You've probably noticed there's been a shift in the Milwaukee rap scene over the last few years. These days the rappers making the most waves tend to fall into one of three categories. There’s the Visionaries (the flashy, media-savvy artists making modernist, alternative-leaning hip-hop); the Weirdos (the eccentrics creating offbeat, individualistic rap) and, of course, the Street Rappers (the army of rappers creating a real movement and doing huge streams, albeit often under the radar of the local press).
It’s been a joy seeing all three camps do their thing over the last couple of years. But their success hasn’t left a lot of oxygen for a fourth class of artists that you might call the Traditionalists—the lyrically minded spitters whose tastes trend toward classic hip-hop. Traditionalists used to be the bread and butter of the local rap scene, but these days they’re among the city’s most overlooked artists.
You can see why fewer upstarts are following in their footsteps. It’s a lot of work for not a lot of recognition. But when done well, there’s still a lot of creative life in this lane, as rappers D. Bridge and Renz Young have demonstrated time and time again. They’re not on the city’s A-list, at least not yet, but both of them have consistently impressed with every project they’ve released (and Renz, in particular, has released a ton of them).
What a joy it is, then, to see that their paths have been crossing lately. Late last year the two released a joint EP called Grey Area Project that delivers everything I want from this style of hip-hop: crisp, lean rap, short on gimmicks but high on impact. Don’t mistake their traditionalism for classicism. The EP isn’t another ’90s throwback, and these guys aren’t J. Cole copycats. Grey Area Project is proudly forward looking, and a prime showcase for two of the city’s most underrated voices. It knocks.
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You can stream the EP below.
