If you lose, don’t be a loser!

Posted by jordimack on May 18, 2011
Posted in: Commentary. Leave a comment

Crying over losing makes you look like a bum.

Hey everybody, it’s Jordan here.

I wanted to take a moment to address the REAL purpose of the Miltown Beat Down.  Let me begin by saying, that while this is a competition, those who lose in this event are often the really winners.

I’d like to share a story of how two of our recent contestants dealt with their losses.  One of the contestants left the event without speaking to me at all about his performance.  I then heard rumors of this artist’s fans causing a fight at the event.  As if that wasn’t enough a rant of negative comments was placed here on our site, but since I don’t allow for hate on this site it was never posted.

The other contestant thanked me after the event for allowing him to be part of the battle.  He then RSVP’d to attend the other rounds of the competition and I even found out that he had a session with our DJ and co-host KID CUT UP to talk shop and trade beat making secrets.

Each of these contestants lost on Thursday night.  BUT, WHO IS THE LOSER?

I’ve built this event to give my favorite part of Milwaukee’s rap scene a stage to shine on.  The producers are the heart of what we do here in Milwaukee hip-hop.  I only want to build bridges and create love. 

Through healthy competition we see the imperfections in our own work.  We are forced to step out of our comfort zone and do some tough self-evaluation.  No one wants to be told that their baby is ugly. However, if any MKE producers REALLY want to make it in the music industry, they had better have some tough skin and be ready for a ton of criticism. 

I only hope that we continue to see collaboration and partnership grow from this event.  So many of the “losers” of the Miltown Beat Down have gone on to create great work with other MKE artists; Reason, Jihad Baracus, Audio Pilot, B-Side, and even LORN, are all past MTBD losers.  But, they know that the art they create speaks more to their legacy than a win or loss here.

So, please
act cool, show some love, and be ready to build Milwaukee!

Battle Recap : May 12th

Posted by jordimack on May 13, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. 3 Comments

WOW! What a whirlwind of a night we had last night. To say the event was well attended is an understatement. At the start of the first beat, there was a line that stretched across the Wicked Hop’s sidewalk patio. I addresses the audience at 9:30 and the room was pretty much already at capacity.

Photo Love From the good folks at MKESCENE.COM

We began shortly after 10pm, and began the evening with quite a lot of technical difficulty. (Best believe that I will be shopping www.NOVAMUSIK.com for new cables today.)
While there were some sound issues that created a less than perfect presentation, we had some real nice beats in the first rounds. Outside of the sound issue, everything else was perfect. Kid Cut Up was rocking the crowd before, during and after. Rufio was slang’n drinks, PBR Joe had the Pabst V.I.P. is full effect and the judges were feeling the competition. Speaking of judges, that was my final FAIL for this season’s opener. I FORGOT TO INTRODUCE THE JUDGE PANEL.
So with out further ado… Ladies and Gentlemen…YOUR JUDGES!

From THE MAD KIDS show on 91.7 WSMSE, and JSOnline’s TAP MILWAUKEE…DJ BIZZON

From 88NINE Radio Milwaukee, Rhythm Lab Radio host and UnLooped creator… TARIK aka The Architect

From RUNMKE.com Remix artist, Producer, Designer and VJ… DJ SLYM

From OnMilwakee.com’s Milwaukee UP , Hip Hop Blogger, Manager and Emcee… JC Poppe

Umbrella Music Group recording artist and Milwaukee rap star… Prophetic

Myself and Kid Cut Up also serve a judges number 6 and 7 in close calls. (and we had a few of them las night.) If you have not seen the score card or rules, you can find them here.  Each producer is able to earn up to 500 points per battle.

After an intense night of battles, here are the results…

TRE COLD [217] vs. BUBBA [366]

OVA [271] vs. WHITE RUSSIAN [400]

JUNGLE BOY [229] vs. AUDIO PILOT [299]

No that's not Cash Beatz... LOL

CASH BEATZ [177] vs. DJ HEAVYWAIT [324]

In the finals last night, things got serious.  Each producer really stepped up with bigger beats and the crowd got a lot louder.

