As I have alluded to so much on this blog recently, Milwaukee is a city that is brimming with talented Hip Hop artists. If you are in tune with the Milwaukee music scene, you are constantly hearing of new, exciting musicians emerging and making a name for themselves. There are many companies around the city, like Good Vibes Only and Cloud MKE who are focused on promoting local talent and throwing shows for up-and-coming artists from the(or based in at some point) city of Milwaukee; if you pay attention to either of these companies, you will constantly find great young Milwaukee artists oozing with talent who are trying to become stars. Two artists that I recently came across because of the aforementioned Cloud MKE that I wanted to highlight are 22Maurii and JJROCKET. Even though neither of these artists has been around for long, they are both already making waves in underground music scenes and showing why they are two artists that need to be paid attention to. Both of these artists have been releasing music online for a while(22Maurii has a catalog that goes back five years on Soundcloud and JJROCKET has been putting music on Soundcloud for about a year or so now), but they are now starting to get the notoriety they deserve with the Milwaukee music scene. Both 22Maurii and JJROCKET make eclectic styles of Hip Hop that truly stand out; they both have very distinct elements to their artistry that make them unique and different in a great way. Here are a couple of songs by both of these artists that have come out recently which I enjoy and think everyone should hear. Please let me know in the comments below how you feel about 22Maurii and JJROCKET, and also comment the names of some other promising musicians that I should check out.

22Maurii is a super interesting artist with a sound and style that is completely his own. He describes his music and overall persona as “enchanted” and “magical” online, and honestly, I think these two words describe his music super well. The first song I want to talk about is ‘Heaven,’ which is off of his EP US RENAISSANCE which came out in late 2022. The first thing I thought of when I originally heard this track was early R&B Drake music. This track has a melody that makes me think of songs like ‘Look What You’ve Done’ and ‘Shot For Me’(which are two of my favorite Drake songs, by the way, which makes this ‘Heaven’ extra endearing to me). The melody is provided by a piano which is complemented by synths that make the song sound otherworldly and psychedelic. This is a beatless song, which makes the listener focus on the ethereal melody and vocals. Speaking of the vocals, 22Maurii sings with a crisp and light tone on this track which matches the melody so well. His sweet, airy vocals go so well with the energy of the melody. If you are a fan of warm Acoustic R&B music, ‘Heaven’ is a song for you. The second song I wanted to bring up is ‘FRVRenaissance,’ which came out in May of 2023. This track has a very similar sound to ‘Heaven.’ This is another beatless R&B track driven by a cozy, pleasant piano melody complemented by synths. There is something about it that makes it feel more modern, though. The way the melody is mixed and the sound effects that are added to the instrumental almost make it sound futuristic. Near the end of the song, cricket noises come onto the instrumental, giving the song a feeling of being out in the woods at night. 22Maurii’s vocal performance on this track has a bit of pronounced auto-tune on it, adding to the futuristic sound the song has. His vocals are just as beautiful and sugary as they are on ‘Heaven,’ but the way his vocals are mixed gives the song such a utopian feeling. ‘FRVRenaisssance’ is a cool R&B track that expands on the mystical feeling the rest of 22Maurii’s music has. With these two songs, 22Maurii proves that there is no one else making music like his right now. He has a sound and style that is completely his own, which makes him stand out. 22Maurii is an artist I am excited to keep following because he is doing things with his music that no one else is doing, and it is easy to see that he is very special. 

JJROCKET is another artist with a sound that is different from anyone making music in Milwaukee currently. He fuses Atmospheric Retro-sounding R&B music with modern Trap in a super fun way; he has a style of music that makes him rise above his peers because of how distinct it is. The first song of his I wanted to highlight is ‘back then.’ This song has a charming and Trippy melody that is put over a faded Trap beat. My favorite thing about this song is the vocals from JJROCKET. His flow is so addicting; the way that he rides the beat will get anyone bopping their head when they hear it. He sings with a clear yet faint tone that fits the feeling of the instrumental well; his vocals when paired with this instrumental give the song an all-encompassing feel. Throughout the song, there are high-pitched ad-libs that remind me of Playboi Carti which gives the song texture. If you are into easy-going R&B Trap songs that are similar to music by artists like 6lack, ‘back then’ is a song you will appreciate. The second song of JJROCKET’s I wanted to focus on is ‘Romans,’ which is off his new two-song single project A Heartless Heartbreak. ‘Romans’ is a Hard-Hitting Melodic Trap song that has a lot darker of a sound than ‘back then.’ This song has a melancholy melody that is provided by high-pitched whistling synths. There is something about the melody that makes it feel retro and futuristic at the same time. The way the melody is arranged reminds me of the loading screen of old video games, but it also has a robotic sound that almost feels dystopian. This song has a bass-heavy beat that bumps vigorously, giving the song a high level of electric energy. JJROCKET’s vocal style on this song is a lot more pronounced and heavy than it is on ‘back then.’ He sings with a level of emphasis that goes so well with the powerful nature of the instrumental. ‘Romans’ is a song for anyone that is a fan of the more fierce music from artists like Rod Wave or Don Toliver. With these two songs and so many of his others, JJROCKET shows that he has a Melodic Trap sound and sensibility that is of such high quality. His style of music fits in well with the landscape of R&B Trap which is popular today. He is an artist that I could see blowing up on a large scale soon because of how in tune his sound is with what young Hip Hop fans are loving right now.