The views and opinions of the hosts and guests of this program are of their own, and not a reflection of Milwaukee Black Media or 101-7 The Truth.
Good afternoon, Milwaukee.
You're tuned in to the lunch break on 101-7 The Truth, where everything is an option on the menu.
Grab your lunch, hit send on that email, and get ready for the best hour of your day.
My way of thinking is that the parents do all they can.
But once the kids leave off that door, whatever have you, they make their own decisions.
I don't care if you 9 or 99.
It's still your decision about the situations that you get involved yourself in.
Look into their taxes.
Look into this.
We talking about elected officials doing backdoor deals and somehow she still wanna blame immigrants.
That's what we talking about right now.
We following the money and you still wanna blame black people and immigrants and welfare and all of these things for policies and backdoor deals that put poor people in worse position.
Live
from the American Family Insurance Studio at the Third Street Market Hall.
become an issue?
Here are your hosts, Ray Nitty and maybe Shannon.
What's up, what's up y'all you are listening to the lunch break with Ray nitty and maybe Shannon Milwaukee What is up?
We got brother Z. He's holding it down on production and sound and we are live from the American Family Studio inside the beautiful Third Street Market Hall Make sure you guys are following me on all platforms.
Maybe Shannon MA YBE SHANNON
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Alright, and we're here from 12 to 2 so whether you're on your lunch break or just driving around Milwaukee Or if you're sitting at that desk pretending to work like we know y'all do Make sure you guys are tapped in with us.
Let us know you let them know your lunch break is two hours now 12 to 2 we are here.
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Alright, so we got a quick recap of yesterday, right?
But before we get into that Let's talk about Let's talk about what we got going on.
Alright, so
We're gonna have an interview today.
Super excited about that, right?
We gonna talk about that too, before I recap.
We got what we have on the menu.
I'm super excited to share that with you guys.
So let's get into it, okay?
So the True Family Fest, we talked about that yesterday.
We talked about me visiting my grandma.
We talked about the Asian Festival where we saw, got a little hectic, just a little bit of some fighting going on.
Then we talked about Damon Darling, that situation surrounding his reported a lifetime ban at Walmart and a few other places associated with Walmart.
That opened a bigger conversation about real life consequences of pranks and things you do on social media or whether or not like he's being punished for doing good things because that's what most of his content is now.
Then we had that wild viral video of a man dressed up like Spider-Man it was.
confronting some demonstrators at the far right neo-nazi rally.
And we asked whether that was brave, dangerous or both.
Then we talked about Target.
We talked about the backlash that they got over a costume and the criticism and why they got criticized so harshly, especially because the costume looks so close to blackface, right?
The latest developments on that is Target has apologized and of course they said like something like, oh yeah, we just, we made a mistake, whoopsie
That's normally how it is.
We also got into some developments about Sean Grace and the murderer of Sonia Massey.
And we talked about her background and we went into what happened in that situation and why I really wasn't, you know, I wasn't tripping when I already passed away.
I was like, yeah.
That happens to the best of us don't it so We also talked about master Pete and we talked about the bigger question Whether you can focus on building success and black wealth without minimizing history because I think his clip to me it sound a lot like He was saying just get over it and we'll be just fine right that that's that like just get over it and you'll be able to focus on your success and you'll be fine but a lot of people have pushed back because they felt like
forgetting our history doesn't have to be a part of building our future so Today we have Dean of Students Paul tax from Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy that that interview is coming after the break We're gonna talk about childhood.
We're gonna talk about turning his life around We're gonna talk about the work he does in those in that school.
It's gonna be a great conversation I'm super excited about this interview after that we're gonna get into
We're gonna get into something that went viral in Milwaukee I know everybody's talking about it the no Milwaukee rap playlist at one of our one of our major bars here on Brady We gonna talk about that we gonna talk about the list what names were running because it was very specific What artists they didn't want other than the no Milwaukee rap, right?
Then we're gonna talk about something I saw about the owner's private Facebook and what he posted and how I feel about that
Oh, not the owner.
Oh, a different bar.
OK, so Zach just told me it was the owner of a different bar.
But we just go talk about that post, and we're going to get into why it made me look at the garage differently.
So we're going to get into that.
And then we're going to talk about a sex toy being thrown onto a WNBA court and what the players are saying, what security can realistically do.
And why people feel so comfortably doing something like that in public.
So keep that number handy.
833-212-1017.
That's the number to call.
Make sure you call, text, jump on YouTube.
Hit us up.
All right.
We are at the lunch break.
So yesterday, like I said, it was it was it was a good day.
We had a great time here on the lunch break.
I know we talked a lot about.
the reason that that costume was so Disrespectful right and I do want to read exactly what Target had to say because like I said their apology was very it felt it felt like something they had to do it didn't feel genuine it didn't feel personable it didn't feel to me like they did it because they really did feel like they made a mistake it more so felt like
Something they just had to do like they were just doing their housekeeping like I guess everybody's mad because if you go to like their social media pages you're seeing people react to like What they feel like is disrespect and then blatantly playing in our face if we're being honest and I completely understand why it feels like that especially because they just Like we talked about yesterday.
They had just walked back a bunch of DEI promises that they made to the black community
They told us that they were going to spend X amount of money pushing the black community and doing all this good stuff.
But then it feels like once Trump said, y'all don't have to do it.
They said, great.
And they changed their minds.
And then you see a costume like that.
And it really, really makes you wonder.
Was it purposeful?
Like was it one of those things that just kind of slipped through the cracks?
