Although the Milwaukee music scene has truly started to grow and thrive over the last couple of years, there are a couple of artists from here who have been planting the seeds for the city to thrive for years. Wave Chapelle is a perfect example of this; he was one of the first artists from Milwaukee to see any sort of major success with their music. Wave Chapelle first started to make a name for himself in the early 2010s. He popped off online in the Blog Era and helped put Milwaukee on the map as somewhere with talented Hip Hop artists. After signing with CMG, and moving out of Milwaukee for a bit, Wave Chapelle came back to the city and started working hard as an Independent artist based here. Over the last few years(especially since 2020), Wave Chapelle has been on an awesome run. Not only has he been very prolific in his output, but he has put out some of the most high-quality and unique Hip Hop in Milwaukee. As a lot of the artists in Milwaukee gravitate towards the Slap or the Drill music sound that it is becoming known for, Wave Chapelle goes against the grain and puts out hype yet thought-provoking Trap music that stands out. After dropping a very good album called Can’t Stop Won’t Stop in 2023, Wave Chapelle actually took it relatively easy in 2024. He dropped a few enticing singles throughout the year but didn’t drop any new full projects. He has already kicked off 2025 fast and hot, though, having already released a new EP called In Mode. Below, I wanted to give some thoughts on this new album from Wave Chapelle. Please let me know in the comments below what you think of Wave Chapelle’s In Mode, and also comment the names of any other local or independent artists you think I should check out!
Wave Chapelle gets the project started off on a pretty gritty and intense note with the title track, ‘In Mode.’ This track is a bit tougher and harsher than a lot of his other recent music. It does not have a Slap music sound, but it does lean towards some of the harsher Milwaukee Drill music(made popular by artists like Chicken P). The melody for this track is very ominous and creepy. The beat is hard-hitting, buzzy, and mean, giving ‘In Mode’ a looming feeling. Wave Chapelle raps with a fast and bold flow, matching the energy of the instrumental. His gruff tone gives ‘In Mode’ texture and makes it extra pushy. In ‘In Mode,’ Wave Chapelle raps about how he will not stop grinding until he makes it to the top and how he knows he is above his peers. ‘Victory 2.0,’ one of the project’s lead singles, contains a very cool future. This song gets assistance from Slug, the Minneapolis underground legend who is one-half of Atmosphere. ‘Victory 2.0’ is a very aptly named sound due to its sound. The melody for this track is grand and bright. The groovy piano riff and synths that complement it have a joyous feeling to them. The beat is spritely as well, which adds to the track’s uplifting appeal. Both Wave and Slug more than match the energy of this instrumental. I like how the slightly harsher tone of Slug contrasts the more steady tone of Wave, as this gives his verse a bit of emphasis. On ‘Victory 2.0,’ Wave and Slug rap about their paths to success and how they will let nothing stand in their way. ‘Shake’ Remix with Munch Lauren and SteveDaStoner. This song definitely goes against the grain of what one would expect from Wave; it may be the only song I have ever heard from him that sort of leans into the Milwaukee Slap sound. This song feels like a fusion between R&B Trap and Slap music. Everything about ‘Shake’ feels like it sits in between these two kinds of music, from the melody to the drum pattern and pacing of the track. Wave does his thing on this one, but his features really do their thing. Both SteveDaStoner and Munch Lauren make the ‘Shake Remix” feel over the top, giving it a perfect club music energy. On ‘Shake’ Remix, Wave, Steve, and Munch rap about how they get the function lit and how they always get to the money.
‘Never Fold,’ which features IshDARR, brings back the gritty Trap energy of the opening track. This is another one that has a bit of a Drill element to it as well. The melody for this track is simple yet looming; even though it is pretty lowkey, it still makes the track feel super mean. That dark feel of the melody is amplified by this beat. I especially love the buzzing bassline, as it gives the beat a massive sound. Wave Chapelle more than matches the energy of the instrumental, as his flow and tone add to the track’s gigantic feel. IshDARR raps with an off-kilter tone and flow that provides texture to the track. On ‘Never Fold,’ Wave Chapelle and IshDARR rap about how they are on their grind more than ever and how they will never let anyone or anything get in the way of what they want. ‘Like Wave’ sees Wave Chapelle lighten things up a considerable amount compared to the last couple of tracks. This one is probably the most sweet and vibrant song of the project. The melody for this one is very floaty and balmy. It has an inviting tone that makes me think of a beautiful summer morning, which is honestly so nice to hear considering how cold and dreary it is in Wisconsin. ‘Like Wave’ is probably the Poppiest song of the project as well. The drums on this one are upbeat and pretty lighthearted. They certainly add to the sunny feeling that this song has. Wave Chapelle’s rap performance on this song is pretty rapid and tough. His vocals actually have quite a bit of a more poignant feeling than the instrumental, contrasting it in an interesting and engaging manner. On ‘Like Wave,’ Wave Chapelle shouts out his own hard work, swagger, and overall presence in the rap game. He acknowledges that people around him are working hard, but they can not touch the level he is on. Wave Chapelle closes out the project with its grooviest and most laid-back track in ‘Hardly Home.’ The melody that drives this track is very warm and funky. The piano riff has a tone to it that will give anyone the stank face, and the synths that complement it give the track a coziness that is very pleasant. Wave Chapelle’s rap performance is pretty even-keeled and not as harsh as the rest of the project. He leans into the fact that the beat on this one is a bit softer and less pronounced, gliding on this instrumental with an effortlessness that I dig a lot. On ‘Hardly Home,’ Wave Chapelle raps about how he is always working and how he can not stop working at his craft and trying to progress his career. ‘Hardly Home’ closes out this record in a powerful yet steady way.
One thing I have always appreciated about Wave Chapelle is that it always seems like he is trying to improve and grow as an artist. The more you dive into his music, the more you see how he is always trying new things and is becoming more and more diverse as his career progresses. In Mode is such a great example of this. It seems like Wave Chapelle tried to pull out all of the stops on this project. In the introduction, I acknowledged that a lot of Wave Chapelle’s music in the past has gone against the grain of the Milwaukee Slap music and Drill music sounds. Well, on In Mode, Wave Chapelle shows that he can make this kind of music as well as anyone in the city. On multiple songs here, he embraces some of the instrumental styles the city is known for and shows that his flow and overall presence on these tracks works very well on these beats. Slap and Drill music is not the only direction Wave Chapelle goes in on this project, though, as the other instrumentals show varying sides to his artistry as well. On In Mode, Wave Chapelle no matter what style of music he wants to make, his crisp and incisive flows and his deep lyricism will always shine through. In Mode is a short yet impactful project where Wave Chapelle once again proves he is one of the top artists Milwaukee has to offer, and there are so many reasons that you should be paying attention to him
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