Recently, Milwaukee’s Slap music sound has become an online sensation. It seems like this raucous and entertaining style of Hip Hop is easily one of the fastest growing movements in the nation; it is popular on all corners of the internet, and rises more and more every day. One of the biggest reasons(if not the biggest reason, figuratively and literally) for the rise of the Milwaukee Slap music is 414bigfrank. He has gone viral many times recently for his highly enjoyable music, as well as his hilarious skits and antics. After initially starting to blow up in 2022 with his track ‘414bigfrank (BackPack),’ Frank has been soaring over the last few years. He has been extremely prolific in his output, dropping hit after hit and becoming more and more popular. 2024 was 414bigfrank’s best year to date. He began the year by dropping his biggest single to date, ‘Eat Her Up.’ This song was all over TikTok and Instagram last year, and it brought casual Hip Hop fans around the country into the work of bigfrank. Last summer, he dropped his album Can Never Make Me Hate You, which some different sides to his artistry. Songs like ‘WHAM’ with Zeddy Will, ‘Baby Got It,’ and ‘For You’ are some of my favorites from this record, as they all have a different style to them that stands out. 414bigfrank has continued his success into 2025, once again dropping one of the bigger viral tracks of the summer. His song ‘There It Is’ with Sunny Lou and Run Along Forever has been massively successful and is one of the feel-good bangers of 2025. 414bigfrank just released a full collaborative album with Sunny Lou and Run Along Forever called If You Ain’t First. Below, I wanted to talk about my favorite songs from If You Ain’t First, then give some overall thoughts on the album to close things out. Please let me know in the comments how you feel about 414bigfrank’s If You Ain’t First, and also comment the names of some other up-and-coming artists you think I should check out!

BigFrank It

Not only is ‘BigFrank It’ the lead single from If You Ain’t First, but it is also the first song on the record. This track certainly gets the project off to a bang. It has the sort of high-octane, brash sound that Frank has become known for. ‘BigFrank It’ has a similar energy to the aforementioned ‘There It Is.’ I really love the horns that drive the melody on ‘BigFrank It.’ This melody has an almost nasty and dirty element that just makes me want to rage. The drums certainly match the feeling of the melody. 414bigfrank attacks this instrumental with the kind of vicious attitude that the instrumental provides. His flow on this song is quick, and his tone is loud and boisterous, which honestly only brings out the harsh nature of the instrumental. ‘BigFrank It’ is an awesome opener for this project, as it gets things started on a very lively note. 

Tubi With Lonnie Monae

When listening to this project, you could probably pick any song as the ‘club banger.’ For the sake of this write-up, I am going to say ‘Tubi’ has that sentiment. That is because I can literally imagine being out at the function and having this song completely turn up the situation. ‘Tubi’ has the sound that is going to get any bar or party going. This song samples the iconic PTAF track ‘Boss Ass Bitch.’ This sample drives the instrumental; in a manner, this track almost feels like a sped-up, low-end version of that original track. As awesome as this instrumental is, the best thing about this track is the performances from Lonnie Monae and Frank. The way in which Lonnie raps makes this track feel so sassy and cocky. BigFrank certainly matches Lonnie’s style on this track, rapping with an equally audacious attitude. ‘Tubi’ is a song(one of many, to be honest) that I expect to hear when I am outside in Milwaukee over the coming months, and I know it will bring so much life. 

DJay Mando

Right off the bat, the title of ‘DJay Mando’ immediately drew me in. For those who do not know, DJay Mando is a very popular DJ and curator of music/fun in Milwaukee. As someone who loves the Milwaukee music scene, it is awesome to see this little shout-out. Like the opening track, the melody for this track has a similar feeling to the opening track. Like ‘BigFrank It,’ this one is driven by big, brazen horns that just make the song feel so huge. The drums on this one are even more intense and a bit more groovy than ‘BigFrank It.’ The drums on ‘DJay Mando’ make this song feel even more animated. Frank’s rap performance on ‘DJay Mando’ adds to the emphasis that it has. The tongue-in-cheek lyricism that Frank raps with makes this track funny; the little callbacks are awesome for those in the know. ‘DJay Mando’ feels like a song that is truly for fans obsessed with Milwaukee music, and that is dope. 

D.Y.O.B.

Out of all the music on this project, ‘D.Y.O.B.’ is the one that is probably the least like the others. Now, that is because of the tempo and style of the drum pattern. As far as the melody goes, ‘D.Y.O.B.’ is the second track on this album that contains a sample from a classic. The sample that drives this song comes from the iconic Salt-N-Pepa track ‘Push It.’ The groovy synths from that legendary song that drive this one make this song feel like a dance floor anthem. Instead of having a Slap music beat, though, ‘D.Y.O.B.’ has a fast-paced Hi-Nrg sort of feeling to it that stands out. Frank’s rap performance on this track is quick and silky, and it fits the instrumental so well. On this kind of instrumental, 414bigfrank had to change up his delivery style a bit, and he does a more than adequate job. ‘D.Y.O.B.’ is a song that sticks out from the rest, and that is what makes it pop so much.

One thing that I love when listening to new 414bigfrank music is that you know what you are going to get, and that it is going to be very entertaining. Big Frank is not going to drop any boing, nonchalant, or relaxing music. Everything about his sound and style is so enthralling and full of so much positive energy. If You Ain’t First is definitely another example of this. Now, at 9 songs and 15 minutes, this album certainly goes by fast. It feels like a short burst of positive and exciting energy. There is not a ton of actual substance here, but it has a level of quality and intricacy that makes it work very well. To be honest, I just wish this project were a bit longer, because I want more. A cool aspect of this project is that pretty much every song has the same level of exuberance and rowdiness, which means any song could be any person’s favorite. Even though I picked the four tracks that I did, I feel like they could be interchanged with a few of the others. I was also debating putting ‘Vroom’ and ‘Eats’ on this list; I am sure that these or the three others that I did not mention could be the top tracks for fans of this record. There is not a ton of diversity or variance in the overall sound of this record, but that is okay. What you see and what you expect is what you get, and that is more than enough. 414bigfrank continues his dominance as a Milwaukee icon and rising star with If You Ain’t First. He is here to stay and is only getting better.