Yesterday I talked about how how long.
The process is to even get like an item on like Target's website.
Like it's not like Ali expressing you just throw something up there.
It's not like you can just be like, oh, I'm gonna sell this at Target and throw it online.
That's not how that goes.
So I'm gonna read that apology as well.
So it said, an apology from us.
We removed an offensive Halloween costume that should have never been part of our assortment.
It is no longer for sale.
As a company, we got this wrong and we are deeply sorry.
We know this is especially hurtful for our black guests, team members and partners.
Removing the costume is an important first step and we are looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won't happen again.
And that's, that's the thing, man.
Like how does something like that happen?
Like I wish I had the answers.
I genuinely do wish I
I could tell y'all how something like that happened because to me it's not something that easily happens.
Let me check out the chat.
We got not really a city girl in the chat.
She says, Shannon, you are holding it down again.
I am holding it down again.
We got Jasmine Jazzy West in the chat as well.
Great seeing y'all.
Jasmine Jazzy West, she pulled up on us.
Zach.
At True Family Fest,
Yeah!
Yeah, I didn't see her in the chat yesterday.
I definitely wanted to talk about that.
She definitely pulled up for us, and it was good to see our cousins.
We call them our cousins.
The chat is our cousins.
We be tussling sometimes, but it's always a good time, and it's always good to see them.
I was so excited to see them out in the live, in the wild.
But yeah, Jazz, I'm here by myself.
I'm holding it down.
We got to talk about it when he when he get back we got to hear about this trip But he's definitely in Poland and I've been holding it down Z's got production and sound so it's been good But like I said, I'm super excited to come back after this break We have a wonderful interview Dean of Students Paul tax from Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy This is super exciting y'all.
You don't want to miss this stay there.
Don't go anywhere.
We'll be right back after this
break
honored to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Of course, of course.
I hope I can bring something to the table.
Take his tax.
I hear it all.
I literally let it
ride because I get it all.
Take us out to the ball game.
why I'm Mr. Paul.
Okay, Mr. Paul.
am today, I think
as a
man,
I think I'm someone who
actually knows who they are.
And what I mean by that is...
Life is a long journey.
It's just so many ups and downs and I just really love being in the spot, just being a father, being a man who really wants to give back because I felt like that's what we're here for.
So I love having a job that I feel like on a daily basis.
I'm able to give back to the community and honestly I get more from it than I probably get it in.
I'm blessed to go to a passion, not a workplace.
I know that's right.
When
to
Definitely.
As far as like at the school with the Dean of Students Row, this is my fourth year serving in that position.
I started at school as a security guard.
Really?
And it's just like, I don't know.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
That's how I started to get.
And we can get into that a little bit later.
But
as a
serve the students, the parents, the staff.
And
really
just a lot of times when people hear dean and students, they always think about behavior.
But I think about relationships.
That's where I feel like my biggest role is just building relationships, repairing relationships, and being that we all got wisdom with the years.
So just trying to pass on some of that wisdom that I can.
Uh, long.
I'd say long and rough in some ways, but then also beautiful in some ways.
Um, my, my story is different than like a lot of, you know, students we serve or maybe our community.
Like, so like I also thought I had an interesting.
take on life and I'm able to see that like different angles like y'all are.
unique.
Yeah and I think all of us, all of ours are.
Right.
You know that's why I love talking to people, that's why I love getting to know people because I think we can learn so much from each other.
Okay.
And my story is a little bit different but I just feel grateful because like I said there's people that I came up with that's no longer with us.
There's people with us that couldn't overcome some of their struggles you know and it's like I'm just thankful that
I was able to make it
So do you
So yeah, I think and I think that really like kind of formed some of my like, I want to say issues, but maybe some of my insecurities growing up.
So I was
I was adopted because my mama didn't want to have a black child.
That's as easy as we can say.
When she found out
that she was going to have me, she hit it.
She went to
a seminary and
just
hit away.
No one even really knew she was pregnant.
No one knew she was pregnant.
She gave birth to me.
When she finally gave birth to me, she didn't have me longer than 24 hours, and that was just by law she had to have me there.
and then like her biggest thing was get him as far away as possible.
Like she didn't even give my father the chance to
get
me.
And so like all of that stuff I kind of learned because I didn't, I didn't, when I was 23, I did actually find him.
But you know, even when you're growing up and you don't know that story, you know you was given up.
know, like you know that that's part of it.
Now I will say this, I don't have the same adoption story as a lot of people.
Like I was, I was adopting to an all white family.
My sister is Korean,
but like,
my parents and my
other brother and
sister.
I was born into a white family and they're loving.
I just
want to make that clear.
I do not have some of the unfortunate stories that some adopted children have.
I don't have that.
But it was like a missing piece that they couldn't give me.
I know it's debated in our community, but
can just tell you, if you have a drop of black in you, you black.
There's never one time in my life where I was looked at as white.
You knew you were different.
And then
even with us, I grew up in a suburban neighborhood.
So I was in Menominee Falls before.
And you go out to Menominee Falls now, you might bump into a few of us when
I
was out there.
It was not there.
You know what I'm saying?
Because even
tell
it now.
There's too many of y'all now.
They're looking like, hold on, what's going on here?
So that formed it as well, you know what I'm saying?
Just kind of my journey, just having to, you don't navigate through that, but I'm
always really careful to say, I love
my period.
They might have not been able to give me that.
But they gave me everything else.
My
brother's
just like, they gave me everything else as far as love and support.
