By Nyesha Stone
Ald. Rainey at the kick off of Hip-Hop Week. (Picture by Lee Matz for Milwaukee Independent)
All week long, Milwaukee has been on a mission: to celebrate hip-hop. Milwaukee is the first city in the country to dedicate an entire week to honoring hip-hop. Put on by Ald. Khalif Rainey, the city has been flooding with different events tailored to hip-hop all week long.
Rainey appeared on the popular show The Breakfast Club where he advertised the event to a huge audience, which simultaneously shined a positive spotlight on Milwaukee.
Throughout the week, events ranging from concerts to discussions on mental health took place, all in the honor of Hip-Hop. Milwaukee’s music scene is growing every day, and having this event only ensures that Milwaukee is next in line to make hip-hop history.
“Meet people where they’re at and that’s what we’re doing with this platform,” said Rainey.
This year’s focus was figuring out how to bridge the older and younger generation. With the city all on board, many different organizations and other entities organized their own events to be a part of the week to get the community engaged.
Events included a financial literacy discussion with DJ Envy from the Breakfast Club, DJ spin sessions and more. Megan Thee Stallion was supposed to perform at the Rave but canceled due to sickness.
The Hop even had its first live musical performance by local rapper Nile.
Milwaukee has been in mentioned in the media lately and most of it is positive news. With the buzz from Hip-Hop Week, Milwaukee is sure to be a city people want to come to visit and possibly to live.