This winter, Radio Milwaukee's Tarik Moody set off a spirited round of discussion and debate about why Milwaukee doesn't host more touring hip-hop acts. His comments came during a particular drought for local rap shows. Nine months later, however, the situation thankfully no longer seems as dire.
Last month was a fairly busy one for rap concerts. Kid Cudi played UWM's Panther Fest. Atmosphere returned to the Riverside Theater. The Rave hosted shows from Tech N9ne and, more excitingly, Curren$y, while 618 Live booked Gucci Mane and Lil Flip, and Young Buck performed at Apartment 720.
The rest of the fall isn't shaping up to be too bad, either. Young Jeezy and Twista will share a welcome Halloween bill at the Riverside Theater, while the Rave hosts shows from regulars Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (tonight), Bizzy Bone (Oct. 23), Ghostface Killah (Nov. 2) and J. Cole with R&B singer K. Michelle (Nov. 5).
The situation isn't completely rosy, of course. The relative scarcity of the alternative and independent hip-hop shows you'd expect in a city with a student population as large as Milwaukee's still confounds me. I can't fully explain why the city doesn't book more acts like Wiz Khalifa or Jay Electronicabut at least compared to last winter, the city's rap concert lineup this fall is much improved.
