The quarterfinals of the 2022 Big Beat MKE tournament wrapped up on Thursday night, and it featured four producers who were willing to throw everything they had at one another to win over the judges and the crowd at The Wicked Hop. A sizeable crowd filled the venue, and they were lively by the time that the night was set to begin.

In the first contest of the night, we saw a young upstart and a battle veteran go toe-to-toe, as Gucco continued an impressive run facing off against Spacecrime. The two had some different styles, but both brought their people out. In Gucco’s case, he had an army of friends who were underage, but able to watch the battle from the street. As soon as the last beat of the third round dropped out, there were 4s being put up in the air, and we were certainly going to overtime. Both producers took their best shot, and while Gucco took the fan vote, it was Spacecrime who won the overall voting and would move on to the next round.

The second battle of the night had a main event feel to it. Scylla and Systematik faced off against one another, and there was no shortage of heavy beats. This was Systematik’s first true battle of the tournament, having advanced on a no-show previously, but he brought a barrage of trap meets heavy metal that had the crowd in the Third Ward screaming. Not to be outdone, Scylla opted to play his beats live time around, delivering a blistering synth solo over his first track of the night. He also brought out the props, ducking down and re-emerging with a killer mask for his final two beats of the battle. The contest went to overtime, and again the crowd and judges were split, but it will ultimately be Scylla who advanced to the semifinals.

On the performance side of things, the night kicked off with Duwayne, who filled in on a short term notice. His verses that packed in a ton of bars were hitting just right with the Wicked Hop crowd, and he certainly made an impression on some new listeners Thursday. The night was headlined with a performance from Von Alexander, who brought a mix of his recent discography to the show, getting the crowd bouncing as well.

There are just two weeks left in the Big Beat MKE tournament, with the semifinals taking place next week. Don’t miss out, as Mystik Musik and Scylla do battle, as well as Spacecrime and SDProduces. We also have performances next week from Hektik and WillOnWater, so make sure you’re in the building! Here’s your updated bracket below: