Big Beat MKE: Finals Recap
Oh. My. Goodness.
The final night of the inaugural Big Beat MKE tournament was not to be missed. Even before the night began, anticipation built leading up to Thursday night’s contests at the Jackalope Lounj. A jam packed crowd started making their way into the building close to an hour before the first battle, and would end up filling up the floor and balcony before all was said and done. In between battles, lively performances from Kareem City and Von Alexander kept the energy way up.
The night started off with the Third Place battle, between Hot Science and SDProduces. Both producers brought their A-game, and even though they weren’t in the finals, definitely brought material as if they were. Hot Science brought out a pair of samplers, including a micro sampler about the size of a calculator. It was an entertaining contest that went into overtime, and definitely a good way to start the night. When it came down to it, the judges ultimately decided that Hot Science would take Third Place overall.
Then came the moment we had built to for eight weeks. The championship battle was between TStreetz_Beatz, who competed on the first night of the battle all the way to the last, and Main.Key, who was predicted by many to at least make it to the final, if not hoist the trophy. It was nothing short of an all-out audio slugfest, complete with showmanship from both sides. Main.Key donned an orange mask and turned up with the crowd during his beats, and TStreetz_Beatz had a section of the crowd chanting along with him as they jumped around the Jackalope Lounj. This was an instant classic, and the crowd roared for overtime with the most energy of the whole tournament. There were even calls for a fifth beat, however the rules state only one overtime will be contested. It was a tough, tough call, but when it was all said and done, the judges determined that Main.Key would be your inaugural Big Beat MKE champion.
Photo by Madhi Gransberry via Facebook
A sincere thank you goes out to everyone that came out to make this happen. All of the judges, DJs Alpine and Luxi, Gonzales Visuals, and of course our host, Twan Mack, made this an unforgettable experience. This also wouldn’t be possible without The Wicked Hop, Cascio Music, Moda3, Activate MKE, Nice FM, The Elements: A Hip Hop Podcast, Isharai Artist Management, MKE Marketing Co., Kabron Clothing, and Finatik Apparel. We don’t know what to do with our Thursdays now, but we are more than looking forward to the 2019 edition of Big Beat MKE. Here’s your final bracket. Thank you!
