Registration opened yesterday for the 2010 Miltown Beat Down Beat Battle. As we expected, the new style of competition has brought up a number of questions. The ARRANGEMENT battle is a new approach to the Hip Hop beat battle. We’ve seen so many battles over the past years, where “celebrity” producers get on stage and someone plays “their” beats from a CDj or even worse, the Dj booth. While the energy of the beat is the determining factor in who wins any beat battle, we have always strived to offer a more in depth approach to the beat battle format.
This year’s ARRANGEMENT battle was inspired by Madhatter and Kid Cut Up’s days of DMC Dj battles. In the late 90’s there was nothing more exciting than a good DJ battle. The DMC formula challenged DJs to keep the crowd entertained for more than just one little routine. We’ve taken that idea and applied it to the beat battle.
In the ARRANGEMENT BATTLE producers have to weave their beats together into a high energy presentation. The goal is to show diversity, sonic prowess and to be clever in how the beats are presented to the audience.
Madhatter has been putting together a few examples of how it WOULD MAYBE sound if some of his favorite producers entered the battle…
Here is his mix of J Dilla beats mixed in the ARRANGEMENT BATTLE format.
– At least 3 minutes long, but no longer than 4 minutes.
– Must Contain at least 3 original compositions or beats ( more are encouraged )
– Must be mixed down to one MP3 or WAV file
That’s right! It’s officially 2010, so it’s time for the 5th annual Miltown Beat Down Battle to begin.
This year’s battle will offer 16 producers the chance to be crowned the next MILTOWN BEAT DOWN champ! For complete registration rules click HERE.
For more detailed registration info, click HERE!
Sign Up NOW for the 2010 Miltown Beat Down
Registration closes at midnight on Monday February 15th. That’s 6 whole weeks! So get yo’ act together, look over the rules, take your time to produce your best submission, and look for a call the week of February 15th!
The 2010 Miltown Beat Down battle is set to take place in the spring of 2010 here in Milwaukee. We are in the process of finalizing dates and will have them posted when registration opens.
For this year’s rules, check out the rules section.
Registration will open the first weekend of January and close the 3rd weekend of February.
All submissions must be completed via email at MILTOWNBEATDOWN@gmail.com
The Miltown Beat Down is Milwaukee’s premier head to head Hip Hop battle. Now it’s it’s 4th year, this year’s event encompasses more Milwaukee talent than years past, in a marathon of Hip Hop battles.
THE BATTLES:
The first battle, The FREESYTLE, will be just that. A traditional head to producer freestyle, in which producers play their top beats against one another. Which ever opponent gets the crowd the loudest wins.
In the second battle, THE HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE requires a bit of homework. in this battle, producers will need to be on their A game, when we give them a folder of unknown sounds and samples they must manipulate to create new original beats for the battle.
The final evening will feature the competitions most difficult challenge; the A-TEAM BATTLE. In this battle four producers will each be given a secret envelope of sounds, samples and audio clips they must incorporate in beats they make right there on the spot.
The battles have been building in attendance and energy over the past months as we prepare to see the finalists battle in the historic Turner Hall Ballroom in downtown Milwaukee on April 4th 2009.
Short History:
Production battles have been gaining popularity in the hip-hop scene worldwide. What makes the Miltown Beat Down so unique is its long run and it’s nontraditional format. No beat battle in the world is set up like this one. For over three months, downtown Milwaukee will host dozens of local rap producers in a multiple round format.
Jordan “madhatter” Lee hosts the morning drive show on 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, is a member or Milwaukee hip hop giants the Rusty Ps and a member of the Red Bull Music Academy’s Mr. X Program. As the host and creator of the Miltown Beat Down, Jordan aims to build bridges and unify Milwaukee’s extremely segregated hip hop scene. An impressive list of celebrity producers, local musicians, deejays, and radio personalities will be judging the final event. Every Wednesday night, the Jackalope will host a different round of the battle. The battles will continue throughout the winter, and as soon as the snow begins to melt, the final round will commence April 4th in the historic Turner Hall Ballroom. With three unique events, this years battle will be the most action packed event of the Milwaukee winter.
MILTOWN BEAT DOWN 2008 Wrap Up:
The bigger picture:
As an active member of the Milwaukee Hip Hop community, Dj Madhatter is very aware of the social, economic and cultural segregation within our city. With the Miltown Beat Down, we hope that area Hip Hop artists will have a platform free of any barriers with which they can come together and share a stage and audience. The battle has always been an important part of Hip Hop culture, and is one of the primary roots of the genres existence. This event aims to bring together Milwaukee artists of all ages, races and cultures. Our goal is for Milwaukee artists to bridge gaps, and find ways to collaborate with a neighbor whom they may have otherwise never had an opportunity to work together.
The Miltown Beat Down has again partnered with the True Skool Organization to further develop our goals of community outreach and diversity. TRUE Skool’s mission is to use cultural arts to educate and empower youth from different backgrounds and cultures to become leaders for positive social change in their communities. By infusing the core values of Hip Hop Culture; conflict resolution, creativity, self-expression, non-violence, and community activism, this unique organization positively impacts a diverse group of our inner city’s youth.
“Hip Hop is more than music, it goes beyond dance and sounds, it is about culture, history and skills. It was born of the same societal ills we see youth facing today; lack of jobs and economic opportunities, violence in our neighborhoods, schools, and at home, broken families, gangs, under-funded schools and lack of community resources. Hip Hop is a tool and a culture in itself that allows for positive change in one’s life and promotes the true meaning of “community”. Few social movements have been as effective as uniting cultures as Hip Hop has been for over 30 years.”
-TRUE Skool, Inc.
Miltown Beat Down Battle 