So
know, it wasn't...
it was like...
hey,
here.
So when we talk about you knew you had a loving family, but they weren't necessarily equipped to help you move through the world as a black boy, right?
When did you realize that something was missing or like, was there like a moment where you were just like, man, like, I don't know if they
they they doing
you know, that's funny.
You say that like just thinking about it.
If I had to give an answer to that, it probably be like.
Like I always felt like I wasn't you don't say it like but probably like physics grade one like Back then, you know, we didn't get like now you got kids.
They sharp it.
Like when they seven years old they didn't come but like when you like, you know back then like, you know Probably when I would like start getting the hair cuz like my daddy would give me the bowl cut, you know, I said I love
You look at all my old school kids like man, you know, but you know so like but like when you started having to or like like when you had it
trying to get fresh or something like that.
Like, they
couldn't go to Bouchard or Playmakers or none of that.
You know what I'm saying?
It's
version of fresh, but it's
what they wear.
That ain't the Nikes we trying to get.
That ain't dookies,
But
no, something like, I would just say like that.
And then coming up when, even if you think about it like, and that's one thing, big thing, well, that's one thing I'm big at at my school.
There's like, if you look at the lunch table.
You know, just pay attention to lunch tables, man.
You got some kids that's sitting by their cell.
You know, you got some kids that they don't got a big group.
And, you know, when that started to happen for me, I think that's when it was like, okay, like, you know, because when we young, like kids, like I really do truly feel like racism is taught.
Like when you go to a playground, them kids just playing with whoever.
It's when they get older where you start, you know, seeing like different sides, just different stuff coming out.
So, um.
white
more internal Do you think I think it was more internal like I have friends of every race like you know I'm saying still sometimes, you know close with her when I see him to this day is good But you know, it'd be like that summertime
Like, you know, they had the two 20 program out there.
So there was a lot of, you know, there was a handful of us out.
But like once that summer hit, yeah, it's like, oh, they
gone.
You know what I'm saying?
At
the time, I'm supposed to be kicking it.
And it's like, like, you know, it's just a little bit different.
So.
Also, I think it just like even with my like, I just had a lot to figure out.
And I think that's a lot of people.
Like that's most people's stories.
You know what I'm saying?
I don't think I'm unique to that.
But I think mine was.
I just really didn't know who to turn to to figure myself
life.
Yes.
I feel like that.
But one thing that I always appreciated and loved them for is they knew we grew up in two different worlds.
Okay.
Like my parents, they're like, you know what I'm saying?
Like my mom and all my family, like they didn't pretend like we was in the same world.
You know, and like my and just to let you know, my parents and my family are allies.
Like, you know, like they are allies.
Like, like Yaya, I call her Yaya.
That's my she never played about me.
Yes.
My father marched across that bridge with Father Grappie every single day.
You know, my brother, sister, all of them, like they are.
You know that they are they are allies and you know one quick story just about my mom I want to you know
say is I'm when we used to live in
Wauwatosa and I Was in fourth grade
and
my sister said back and she climbed through
the window.
She forgot a key clown.
Yeah, well anyways a Neighborhood cause said a black black person broke in the house, right?
And so I'm sleeping downstairs and the police kicking our door
saying come in shotguns out and they handcuffed me and everything now.
I'm in fourth grade
You know what I'm saying?
And hell no.
In
fourth grade?
Fourth grade.
Fourth grade.
This is a real story.
And my brothers and sisters coming down like, because we don't know what's going on this early in the morning.
So they waking up, they don't, and they ain't trying to hear nothing, even though we got family pictures around all type of stuff.
And I'm going to tell you something, man.
I feel bad for whatever police officer that went, because my mom came down
there and y'all
got
screwed, wild out.
She
never
played that
like but those are experiences that taught them that like yeah, we are not in the same world even though we're in the same loving family We
definitely gonna get deeper into that after these messages we gonna go to break and we gonna get back into it right now We are listening to one on one point seven the truth.
We are listening to the lunch break.
We're here
12 to 2, and we're doing a great interview.
We gonna continue this.
We're talking to Paul, tax dean of students at Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy, y'all.
Stay locked in.
We'll be right back after these
messages.
Man,
Have you want to say it?
Have you want to say it?
We do it.
Yeah, Lizzie.
Have you
Mr. Paul.
There we go.
There
Dean of students.
All right.
We were here and we're talking about his life story.
We're talking about the ups and downs, how he was adopted into a family that he didn't quite fit into, but they loved him unconditionally.
And we were just talking about his story and what led him to where he is today.
And we left off when you were telling me about...
not always feeling like you guys lived in the same world but you also had parents that didn't play about you and they made sure like they were allies to you which is a beautiful thing too and like I did want to mention that like the thing people fail to realize when they go oh I don't see color like that's more harmful to anything like acknowledging like yeah we ain't in the same world
Yeah, like not giving excuses, but I think a lot.
Like when I look at probably like the crossroads in my life, it was me not knowing myself,
you know what
I'm saying?
And that's why I'm so thankful for like...
the stuff that the community is providing for our kids, like the different, like the corridor that Ray got, you know what I'm
You can be a painter there.
You can go book time in the studio.
That stuff is so needed because, listen, the community took a lot of stuff away from our kids.
Does that mean that they supposed to be going doing meetups and stuff like that?
No.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm not giving them excuses.
and
And then you know, and I think sometimes we fail to talk about like some of the distractions they got that we didn't have.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's like, it's a two way street.
far as me personally, yes, like that led me down the wrong path.
