the self-help audiobooks you can download won’t be as effective as AyooLii asking you why you won’t get up off your ass and make some money.
2024 was a monumental year for the city, though the deaths of Jigg and Celly Cell at the end of ‘23 still weigh heavy. From high-profile cross-state collaborations to increasing media coverage and viral mega-hits like J.P.’s massive, Billboard-charting “Bad Bitty,” the city is ascending to new heights with no end in sight. These are the projects that, for one reason or another, affected me the most and made their way into my daily routine.
25. Tay Love – The World is Yours
If anyone deserves to eat off the current success of the Milwaukee rap scene, it’s Tay Love. The rapper-producer has credits dating back nearly a decade, providing sounds for artists who helped establish the direction of the region’s sound, like Big Homie DreCash and SME TaxFree. On The World Is Yours, the slapp music staple delivers brand of fly, smooth-talking rap that a younger me would have studied like it was game tape to enhance my whole situation. Calm and collected, Tay Love proves that simply being cool is a key component of a successful rap career. After he states, “My babies asking where their daddy’s at; I told them I’m on tour,” on the opening track, the accidentally unedited two minutes of silence at the end of the song seem almost intentional—a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of his work ethic.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
24. Big B – Northside Purple Hearted
When Big B dropped the nearly 50-minute third installment of his Biggest Barker series this past spring, it was clear he had a lot to get off his chest. A couple of months later, he followed it up with Northside Purple Hearted, the excellently titled five-track, twelve-minute EP that finds Big B embracing his worst behavior post-Biggest Barker 3’s therapy sessions. Sounding defiant, calculated, and almost jaded, B doesn’t waste a single second here. Instead, he kicks it into high gear, moving around the city like late-series Tony Soprano and regretting nothing.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
23. Dai Ballin – NoAutoDai
While Dai Ballin may be best-known for his melodic autotune warbles, No Auto Dai demonstrates that it’s a deliberate style choice rather than a crutch. He sometimes sounds a bit hesitant, as if he’s still adjusting to the idea of committing to this for an entire project, but it’s a welcome change of pace. Rapping over a surprisingly restrained sample of John Cena’s entrance theme, airing out various grievances, and occasionally sparring with his auto-tuned alter ego, Dai delivers a successful attempt at not being boxed in.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
22. OTB Pablo – I’m Back
Chicken Boyz foot soldier OTB Pablo takes center stage on I’m Back, resulting in one of the most captivating tapes of the year and another hint that this collective has enough raw talent to dominate the scene. With production handled by AyooLii and ThatGuyEli, and with multiple guest spots from the Boyz, Pablo follows Lii’s lead by keeping things light yet threatening and maintaining an improvisational spirit that makes it difficult to predict what will happen next.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
21. BallySlatt – 23Loco
23Loco opens with a song named after and referencing Tom & Jerry, immediately setting the scene for the animated levels of violence to come. In its short runtime, 23Loco becomes a playground for Bally as he takes the opportunity to serenade both his enemies and lovers. On “CLAP SUM,” he suits up and prepares for war over raucous, gripping production.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
20. YLFREE – Level 1
Level 1 opens with a clear statement: YLFREE wants it all, and he’s here to take it. Featuring appearances from frequent collaborators YLKenn and Donny Ying— an unofficial trio that has collectively produced some of my favorite music of the year—FREE makes a strong case for why he deserves it. Blunt threats and repeated warnings to the opposition are balanced by repetitive claps and the young rhymer’s signature bizarre sense of humor, both of which help paint the picture of an off-the-rails house party happening in the booth.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
19. ÈscoUpp – Mindset Of A Gritter
