If you are in tune with the Milwaukee Hip Hop scene at all(or with the Milwaukee music scene in general), you have probably heard of David Lopez and Heyzeus. They have been two of the most important members of the community in recent history, driving the culture and scene along and helping put Milwaukee on the map as a hub for Hip Hop on a national scale. David Lopez and Heyzeus have had their hands in everything to do with the Milwaukee Hip Hop scene; perhaps, their biggest impact on the scene has been their ability to throw awesome concerts and parties that highlight the many talented artists coming up in Milwaukee today. If you follow either of these men on Instagram, you will constantly see them promoting new events around the city they are putting on that are helping up-and-coming artists get more exposure. David Lopez and Heyzeus’ contribution to Milwaukee’s Hip Hop scene does not stop at their abilities to curate shows, though; they are both very good artists in their own right and have been making a name for themselves in that regard as well. David Lopez has mainly done this by putting out his own music, while HeyZeus has focused giving out great guest verses on the music of his peers and on connecting the many talented artists in the city with each other. David Lopez, who originally hails from Chicago but moved to Milwaukee a couple of years ago, has been releasing original music for many years(his catalog on Spotify goes back to 2015). Don’t get me wrong, he has done numbers in the past, but he has started to pop off again in 2023. His output has been very prolific this year and has accumulated hundreds of thousands of streams in 2023 on his new music. Heyzeus has not put out any of his own music this year. Still, he has contributed to some of the most interesting releases from artists around the city(including Yella Boy Musik’s ‘Need More,’ which is a great song I talked about in a post about Yella Boy Musik a few months back. Go check out that write-up after reading this one if you have not yet). A little over a month ago, David Lopez and Heyzeus decided to collaborate on a new mini project called CUCKOO’S NEST. They also just dropped a new single called ‘B.C.’ yesterday. In this post, I wanted to highlight these releases and talk about how talented and unique both of these artists are. Please let me know in the comments below how you feel about these new tracks from Heyzeus and David Lopez, and also comment the names of some other up-and-coming artists you would like me to check out!

As I said above, about a month ago(on Halloween, to be exact), Heyzeus and David Lopez dropped a mini project called CUCKOO’S NEST. This project consists of two tracks, titled ‘ONE’ and ‘TWO.’ The first of these tracks, ‘ONE,’ is a hard-hitting and foreboding Trap track that packs a hell of a punch. This song has the energy of old-school Memphis Horrorcore music. When I hear this track, I think of some of the original music from artists like 8Ball & MJG or Three 6 Mafia. The song has a gritty underground feeling to it that I absolutely love. Although the melody and sound effects on this track make me think of classic Memphis Horrorcore, the song has an intricate Trap beat that makes it feel very modern and fresh. Both Heyzeus and David Lopez rap with a level of ferocity and harshness that matches the energy of the instrumental very well. Both Heyzeus and David Lopez rap with a gruff tone and tough flow, and the vocal effects and editing in their vocals make the song all the more menacing. ‘TWO’ is basically a continuation of ‘ONE’ in sound and style. Somehow, though, this track is even more hard-hitting than the one that precedes it. The melody for ‘TWO’ is pretty much the same as it is on ‘ONE,’ but the tone and pacing of the drums are slightly different. This slight change in the drums makes the track feel more raw and rough, which distinguishes it from ‘ONE’ and makes it pound in an awesome way. The rap performances from Heyzeus and David Lopez are a little more layered and complex than their performances on ‘ONE,’ distinguishing this song and making it pop. Even though both tracks are great, if I had to pick one I like more, I would pick ‘TWO’ due to the vocal performances and how raucous the beat is. Yesterday(while I was actually doing the write-up for CUCKOO’S NEST,’ David Lopez and Heyzeus put out another single together called ‘B.C.’ This song is a bit softer and more reserved than either of the tracks from CUCKOO’S NEST. It has the same kind of melancholy and foreboding feeling as CUCKOO’S NEST, but the beat and melody are not nearly as hard. Honestly, the fact that this song is a bit more reserved almost makes it more ominous than CUCKOO’S NEST. This song has a creepy and stale melody that has a looming feeling to it, and it is put on an elaborate beat that makes the song all the more apprehensive. Out of all three tracks in this write-up, ‘B.C.’ definitely has my favorite rap performances from both rappers. Both Heyzeus and David Lopez rap with rapid-fire flows that drive the energy of the song, and the way that their vocal styles contrast each other gives the song so much texture. CUCKOO’S NEST and ‘B.C.’ are great examples of how talented both of these artists are. I hope this is not the end of their collaborative efforts, because it is easy to see that their chemistry is undeniable. The future is bright for both David Lopez and Heyzeus, and I can not wait to see what they do next!