Tag: Jackalope Lounj

Big Beat MKE Returns For 2019

Breaking And Entering is thrilled to announce that our annual beat battle tournament, Big Beat MKE, is returning to the Jackalope Lounj at The Wicked Hop for its second season in 2019. The tournament is an extension of the format of the Miltown Beatdown, a beat battle operated by 88Nine Radio Milwaukee personalities Jordan “Madhatter” Lee and DJ Bizzon from 2005-2015.

Big Beat MKE is a weekly competition that pits 16 Milwaukee music producers, spanning hip hop, EDM, and more, in a head-to-head tournament bracket to determine the Big Beat MKE champion. A beat battle consists of three one-minute rounds, where a producer plays or creates an original beat, and a winner is determined by a rotating panel of judges, including Milwaukee musicians, media personalities, and music influencers. Each of the eight nights of Big Beat MKE consist of two beat battles, as well as performances from Milwaukee hip hop artists.

“The thing about Big Beat MKE is that while it is meant to be competitive, it also brings about a lot of collaboration” said Allen Halas, owner of Breaking And Entering. “The whole city has an opportunity to come together and network at these events, as well as cheer each other on. It’s my favorite thing that B&E has done in the past year.”

To enter the tournament, producers are required to submit two original beats on the Big Beat MKE page of our site between March 4th and Friday, April 5th. All of the initial submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel of local music influencers, and a final bracket will be drawn at random of the 16 chosen producers and unveiled on Monday, April 15th. Opening round battles will take place weekly from May 2nd to May 23rd, with the Quarterfinals following on May 30th and June 6th. Semifinal battles will take place on June 13th, and the Championship and Third Place battles on June 20th. All events are free to attend, and will take place at the Jackalope Lounj, adjacent to The Wicked Hop at 345 N. Broadway in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.

B&E is also looking to make this a uniquely Milwaukee experience via local sponsors as well. All sponsorship inquiries can be emailed to allen@breakingandentering.net.

We can’t wait to see you at Big Beat MKE this year!

Big Beat MKE: Semifinals Recap

And then there were two. The semifinals of the inaugural Big Beat MKE tournament were absolutely on fire last night, with four producers hungry to move on to the finals next week at the Jackalope Lounj. As emcee/host Twan Mack has pointed out, there are no losers, just people that didn’t make it to the next round. Last night TStreetz_Beatz, Hot Science, Main.Key, and SDProduces all proved that. It was a night filled with crazy beats and enough bass to rattle everything in sight. In addition to all of the battle craziness, we also had performances from Klassik and Sharrod Sloans, making for a dynamic showcase of local hip hop.

In the first battle of the evening, TStreetz_Beatz and Hot Science pulled no punches. TStreetz_Beatz brought some absolute bangers, and Hot Science brought a more electronica-infused style, performing with his sampler live on stage. TStreetz_Beatz might have pulled off the move of the tournament, though, by delivering a heavy beat in overtime, including a sample of 21 Jump Street that proclaimed “fuck you, Science!” sending the crowd into a frenzy. It was all in good fun, but in the end, TStreetz_Beatz moved onto the finals. Side note: poor Hot Science. In an earlier round, his own EP was sampled against him, and now he got hit with a major uppercut in the semis. That’s just not fair, man.

The second battle of the night was an incredibly strong showing as well. Fresh off of what many would consider a major upset, SDProduces went toe-to-toe with Main.Key. It was a very, very tough call, and before the second round even started, people in the Jackalope Lounj were signaling that we needed overtime to decide this. We went the distance, but ultimately Main.Key will be facing TStreetz_Beatz in the finals next Thursday night.

Next week we cap things off for the inaugural Big Beat MKE Tournament! Our third place battle will between SDProduces and Hot Science, and then we crown a champion between Main.Key and TStreetz_Beatz! You can also win a $100 Cascio Music gift card, and we’ll have performances from Reggie Bonds and Von Alexander. You need to be there! Here’s your bracket update.

Oh, by the way…

RECAP: Big Beat MKE Quarterfinals, Night One

Just when we thought that the first round of the Big Beat MKE contest was crazy, night one of the quarterfinals kicked off with some pure pandemonium. Two more names made their way into the next round of the tournament, and are one step closer to claiming producer supremacy with the inaugural Big Beat MKE title.

The opening contest of the night was a pure slugfest, as good friends TStreetz_Beatz and Mikeaknight_Beats went toe to toe in one of the hottest battles yet. Emcee Twan Mack made an OG call for an overtime round, and the crowd was definitely in favor of that decision. It was a great way to set off the night, and while the judges definitely had a tough call on their hands, ultimately TStreetz_Beatz got the win to move on to the semifinal.

