One World Music Festival Uniting Milwaukee’s Hip-Hop Generations

Milwaukee will get a chance to witness something special on April 26, the One World Music Festival at the Riverside Theater. As Piet Levy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, this showcase features an unprecedented lineup of Milwaukee’s most prominent rap artists, rising stars and established veterans.

The One World Music Festival is a creation of Tierra McClain and Anthony Milons, who run the Our Money LLC. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the couple’s goal is to bridge the gap between the hip-hop and R&B communities and the larger venues in the city. “It’s harder for the hip-hop community and R&B community to get into these larger venues,” McClain told the Journal Sentinel. “We are trying to bridge the gap.”

The festival’s lineup is a testament to the depth and breadth of Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene. Rising stars like Chicken P, J.P., and 414BigFrank, who have been gaining national attention, will share the stage with veterans such as Coo Coo Cal, the first and only Milwaukee rapper to top a Billboard chart with his 2001 hit “My Projects.” The Journal Sentinel reports that the lineup includes diverse acts, from pain rap brothers MT Twins to R&B singer Carolyne Scott and even 8-year-old rapper Yung MKE.

The festival also aims to showcase the unique talents and subgenres that have emerged from Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene. J.P., whose real name is Josiah Gillie, has been a prominent practitioner of lowend, a twerk music-inspired subgenre that originated in the city and has been gaining national attention. With this amazing, intergenerational, diverse lineup, intergenerational collaboration, and celebration of Milwaukee’s unique hip-hop sound, the One World Music Festival is poised to be a landmark event.