Esco is talented at finding new ways to detail his tireless gritting without ever making it feel redundant. This is exemplified on “(Bonus Track),” which is charmingly not even the last song on here. He transitions from arguing with a “nagging” girlfriend while road running, to suddenly breaking into a story of the opps attempting to backdoor him, complete with janky folly work. Esco’s ability to weave together these gripping narratives showcases a spontaneous, unique flavor that helps to solidify his place as one of the scene’s most imaginative voices.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
18. Chicken P – Chick James
Already widely considered the Milwaukee rap GOAT, the sky’s the limit for how far Chicken P can take the city. Featuring some of my favorite art direction of the year, Chick James finds the rapper at his most focused, tapping into the soulful essence of Rick James as he delivers his unfiltered soliloquies. On the sleek title track, which also serves as the intro, he comes out swinging, seizing the opportunity to vent with poignant bars like, “I miss my brother, I pour a tre and take it to the head” and “if you catch me crying it’s ’cause it ain’t the same/I was broke, but I’m rich now, so I can’t complain.” It’s clear that the success has come at a steep cost.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
17. BabyK Turnt – Youngest Out the Camp
I often forget how young, yet fully-formed some of the artists around the MKE scene are. BabyK Turnt falls into that category. Youngest Out the Camp features the sort of effortless, laissez-faire flexing that typically only comes with years of experience. K has a strong ear for beats too, never relying too much on one style and keeping himself sharp throughout.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
16. AyooLii – This Is Not the Album, This Is for the Fans.
A few months before the also essential A Dog’s Chance helped to grow the legend of AyooLii, he quietly dropped a SoundCloud-exclusive care package for his supporters (it would eventually make its way to streaming). As much as I enjoy the sample-heavy, teen movie hijinks that Lii (along with his talented cohorts FearDorian & POLO PERKS) find themselves in on A Dog’s Chance, This Is for the Fans. is the tape that carried me through the year. The certified grind gritter’s gifts are fully showcased here, with no artistic restrictions to be found. Highlights include plane jane, set over a haunting and reflective sample of Girlpool’s Cut Your Bangs, and WE ALL LOST OUR WAY AS PEOPLE, where, after repeating the title statement, he asks, as if perplexed, “Why the fuck can’t you see that we all equal?”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
15. Funny $Money – I Got The Hook Up Vol. 1: Big Bucks No Whammies
Women and hustling weigh heavily on Funny $Money’s mind. One of the most reliable spitters in Milwaukee, he expertly alternates between delivering bitter truths and genuinely funny punchlines, sometimes at once, over booming beats that are practically begging to be played at an offensive volume. Nearly every song here has a verse so tough it’ll make you want to post every bar, even though you know that, out of context, it will only get like three likes on Twitter. If I’m keeping it honest, though, nothing I can say here will be a bigger sell for this Master P-referencing tape than one of the craziest lines I’ve heard all year, repeated throughout the track “El Pollo Loco”: “Joe want the blue or white fetty, he with Penn State.”
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
14. BigSixx – Get Rich Or Die Trying
Fair warning for the easily overwhelmed: BigSixx’s Get Rich or Die Trying album may not be for you. Often sounding like he’s at war with the beat, Sixx constructs a collage of chaos—off-key singing, layered vocals, heavy 808s, and Take Care-era Drake samples harshly come together to create a nightmarish take on the regional sound. While I’m unsure who all produced here, this is at least partially due to the contributions of lowend legend Montana Jay, a buzzing beatmaker whose tag (Shoutout Montana Jay!) are the final words you hear before being plunged into pandemonium.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
13. Deadend Quan & Joe Pablo – Take Notes
