It was a modest crowd on Wednesday night at Turner Hall, but that doesn’t mean it was anything shy of, “lit”. It was clear that the frat rapper, Skizzy Mars, was thrilled with the audience. Claiming that Milwaukee was one of his favorite cities, the 6-time headliner made sure that we would have a wild night.
The Band
The Harlem born rapper has been making music since 2013. He got his start on a few features one of them being with G-Eazy which put him on the map. Coming from humble upbringing Skizzy Mars’s lyrics reflect his past and do not glorify violence or gratuitous amounts of money.
The experience
Coming out to a drummer and guitarist, NYC born and raised rapper took to the stage in a wild fashion with the fervor that could match any big name rapper you’d see today. Jumping into one of his more popular songs, Skizzy sent his crowd into a frenzy with everyone dancing and singing along with him.
One of the things that stood out was how great the show sounded. If you ever listen to his studio recordings it’s clear that he uses auto-tune. Which I never understood, because his live vocals were absolutely on point. His flow matched the live drums and backup guitar that occasionally delved into some high-school level solos filled Turner Hall with a sound that could rival something in the Rave.
At first, his on stage presence seemed a bit dissident, but that was shortly remedied the moment he started talking to the crowd. Being a fan of Milwaukee, Skizzy felt right at home with his crowd of 150 people. All of whom must’ve been under the age of 21. But that didn’t stop anyone from having a blast. As I claim to be a mild fan, I felt pout of place as the crowd seemed to know every lyric, only fueling Skizzy’s energy to be even bigger.
As the show went on he played a myriad of his old and new hits. Unfortunately, his “older” music was from 2013 and not the mixtape I knew from my days in college. As the show went on people began to ramp up their own levels of energy. It probably had nothing to do with the plums of vape clouds that surrounded Turner. Probably.
As the show concluded it seemed that everyone in the audience was pleased with the still independent rapper. He played his heart out, had the crowd moving and singing along the entire time and above all else, sounded great in Turner Hall.
The Verdict
I had no expectations coming into this show. I figured it was going to be a rapper clearly on the last legs of his tour, looking to wrap up a final city. What I got was nothing short of an extremely impressive show, albeit modest. He avoids the mainstream mentality of money, cars, and clothes. Instead speaks from his experiences, loneliness, and trying to make it out in the world. It felt honest, and a different mentality that I’m not used to in modern day rap. Skizzy Mars puts on a great show, one that left me feeling fulfilled and surprised with the level of interest that he had in Milwaukee. Maybe I’ll even see him the 7th time he comes to town.