Also, like when I was 15, 16, I used to always be an athlete, multi-sports, and I had a heart condition that popped
I collapsed on the basketball court.
And it just was like from going to do sports all day every day to not being able to do it no more.
I think that was also a big thing.
And
is
Listen, I don't think I smoked none before I was playing sports after that.
Listen, that is what it is.
But yeah, so I think there's a couple, a few things in my life.
But again, we all go through them.
I just didn't make the right choice.
You know what I'm saying?
I didn't make the right choice.
Yeah.
For sure.
It's a period of time that I always am very concerned with like our students.
It's like
mean?
like a lot of your classmates might be going to college.
A lot of them might be doing stuff and when you don't have a plan.
Like what you gonna do?
You
know I'm saying and like the only people that really don't
got plans are people that really ain't doing nothing to be honest You know I'm saying and so like that so you know I was I was 19 when I caught a family strong on robbery Serve my time did it and then When I got out like really soon after I got out like that's when my first child was gonna come So it was it was a point in my life where I said I have to do something.
Yeah, like
I said like I cannot
I ain't trying to do
that.
So I jumped into a Weldon program.
You know, actually Big Step that's still here
in
Milwaukee.
I would recommend anyone who's like trying to figure it out.
They teach trade programs, multiple trade programs out there.
I actually just brought one of my former students who's 20, who was kind of like at that
hold on, bro.
took him to the DMV to get his ID.
I went
and
got there.
Then we took him up to Big Step and they have a wonderful staff over there too.
I got to meet someone.
So they have a wonderful staff up there that
And they're really just trying to connect people to trades
And so that's where I just had to make that switch, you know what I'm saying?
So it's like, you know, Christiana, I call her Muffy, you understand?
It's my oldest, but she the one like I just knew I couldn't.
Yeah, it was
change something
to
I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you, I was so lost.
I was excited when I got locked up.
Like, I ain't even gonna lie.
Oh.
that because... Yeah, I ain't even
stripe
you know?
Yeah, like, and that... Listen, I'm not proud of it.
I just ain't gonna hold back the truth, like...
I was excited.
Like I said, a lot of people I had around me, even when I was out there wilding, they still was loving people.
My brother Dre rest in peace.
He always tried to keep me out of it.
He's like, bro, you ain't this ain't for you.
He's like, I ain't saying you ain't.
saying?
But he's like, this ain't for you.
You know what I'm saying?
And unfortunately he got killed.
You know what I'm saying?
By that time I kind of made I had kind of made my change in life, but like someone like him who?
Really was trying to help me out was trying to like you know I'm saying keep me from it like you know I still thank God for him you know I'm saying because I probably would have been much more You know I'm saying off the way, but like I don't know it just you know it
OK.
That's a good thing.
What's happening?
Black and Polish.
What's happening, man?
up?
Hey, just wanted to.
Just was calling in, man.
Gia, some love, man, from the Poland.
uh man paul you know you my dude bro love you bro super proud of you dawg you got an amazing story um you and your wife gave me my first real clothing placement
in
our stores and that kicked off a whole lot of different endeavors for me man uh i just wanted to call in and let the city know man that paul is one of them man that's a gem we ain't never gonna be able to get another one like paul
And when he say he mean it, and it's authentic, and it's genuine, and it's hell, and I can attest to that.
His family welcomed me like they knew me from the first day they met me, and it's been tight ever since.
And Shannon, I'm proud of you, man.
You look good in that chair,
charge.
I'm
in
charge, Ray.
You
in
charge.
I want to
hear
some of them shirts, man.
You gotta bring it back, man.
I love those shirts, man.
You gotta bring it back, man.
I appreciate them words,
Ray, because you know, just from me, man, what you do for the community and the kids, man, it is needed and you do it to an extent
that we don't
see out here.
So it's like, it's examples like y'all, you know what I'm saying?
I was telling Shannon before we got in the air, but it's examples like y'all that they really want to see.
They don't always want to see Mr. Paul.
They see me every day.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, they want to see people who's really out here doing it.
And it's like, man, I'm just thankful for y'all.
So, man, I appreciate you, bro.
You know, it's mutual respect.
I love you, bro.
And, man, enjoy polling, man.
Man, I'm trying, bro.
I think we the only Blacks out here, bro.
I ain't see not one Black on the plane, not one on the airport, not one in the town.
Your first Black by soul is my mother and sister.
I'm like, dang.
Yeah, hold it down for us, man.
But yeah, I'm proud of y'all.
Brother Z, man.
Love y'all, man.
Keep holding it down.
Love what y'all doing.
Shannon, you doing an amazing job.
Keep it up, and I'm super proud looking at your growth right here, man.
Man.
Keep it wild for me.
Make it another week.
Don't go anywhere.
Hey, I'm not as like as like the guy energy he has I appreciate his energy and thinking that uh, you know Yeah, we got people out here like Paul.
I don't know Paul, you know, but I'm hearing the story and the coincide with mine being locked up, you know and just What all you know got me to that point, you know, and how I made it out, you know
You know, I did 16 years, eight months, walking and all over, they were shipping us everywhere.
But I looked back on them days when I was locked up and I said, well, who warned me?
Who warned me from all this?
It was my mother, you know, being a father not in the house, you know, when he was, he wasn't a father.
God bless him anyway.
But I know I might go a little bit here everywhere, but she told me,
not to hang around people that were older than I was.
You see, when I was 13, I hung around with somebody 15, so I'm trying to do what they do harder so I can show that I can hang around with them.