Joe Pablo is one hell of a tag team wrestler; the rap game Taiyō Kea—pair him with another solid worker, and they’re almost guaranteed to bring home gold. Though he’s most widely known for his partnership with fellow MKE legend MarijuanaXO (their It Ain’t Over EP from July nearly made this list), Blo kicked off his 2024 by trading bars with another reliable Milwaukee spitter, Deadend Quan. Quan, who has had a prolific year as a solo act, is a strong, commanding presence, while Blo relies on a slicker flow and his signature leaned-out delivery. Together, they’re defiant—there’s a sort of detached energy here, perhaps due to the numbing effect of the drugs. Throughout the tape, the tag team becomes a full-blown faction as Quan and Blo trade bars with some of the Mil’s heaviest hitters, including Chicken P, Ghost 53206, and BTE Big C.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
12. Kali Lo – Takin’ Chances 3
On Takin’ Chances 3, Kali Lo takes us on a bleak tour of his Milwaukee. Released at the start of a rollercoaster year for the rapper–one that saw his freedoms threatened on multiple occasions–the tape and Lo’s surrounding legal battles serve as a stark reminder that the events portrayed in his music are occurring in real time and that a successful music career isn’t guaranteed. It should be; his high-pitched, earworm melodies are nothing if not sincere, juxtaposed with a playful delivery that suggests he’s not taking himself too seriously despite the circumstances.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
11. SME TAXFREE & RRB Duck – BBL KNOCKERZ
Initially announced at the top of the year and following some false-alarm Instagram drama (or perhaps trolling) that suggested a rift between SME and RRB, we were finally blessed with BBL KNOCKERZ (all-timer title) in the fourth quarter of ’24. Duck and TAXFREE might be the two flyest shit talkers in the city, and the frequent collaborators make a strong case for it over the course of these eleven tracks. If there’s a better or more oddly detailed rap album dedicated to cosmetic plastic surgery and the healing process afterward, please send it my way.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
10. Court Loww – 2FA2
A few months before declaring “Lowend Rap Dead,” the impossibly prolific Court Loww delivered a masterful grand finale in the form of 2FA2. Laced with a frantic yet groovy pack of beats that call to mind a lost, strip club-ready Koji Kondo soundtrack, 2FA2 captures the DIY, anti-corporate spirit of hip-hop in its purest form. Throughout the fifteen-minute runtime, the biggest shit-talker maintains a sort of relentless energy, blending tales of riding around in fast cars, serving headies, and organizing twerkathons with touching pleas to release his friends from prison.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
9. Yonaa – YonaaThon
With a breakout year reminiscent of her brother Certified Trapper’s ‘22, Yonaa transformed from a virtual unknown with lots of potential to one of the top dogs in the MKE rap scene. It’s easy to see why; she raps with the passion of a stage performer whose mic is cut but continues to shout their lines, driven by pure refusal to quit. This is upper-echelon dance rap that never feels sanitized, serving as a reminder of how quickly one can become a real contender in this thing.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
8. Mariboy Mula Mar – No Auto Mar 4
“And we gon’ be alright if we put Mula Mar on every hook,” or whatever Lil’ Wayne said. But similar to Dai Ballin, don’t make the mistake of thinking Mariboy Mula Mar is one-note. Following an all-timer run in 2023, Mula Mar, who might be my favorite rapper right now, had a relatively quiet year until he dropped the fourth installment of his ongoing No Auto Mar series. Simply put: Mula Mar is the shit, and he seems to know it. Over frosty, wobbly backdrops that feel like blasting the A/C on an already chilly winter night, he offers to pay for anything and everything if your ass is fat enough; and even if it isn’t, well, he might just buy you one.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
7. Lil Sinn – Better Off Alone / Fleeing & Eluding
Frankly, a full-length Lil Sinn tape would likely top not only this list but also a general list of my favorite projects of 2024. Baby steps, though—this time last year, he didn’t have a solo project out at all. It was up to us dedicated fans and niche archivists to collect the irresistible loosies he’d drop on various social platforms and piece together a discography. This year, we were gifted a pair of excellent sub-10-minute EPs, with Sinn’s impossible-to-shake whiny flow on full display. He even manages to deliver a better duet with Nate Ruess than Young Thug (no disrespect to the GOAT!). Whenever Sinn decides to assemble a full-length project, it might just be a region-defining work.