BUBBA [366] vs. WHITE RUSSIAN [377]

DJ HEAVYWAIT [337] vs. AUDIO PILOT [351]

WOW! That was close at the end there, but WHITE RUSSIAN and AUDIO PILOT will move on to the 2011 MILTOWN BEAT DOWN FINALS at Turner Hall Ballroom.  Advance tickets are available now, and while these preliminary rounds are 21 and over, the finals are an ALL AGES show!  Be sure to join us next week for the 2nd Preliminary round at The Jackalope Lounj.

I have to admit, that it breaks my heart that great producers don’t always move forward, but that’s what battles are all about.  68 signed up, only 32 made the cut, and 31 of those will be losers.  The event is, and always has been, about giving these producers a platform to show the city their beats.

I know I had a great time last night, and I hope you did too.

Peas y’all.

DJ Madhatter.

Madhatter’s return to the MAD KIDS SHOW

Posted by jordimack on May 11, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Last night, Madhatter stopped by the WMSE studios to promote the MILTOWN BEAT DOWN.

The Miltown Beat Down’s creator and director Jordan Lee ( AKA DJ Madhatter ) got his start in radio with good friend and fellow DJ Kid Cut Up.  3 years ago, Cut Up and ‘Hatter began the MAD KIDS RADIO SHOW on 91.7fm WMSE in Milwaukee.  Jordan returned to WMSE last night for an interview with Kid Cut Up and DJ Bizzon.  This was a great way to talk about the history of the event, and what has developed so far this year.

To hear the interview, just click below…

Support the MAD KIDS and real Hip Hop in MIlwaukee, make a contribution to WMSE today.  Click HERE to make an online donation.  You can follow the Mad Kids on their blog and download ALL their past shows here.

Don’t forget to join us for the first round of battles THIS THURSDAY at the Jackalope Lounj.

Let’s Get Ready To RUMBLE!

Posted by jordimack on May 8, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Here it is!

The 2011 MILTOWN BEAT DOWN.


We’d like to let everyone know that  68 producers signed up for this event, and with the highest turn out we’ve seen in 6 year’s we’ve decided to open up the event to 32 producers, instead of 16.

This way we can let more of the midwest’s best have their time to shine.

With that being said, here is the schedule of battles…
–
THURSDAY MAY 12th
–
THURSDAY MAY 19th
Hitmayng vs. TradeMark
–
THURSDAY MAY 26th
–
THURSDAY JUNE 2nd

The preliminary rounds will all be held at the Jackalope Lounj, inside the Wicked Hop downtown. ( 345 n. Broadway )

Each night will have 8 producers, and from that 8, two finalist will emerge to move on to the JUNE 10th finals at Turner Hall.
BATTLE BEGINS AT 10PM sharp. 


If you have never been to a Milton Beat Down.. Here is some advice.
  • Get There Early: The Jackalope Lounj is small and the room fills up quick.
  • Participate: This ain’t no stand there and look cool kinda show.  You gotta go in ready to yell, boo, cheer and move!
  • Get A Designated Driver:  They pour stiff drinks and the PBR will be cheap!  So you wanna make sure you can get back safely to catch each round!
  • Follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.  We often have special incentives and information for those who do! ( wink )
For more information, visit our EVENTS page.  And don’t forget!!!
Tickets for the 2011 FINALS are now on sale.  Buy ’em now, before that price goes up!

Registration… so far.

Posted by jordimack on April 17, 2011
Posted in: General. Leave a comment

Hey y’all.
So we have had an amazing amount of traffic to the website so far this year. Over 500 people have checked out the registration information so far, and we’ve seen over 55 registrations so far. However, as of today, we’ve only received 5 completed registrations.  Many of our Past Champions have signed up, including Magic Fingaz, Jihad Baracus, Major on da Beatz, and Lex Luthor.

We have 16 slots available this year, so if you have not yet signed up… WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Just click the REGISTRATION tab above and get started.
Remember, there is $0 registration and $0 cover charge for the preliminary rounds of battle. Our first battle is Thursday May 12th at the Jackalope Lounj, in the Wicked Hop, downtown Milwaukee.