So that's what I thought about in prison.
And I try to do what they do just to prove that I can do what they do, but I can do it a little better.
So that was one of the parts that the young kids need to understand.
If you hang around somebody old, you need to be a little boy first.
You know, you can't, you can't grow up too fast.
I see these young guys around here towing the pistol a little 13, 14 years old, hanging around older people, you know, and they run a thing.
They're not the ones that's using the drug, you know, using the drug.
They can sell it because they don't use it.
And so I heard a lot in prison.
I was in the hole and I heard another guy say, man, I'm gonna get out, get me some young guys.
And I'm fine.
I took the ones that the mother ain't taking care, taking care.
I'm going to give him some money and I'm going to do this and do that.
And he's going to look up to that person then.
OK.
Man, thank you.
Thank you, Kevin, for calling us and sharing that part of your story.
Yeah, so let's get back into these questions.
We definitely had a good call from Kevin, a good call from Ray.
Shout out to Ray for hitting us up.
We do have to go to break shortly, but we want to get back into your story.
I know we talked about just how you got to where you are, how you caught a felony, you decided, I'm gonna turn my life around.
This ain't for me.
You were in the middle of telling us that story and we gonna get back into it after these messages We're gonna go on break if you guys want to give us a call you can always call us at 833-212-1017 We got Robert Lance.
He said shout out to Paul Paul is popular
Man,
Academy
I never let you down, I'ma shine on sight Keep your mind on me grinding off my minds, all right, all right I'm a bald on the squares, I float a quarter million dollar cars everywhere I go, I know, in the lead if they see me, might be But no matter what they doing, they don't do it like me Like a G, I hold it down for the town I'm at, in a flash like that Recognize I'm back, striker back, hey
What's up?
You are listening to the lunch break with Ray Nitty and maybe Shannon.
It's just maybe Shannon today, but we're doing a great interview man.
Like y'all heard, we got Paul Tax here in the studio and we are talking about his life story.
We're talking about how he comes felony.
We're talking about his adoption story, finding yourself and how he became the Dean of Students.
Paul has an interesting story.
All right, like and we don't get back into it.
Where we left off was we were talking about him trying to find himself, like he got that felony and we asked him what he was looking for at that time.
Did he think he had something to prove?
And we talked about that.
We talked about him having a daughter and that changing the trajectory of where he was going.
And I know we talked a little bit about UB19 and you feeling like, man, I'm the man.
I didn't caught this chart.
It's funny, like we had that conversation too where like people want you to
This is what I was thinking.
Like, no, like a lot of the kids think that way too.
So it's important to have somebody to understand where that mindset is and be like, you know what?
I did think like that.
So I know what to say to somebody like that.
So when you were 19, what did 19 year old Paul think his future looked like before you got out, before you had your baby?
What was you thinking?
You know, it's funny you ask that because like my daughter.
My daughter Phoenix asked me yesterday.
She's like, daddy, what you wanted to be when you grew
And I was honest with her.
I was like, daddy didn't want to do nothing.
Like in 19, I was living day to day.
Like
I
had no
dreams, no aspirations.
And
that's where I think a lot of it went wrong.
You
know what I'm saying?
Like I didn't
care.
Nothing
to look forward to at the time.
And like I said, so that's what 19-year-old me looked like.
And I think bumping my head was good for me.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, you know what I'm saying?
It definitely woke me up.
And then, like I said, I went into welding after that.
So, like, that kind of gave me a stability of as far as, OK, I can take care of my family now.
I can take care of stuff, you know what I'm saying?
And even though it wasn't.
But that's where it kind of like the hard work and work ethic comes in.
I didn't like doing it.
I just I was good at it.
So I got paid good.
But it wasn't like it wasn't my passion.
It was just something like it was just
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so, like, how I got to the school.
you
know,
if maybe we could, you know, if you want to transition there was, it just, it literally was a point in my life where I just was, I was tired of waiting.
And I'm like,
man, I just don't want to do that, do this no
more.
And I had volunteered.
So four years early, I had volunteered for a mentorship program at my school,
But it was just a mentorship program.
I wasn't working there.
I had just reached out on Facebook like, Hey, I'm trying to give back to some kids.
Is there any mentorship programs out there?
So I completed a mentorship program and just went about, went on my way.
Yeah.
And then four years later, randomly, I get a text message from our CEO.
And at the time, he was just like, hey, I think I got the perfect job for you.
I know you're working, but I think I got the perfect job would be security up at the school.
And he didn't know that I had already been in my prayers to transition out of welding.
Yeah.
hear about welding.
I'm like, that sounds nice to me.
Yeah, you know, you come home dirty.
Like, literally when I went in the interview, I told him, like, bro, I'm on my way after I get off.
So I'm dirty.
I'm like, oh, like, and I'm like, bro, I ain't going to look like this
like, man, I don't want you to offer this to no one else.
Man, I need this.
And by the time I by the time I hit, you know, I drove home and before I even hit the job where they had offered me the position.
And so it two days later, I started a job and I haven't listened.
Like, you know what I'm saying?
I just been there.
And that was that was going on 13 years now that I've been at the school.
few things.
One, I think the parents every, like every single day, like it is an honor to be able to work with their kids.
When I was in school.
So like, I never felt seen either.
Like, I did, like, you know, people would be like, oh, this was my favorite teacher.
I never had
teacher.
I never had a.
Like, I never really had anyone speak life to me.
So like, even when I was doing security, like, that was my mission every single day.