Better Off Alone: Spotify | Apple Music
Fleeing & Eluding: Spotify | Apple Music
6. Big Steff – Talk That Sh** Like Me
After experiencing one of the strongest years of any artist, Big Steff, Jordan trophy in hand, has firmly established himself as a major talent in hip-hop. On Talk That Sh** Like Me, he’s operating in rare form—hyper-focused and ready to build a legacy one track at a time. Eventually, the harsh realities of Steff’s personal life begin to reveal themselves, and his motivations become even clearer: distractions be damned, keep your eyes on the bigger picture, and keep marching forward. This is the attitude that wins rings.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
5. Ghost 53206 – FreeBandz Menace
Equipped with a rap name that old-heads must see in their nightmares, Ghost 53206 is steadily establishing himself as a powerful author, conveying honest street tales with vivid intensity to earn a spot among the best rappers in the Midwest. On FreeBandz Menace, the first of two tapes he put out this year, Ghost and a rotating cast of some of the Mil’s most visceral hood preachers come together not only to detail the highs and lows that come with rapping and hustling, but also to highlight the thankless dedication it takes to excel at both.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
4. Cerop – From Da Mil to Russia
Whatever your winter playlist looks like, it’ll remain incomplete if you don’t leave room for Cerop’s From Da Mil to Russia. Laced entirely by Russian rapper/producer Lifeboy, mysterious album art sets the scene: it depicts a chewed-up Styrofoam cup, an open bottle of Piritex cough syrup, and a digital movie collection that includes the 2023 horror film Evil Dead Rise. These are icy raps over trunk-rattling 808s—there’s a sense of familiarity, but even stronger is the unshakeable feeling of melancholy, the type you’d feel driving through Milwaukee on a bitter January night.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
3. SuperThrowed Fay Fay – Baby Driver
The Baby Driver album art is very faithful to the vibes of the accompanying music —a hastily photoshopped collage depicting Fay Fay’s mugshot, several animated likenesses, and hashtag tributes to fallen and incarcerated partners, alongside the spoils: cash, chains, a full double cup, and a plane. With production handled primarily by Milwaukee mainstay TaeHuncho, Fay makes use of every number on his Rolodex, getting an all-star from the city on nearly every track—guys like Big Steff, Joe Pablo, Funny $Money, and of course, Ghost 53206. Baby Driver has the feel of a scratched-up CD you’d find abandoned in a parking lot and pick up on a whim, only to wind up treasuring it like a priceless artifact and leave playing a loop. Of course, in order for this fantasy to work, the CD would need to have been burned by a fan, as the tape currently exists only on YouTube.
Listen: YouTube
2. Donny Ying – Get My Bag Right
Have you been searching for an album with production that sounds like the bouncier, evil cousin of that one RZA beat from the Guitar Center promo? If so, wow, have I got just the thing for you! Donny Ying’s Get My Bag Right is a glitchy work of art. The space-age trapper’s wobbly voice is addictive, sounding at home here over the shocking amount of sampled wind instruments. If I were tasked with choosing just one tape to expose the uninitiated to the thrilling individuality of the Milwaukee rap scene–the eclectic personalities, the clap-heavy beats, the off-kilter humor, the lingo–it might be this one.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
1. Myaap & Nedarb – YOP!
On her much-anticipated follow-up to the incredible-in-its-own-right BIG MYAAP NOT THE LIL ONE (released while she was traveling across the country opening for Veeze on his Ganger tour), Myaap continues to level up in real time by teaming with Nedarb, one of underground hip-hop’s most iconic and sought-out producers. Ned, who was early in showing love to the 414, is no stranger to collaborating with singular female voices to create innovative and forward-thinking works and his take on the regional Milwaukee sound keeps this streak alive. Together, Myaap and Nedarb’s superpowers are fully activated; just try to resist losing yourself in the music as you attempt to recreate Mya’s sick dance moves, all while she talks an extraordinary amount of shit over the sparkly, hard-hitting production. It’s justified: if rap is a male-dominated sport, then Myaap is Milwaukee’s Angel Reese.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music