At this point, the ever-growing and thriving Milwaukee Hip Hop scene is mainly known for one style of the genre. Artists like Myaap, J.P., and 414bigfrank have taken Hip Hop by storm with their riveting and iconic Slap music sound. This quirky and eccentric style of Hip Hop is becoming the calling card for Milwaukee and is helping put the city on the map as a rising Hip Hop hub. There are so many great Hip Hop artists in Milwaukee making entirely different styles of the genre, though. Even though Milwaukee is certainly great and that riveting street sound, the city is full of unique artists that draw from such a wide range of inspirations. One very unique Milwaukee Hip Hop artist with a sound and style that certainly sticks out is ZuesRLR. No one around the city is making music like him currently. ZuesRLR incorporates elements of Rock and futuristic sounding Hip Hop into his music to create a sound that is so hyperintense and exciting. ZuesRLR is relatively new to the scene, but he is already making a hell of an impact. Starting in September, he dropped four singles to close out 2023, including the super fun ‘Rap&Roll’ featuring Eastside Vibes favorite 2hi. He has been very prolific to begin 2024, having already put out 8 songs so far this way. Below, I wanted to highlight two of ZuesRLR’s newest releases, ‘Fa$hion’ with $hiiiro, and ‘Scarface’ with Sadistic. Please let me know in the comments below what you think of these new tracks from ZuesRLR, and also comment the names of any other Milwaukee-based or up-and-coming artists you think I should check out!

‘Fa$hion’  is a track that transports me to a fiery alternate universe or dimension when it comes on. Everything about this track is so intense and larger than life. The guitar riff that drives the melody is so harsh and cold. As I am sitting here typing this, I am having trouble not completely headbanging, because it is just so ferocious and makes me want to move. This melody is riddled with sound effects and complemented with synths that add to its bold sound. The beat for ‘Fa$hion’ is just as tough and mean as the melody. The song has a buzzing bassline that absolutely pounds and adds to the already massive feeling of the track. The vocal performances on ‘Fa$hion’ are just as brash as the instrumental. I especially love how the higher pitch of $hiiiro compares to the gruffer tone of ZuesRLR, as the difference in vocals gives the song so much texture and life. ‘Fa$hion’ is an audacious Rock-Trap track that will get anyone pumped the hell up when it comes on. The intensity that we got on ‘Fa$hion’ continues on ‘Scarface,’ but it is not nearly as dark as the song that one. This one has a much brighter sound that is a bit more pleasant. The melody for this track has a shimmering tone to it; this melody is provided by extremely saturated synths that make me feel like I am floating when this song comes on. The beat for ‘Scarface’ is heavily distorted and incredibly hard-hitting. The bass on this track is even more punchy than the bass on ‘Fa$hion,’ and the intricacy of the hi-hats gives this track so much life. The vocals from ZuesRLR and Sadistic are grainy, tough, and malevolent. The vocals add so much nastiness to this track and match the enormous feeling of the instrumental. ‘Scarface’ is yet another song that would be perfect for any workout or turn-up playlist because of how intense it is. ZuesRLR is such a unique artist with a riveting sound, and he is someone that I am very excited to keep following and keep seeing grow.