Like, every kid gonna feel a scene.
Like, we have, I don't know, we had 500, I think 550 kids last year.
Like, every single day you're gonna
get
either a high five or a handshake or like a hug or something from, you know what I'm saying?
Because I refuse to let any kid go unseen.
And so, like, I'll just be really thankful for our parents.
We have an excellent staff like I work like these teachers are amazing.
I could never do what they do.
Like I couldn't even I can barely walk a K four line down quality down the hallway.
So you
know, it's
like they got gifts and skills that that that I do not possess.
But I.
I feel real blessed because I think I have that gifted relationship and seeing people.
in here
No, I still know.
To answer your question, no.
I knew it was gonna be like, ooh, this is gonna be a job I like.
But I didn't know this was gonna be up.
passion, if that makes sense.
Like there's a few titles you get in life, like Daughter, Son, you know, Father, Mother, like those titles stand for something, they mean something.
Like I love the title of Mr. Paul.
You know what I'm saying?
Like I take it serious.
It doesn't stop.
Like when summer comes for me, like I check up on a lot of my students.
Like there's a lot of parents that still call me like, hey, get this kid together.
You know what I'm saying?
Like I did
all for sure.
All they look like it for sure.
You know what I'm
saying?
I go to crush videos out of one of my brothers like, hey, you got to pull it in the kid like 21.
He like, you got to pull up on it.
And I did not
will
you know what I'm saying?
But like it's not a, we call it GHTCA
for short.
So you know, you
know, but like it's not just a GHTCA
thing for me.
Okay, the school is the part that gets me to the parents the kids that like it This is like it really takes a village and I know that's cliche,
But it's true like I know what it feels like to be an overwhelmed parent Like I know what it feels like to like just be stressed out and for those eight hours a day like I just take it as my responsibility to You know, there's sometimes we got to involve the parents if your kid acting up, right?
But like for the most part I got this
I'm saying and the only time I'm gonna be calling you is is to
collaborate to come.
You know what I mean?
Some of the one of the best feelings is when I have a parent meeting and just seeing them stress.
I'd be like, chill, like we talking,
like I'm not gonna be like, hey, what
you nervous about?
We
just trying to figure something out.
You know what I'm saying?
We not, you know, it's so like, and I think that's why the relationships I have with the parents are so strong is because I don't come from a,
you know, at
our school is based around love, you
know what
I'm saying?
And it's based around, you know, we do things a little bit different.
And so we're, you know,
There's some kids that ain't gonna make it.
That's just a thing.
But like, we catch most of them.
You know what I'm saying?
So, you know, we save most of them.
That's
the same
So
crazy contrast right there.
did.
So what
happen?
Well, listen, that happened.
I waited 21 years to get my pardon.
You know what I'm saying?
I waited 21 years to get my pardon.
And there was a time where I like talking politics.
I know some people don't.
You know what I'm saying?
I don't mind it.
But we had a governor that stripped away those
rights
first.
for felons to get partings for eight years.
And you had to wait, and at that point of time, you had to wait seven years.
And I was six years and nine months into my chance to get my felony pardon when he changed that rule.
So then I had to wait another eight years, and I'll be honest, even when Evers got into office, I didn't think he was, I didn't know if he was gonna do it.
So I just kinda sat back and watched, and listen, failed out the paperwork, did what I needed to do, but I also...
Came in with the mindset that like if they don't want to give it to me They just don't want to give it to me because I for sure have proven
So
I didn't go up there with no high hopes that I was gonna get it but you know I had a great lawyer to help me through the paperwork and Listen to me a great governor that like you know open that up and really understood the second chances matter and You know for someone that like me like my daughters never knew that oh, yeah
You know, my oldest daughter, 20,
she don't, she don't know that old me.
Like you know what I'm saying?
Like
she like the oldest stories I could tell her like she wouldn't even believe.
So it's like just to be able to get that second chance feels amazing.
And it also like the amount of like people that's hit me up like, man, I want to do it too.
Feels even better.
No, for sure, like I definitely share my old life with my students because at certain ages, like I ain't going to tell a K-4 person like,
you know what I'm saying?
I ain't
going to tell no K-4 kid that, but when you get to like sixth, seventh, eighth grade, like you
can
open up a little bit more, you know what I'm saying?
I think it's important, you know, for every year I worked at a school, every year I pick a student and I just, like I call it like, you know,
I do it in my brother's honor that got killed, you know what I'm saying?
But like I do something for them at the end of the year, whether it be like one student did hair, so I took her to a breading class, like you know what I'm saying?
A three day breading class.
Another
student like photography, so I gave her
a
camera, I bought her a camera.
Just different things like that, but like I pick a student out every day and I do it in his honor.
Because it's like my old me is what made me mean now.
Exactly.
So, like, I don't
to run from that.
Yeah.
I don't glorify it.
I'm not the one talking about, oh, I was, you know what I'm saying?
I ain't doing none of that, but it's like...
Greater
Holy Temple, I got you.
Don't worry, you been talking about, I got it.
Greater Holy Temple, Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy.
What we got going on there is an amazing thing.
Man, it's easy for me to talk about, you
mean?
If I didn't believe in what we were doing over there, I wouldn't, I wouldn't talk about it.
But man, I, you know, like I said, I get
blessed
to
work
with
an excellent
leadership team that has come together and really strengthened it, you know what I'm saying?
Last year, we brought Maurice Thomas over, who a lot of people in the community know if you're in education.