Battle two of the night was almost marred by technical difficulty, as Elete Trax wasn’t able to get a computer up and running in his battle vs. Hot Science. Luckily, however, he not only had beats on his phone, but also had an app to make beats live, dueling Hot Science’s live sampler work. It was definitely one of the moments of the tournament so far, and it took the battle to another close overtime decision. In the end though, Hot Science prevailed, after a valiant effort.

The night was also given a classic hip hop feel with performances from john doe and Taiyamo Denku, featuring an impromptu beatbox/freestyle session from Denku and Twan Mack. As Twan put it at the end of the night, “there were no losers tonight, but two people have to make it on to the next round”. Here’s how your bracket looks going into next week, night two of the quarterfinals:

Big Beat MKE: Opening Round Night 4 Recap

Every week gets just a little crazier at the Jackalope Lounj for Big Beat MKE! Last night, our biggest crowd yet packed the house for a couple of great battles, as well as a couple of great performances from Shle Berry and Rockz.

The opening battle was a clash of styles, as SDProduces brought the hip hop, and Tron Jovi of Guerrilla Ghost brought an aggressive mixture of hip hop and EDM. Both producers could make the stage rumble with their tracks, and a lively crowd was insisting that the battle went the distance. When our host, Twan Mack, asked if they needed an overtime round, the response was unanimous. Both producers brought the heavy artillery out, but in the end, SDProduces got the win, and is moving onto the quarterfinals.

The second battle of the night definitely had a main event feel to it. There was already plenty of support for Golden Child online once the initial bracket came out, but he faced stiff competition in DJay JC, who brought a crowd up to the front of the stage with him. Again, both producers didn’t hold back, with beats that had fans freestyling on the ground and dancing up in the balcony (we saw you, Genesis Renji). After three rounds, not only was the crowd chanting for an overtime, but there was unanimous agreement from Twan Mack, in-house DJ Alpine, as well as all of the judges, including guests DJ Payday, Ant from Uni-Fi Records, and Yogie B & Keez. A hotly contested overtime round went down, and the judges had a very tough decision, but Golden Child took the battle and moves onto the quarterfinals.

Big Beat MKE is off next week, but after last night’s battles, everyone needs a second to recover and hit the reset button. Here’s how your bracket looks with one round complete. Don’t miss the start of the quarterfinal round on May 31st, featuring performances from Taiyamo Denku and john doe!

Big Beat MKE: Opening Round Night 1 Recap

We officially kicked off the inaugural Big Beat MKE tournament on Thursday night, and the competitors came out swinging (not literally). A packed crowd of hip hop and electronic music fans loaded into the the Jackalope Lounj, and watched as TStreetz_Beatz, Poohbrezzy, Just A Human, and Mikeaknight_Beats did battle on stage. Guest judges Kenny Perez from The Mix on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee and artist manager Mag were in the building to weigh in on the night’s events.

In the first battle, TStreetz_Beatz got the first win of the competition over Poohbrezzy. The second battle of the night saw the competition’s first overtime round, as a toughly contested battle between Just A Human and Mikeaknight_Beats went the distance and then some, taking things into a fourth round before a very difficult judge’s decision.

TStreetz_Beatz and Mikeaknight_Beats will now battle one another on May 31st, in what is sure to be a crazy quarterfinal matchup. After night one, here’s how the bracket looks:

Fans at the Jackalope Lounj were also treated to energetic sets from Alexzander and Renz Young. Join us next week when Dozzi B Marz and New Wave Outlawz rock the crowd in the Historic Third Ward!

We’re only one night in, and already, the competition is fierce. Everyone brought it last night to kick off the tournament. Make sure to join us next week Thursday night, as MystiK MusiK, Hot Science, Ag Da Gift, and Elete Trax will see who makes it into the  second quarterfinal matchup.

Introducing: The ShowOut Showcase

Today we’re thrilled to announce that we’re partnering with Dana Coppafeel and Mammyth, as well as Uni-Fi Records, for a new addition to our regular concert calendar, The ShowOut Showcase. This will be a monthly hip hop showcase, hosted by the duo, with the intention of showcasing the talented artists that make up Milwaukee’s hip hop scene.

The ShowOut Showcase will be held at The Jackalope Lounj in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. The Jack has a history in Milwaukee hip hop, initially being the home of the infamous Miltown Beatdown beat battles. The first showcase will feature local artists J-Lamo, SAFS Crew Sunny, RTystic, Kareem City, and BMorn. We hope to see you on May 25th at the Jackalope Lounj!