Photo Credit: Lily Shea
Eli $tones
The current generation of Milwaukee hip hop looks and sounds vastly different than its predecessors, and new names and faces continually shift the spectrum of what our city sounds like. Among those names is Eli $tones, a rapper by nature that has successfully pivoted to more of a melodic style with his brand new release, Star67. The project is named after the key code to anonymously call someone, and the title very much fits the sound of the record. The songs on this release play like a group of messages to someone in particular, without ever really knowing the intended recipient. It’s a shift that $tones has wanted to make for some time.
“It was something I always wanted to do, like a trap-soul vibe” said $tones. “I’ve been thinking about it for the past four or so years. Over the past five months is when I really started writing the songs. I went through a lot of emotions to get to a certain point to get it together. I think I finally found the right words.”
If you’re looking for an up-tempo summertime hit, this is admittedly not the record for that. However, the six-song release has several standout cuts, anchored by single “Talk It Out,” which could hold its own in the context of a mainstream radio rotation. The adjustment in sound allows $tones to not only expand his topic selection for songs, but also display his versatility as an artist as well.
“I do listen to a lot of pop and R&B, more than rap actually. I always wanted to have my own take on it, to see what the fans thought about it, and this is what it is” said $tones.
There’s a fine art to making a personal feeling record, yet also making it catchy and memorable. As hip hop as a whole begins to embrace more emotion, Eli $tones is among those leading the charge on a local level, pushing the city’s hip hop scene into new territories.
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