I mean, and he just, man, he is superstar,
you know what
I'm saying?
And he's really just brought different ideas to the table.
In collaboration with like the teachers, because we need to hear what they need, right?
So we're in year three of a literacy program by Mr. Jake, and Mr. Jake goes viral.
I mean, he travels all the time doing speeches to huge...
Schools and districts and stuff like that, but this literacy program we've literally watched kids that could not even Recognize a letter
in
K4 K5 sometimes first day.
I'm gonna be honest.
That's what we're dealing with in our community and We've watched that their numbers jump and like if you can't read it like education starts with literacy You got to be able to read and like I said amazing staff I love the relationships I get to have with the parents on a day-to-day basis and
I would love to invite.
And if your child is that child that just needs a little, that's what Mr. Paul for.
And
those are the kids I hold closest to me.
So I would love for y'all, even if y'all want to just come out, look at it, visit, reach out.
We have a great office staff, Ms.
Greer and Ms.
Jaji, that can walk you around and show you.
But I want Milwaukee to know about our school.
And not just because I worked there, but because of the things we're doing, though.
break.
Okay.
So Paul, take his Facebook day one underscore Paul on Instagram.
Um, and like, like reach out.
Like if you have any questions, like really reach out.
Cause like I said, this is, this is a passion for me.
Um, if I can't give you the answer, I can point you in the direction.
And
thank you so
much for having me.
Man, of course.
We
in here.
We're
back.
Whenever you ready.
Man, we gotta do it
Uh, okay, I can't stop now.
Won't stop.
Last time I checked, I'm 10 toes down.
Run it up, it didn't vest.
I'm looking in the mirror.
Really, him beating on my chest.
Then look at my agenda like what's next.
Getting off, I'm doing my thing.
What's next?
Put on for my family and my team.
What's next?
Cash out, I'm pulling up clean.
What's next?
After that, I'm
pressing
repeat.
What's next?
Uh, when I was a kid, even did knew I was
What's up?
What's up?
What's up?
We are back.
You're listening to the lunch break.
Man, we live at the American Family Insurance Studio, Third Street Market Hall.
We just had an amazing interview, y'all.
I hope y'all caught it.
If not, it's on YouTube.
Y'all could play it back.
We were talking about Paul takes T-A-C-K-E-S.
I can't, he said, I said how you want.
I let people, he goes by Mr. Paul.
He's the dean of students at greater.
Let me read this right before I tell y'all to go somewhere else now because greater holy temple He's the dean of students and he has a amazing story man like listening to him tell his story and talk about where he where he come very powerful Where he came from where where he may have stumbled, right?
Like most people do and how he got back on his feet.
And now he's given back to the youth and pouring into the youth in ways that he wished somebody would have poured into him.
He had an amazing family, but he was like, you know, I was still lost.
And, you know, sometimes you just need mentorship, even when you have a two family, two parent household, even when you have parents that care, not always they can give you what you need, you know?
That's why people say school and work sometimes can feel like a home away from home.
Those are the people that's like the family that you, you know, you got to go to every day.
Because sometimes you end up spending more time with the people that you work with than your actual
So, so knowing that these students have him there, somebody that genuinely cares, somebody that loves what they do, somebody that is pouring into those students, that's important.
In so many ways, you know what I mean?
Like, and even at school, he said how he didn't really have a favorite teacher.
I bet he everybody's favorite teacher.
He said everybody getting hugs and high fives and he pulling up on people.
I'm like, man, I never had a teacher like that.
I remember one of my teachers taught me how to skip school.
Real story.
So, you know, having, having teachers actually talk to you.
or point you in the right direction, right?
Or see where you going and knowing how to redirect you, right?
In the right, in the right, you know what I'm saying, the right path.
That's something a lot of us need out here and it's just good to hear that we got people in our community that actually care about these students that actually are putting their time and their effort and their love into these kids and they're pouring into them the way they need to be poured into.
Cause a lot of times we forget that some
Some of these people care about these kids.
They care about our kids.
I was talking to my cousin the other day and she was a teacher.
Now she does substitute teaching and she says she will cry all the time because she cared too much.
You know, so, man, it's just good to speak to people in our community that actually cares about the kids because too often we see how little people care about our kids, right?
But, moving on.
Cousins.
Cousins, cousins, cousins.
We gotta talk about something that happened right here in Milwaukee.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
So, the garage on Brady Street has officially found itself in the middle of some serious
backlash.
I ain't no way.
I thought it was AI.
I thought it was a joke at first, and I went about my day.
And after doing a little digging yesterday, I realized, no, this happened.
They went viral.
This post that went viral made its way on the Shade Room, one of the biggest platforms
on Instagram.
Like the main
but where they
made.
Always for the wrong reason, man.
Always for the wrong reason.
Man, we everywhere.
I saw Complex posted us the other day, too.
Everywhere, man.
Just because of the two rap, like R.I.P., but like, we do other stuff, too.
The garage, which is on Brady.
It's very popular bar.
Me and my niece is frequent that bar.
We liked it over there.
We love the garage, but I don't know if they love us after seeing this.
So it showed a picture of a no-play list for the DJs at the bar.
So the businesses have every right to decide what kind of atmosphere they want.
If they want a top 40 type of vibe, or R&B lounge, or they want to be a country bar, they can do whatever they want to do.
That ain't the issue.
Alright, so...
It's the way you go about it.
The list was also laminated, and it was in the DJ booth.
So it was there.
