Big Beat MKE 2019 First Round Battles: Four Giants vs. Trademark & James Ashen vs. GLDN Child. MKE Performers: Nile and Phat Nerdz

Milwaukee music website Breaking And Entering is thrilled to announce that our annual beat battle tournament, Big Beat MKE, will begin battles at the Jackalope Lounj, adjacent to The Wicked Hop (345 N. Broadway), for its second season this Thursday night. This year’s tournament will feature 16 Milwaukee-area beat makers spanning hip hop, EDM, and more, competing head-to-head in a four-round tournament over the course of eight weeks to be crowned the 2019 Big Beat MKE champion. Each night of the tournament will feature two beat battles, as well as two performances from local hip hop acts. All of the events are free to the public, 21 and over.

A beat battle consists of three one-minute rounds, where a producer plays or creates an original beat, and the winner is determined by a panel of judges, including Milwaukee musicians, media personalities, and music influencers. Big Beat MKE will feature guest judges weekly, as well as representatives from Breaking And Entering and Milwaukee-based electronic music label Nice FM.

To be selected for the tournament, producers had to submit two original beats via BreakingAndEntering.net. From there, a selection committee of 15 different Milwaukee area music-related personalities were given the difficult task of choosing the final 16 competitors. Over 30 different producers submitted entries into the contest this year. The 2019 Bracket was unveiled on Monday, April 15th. Opening round battles will take place from May 2nd-23rd, with the Quarterfinals on May 30th and June 6th, Semifinals on June 13th, and Finals on June 20th. The full bracket and nightly recaps will be available at BreakingAndEntering.net/BigBeatMKE throughout the tournament.