It was texted in a group chat of all of the DJs and a manager, and on top of that, it was laminated and put in the DJ
Once you put some lemonade on something, I feel like that's official.
That sounds pretty official to me.
It's not like we can't lemonade or print nothing up in this true studio.
If it ain't go through through management, all types of stuff.
So y'all tell us we don't get into this, but let's talk about first.
Let's talk about the names that were on this list.
All right.
So if it featured names like Travis Scott, Little Wayne, Pusha T, Playboy, Cardi, Future, Little Baby, Miko's, Dawn, Tolla for two days, even had door phone there.
What do I do?
Rest in peace, Flippa.
Man, Zach, can we play the video?
Yep.
I think it's a good time to play the video.
We gonna play the news report, because the news got ahold of it too.
It was everywhere.
accusations that they banned rap artists.
Overnight, the owners of the hi-hat lounge and the garage on Brady Street posted a statement on their social media pages reading in part quote, we are very upset to learn of this situation.
The statement goes on to say the intention was to eliminate music with lyrics that referenced violence or guns and create a more relaxed vibe at the establishment, but a list of artists was certainly the wrong approach end quote.
Last night before the statement was posted, we talked with the local DJ about how something like this could happen.
I don't think the garage is unique in this position.
Unfortunately, this is kind of a common occurrence, right?
People.
It's a fight that's always we want popular music because that brings in the cool kids.
The cool kids want the popular.
What's new?
I think the problem that a lot of owners have is recognizing that what they view as cool isn't what is cool nowadays.
The post says the list was made without the owner's approval.
It also says the bar has spoken to the employee who issued the list and stressed why it was not acceptable.
Well The older express said it was not acceptable Like he ain't no was up there like I said it was laminated well like that told us it was laminated it was behind the booth It was texted out you telling me No, but they ain't notice what's happening.
Sounds like they throwing a rock and hiding a hand if you ask me That's what it sound like So again
The list of rappers that was on that list, they had Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Pusha T, Playboy Cardi, Future, Lil Baby, Migos, Don Toliver, and Two Chains.
Two Chains folk bracelets.
Hear me?
And then at the very bottom of that list, am I right, Zach?
They said, no Milwaukee
rap.
From the screenshot that I have, let's go.
Nope, that
count.
It's gonna count.
City
is two of
the girls.
It's going to count.
And then in the text message that was in the group chat, it says, hi, everyone.
Effective immediately, we can no longer play these artists that includes remixes.
I will also have this posted in the booth as well.
This is coming from ownership.
Look.
Crazy.
Failure to comply will result in a loss of gigs if you have any questions, please reach out direct to me directly That's crazy cuz didn't that news article just say management didn't approve it ownership didn't approve it, but this is this is coming from ownership Interesting interesting
make it make sense and it was laminated like I said it's rules and regulations that go into running a business I'm telling y'all I can't print nothing here
If management don't get their eyes on what I'm over here printing.
He told me it was laminated and and and pinned behind the DJ booth and it was texted out.
You telling me there was a group chat and management did not know the ownership did not know this was happening.
They know what's going on.
These people ain't crazy.
So I saw this list for the first time like two weeks ago, maybe on my friend's story and I replied to it.
I was like, is this real?
Because he posted the laminated version because he
was
there.
And he was like, he just posted it.
He's like, well, this is kind of crazy.
And I'm like, is this real?
This can't be real.
And he was like, yep, it is real.
It's in the booth.
And sure enough, I haven't stepped foot in that place since.
And it's like, bro, what
Crazy cuz I kind of just played Milwaukee rap coming
back
Listen,
We're going to talk about it, y'all.
And I want to hear from y'all.
I want to know what y'all think about the garage stand.
They don't want to hear no Milwaukee rap.
And they have that long list of rappers that they don't want to hear up in there.
That's the garage on Brady.
I want to hear it.
I want to hear it from y'all.
I want to know if y'all think that they can do something like that.
I mean, they can, because they did.
But do y'all think?
Y'all understand why they would do something like that?
Do y'all think it was racism?
Do you think they just sick of hearing that?
They turn that ruckus off.
I don't know, but we gonna be back.
You listening to the award-winning 101.7 The Truth.
We are live in studio, Third Street Market Hall.
Give us a call, 833-212-1017.
We gonna be right back.
Don't go anywhere,
y'all.
We are
I'm holding it down.
No, I'm in charge.
All right
It's me, maybe Shannon.
Make sure you join the conversation.
We asked the question, is it racist that basically they had a list hanging up in the garage DJ booth and they sent it out to the DJs and said, we
don't
want to hear this type of music basically, a long list, including some of the most popular rappers right now.
And at the bottom of that list is said, no Milwaukee rap, bold.
They wouldn't plan.
So we want to know what y'all think.
Do we think that it is racist?
Or is it is it driven, I guess, by racism?
I guess that's the question that we ask him.
Right.
Because inherently.
I feel like when people start doing stuff like that, they are hinting at other things.
But we don't keep going.
I'm going to keep breaking this down.
All right.
Because you already know that this hits differently because if you're a bit.
If you're Milwaukee, right, and you are operating a business, you are benefiting from Milwaukee customers, Milwaukee culture, Milwaukee nightlife, and Milwaukee's Dallas.
So that screenshot that circulated, that was reportedly sent to the DJs working in the garage.
It also listed those artists and it said no remixes.
Like Zach said, it warned if they didn't follow this rule, they can lose gigs.
So basically you're threatening to fire DJs if they try to play it.
Hmm.
You telling me, you know what?
Like I said, the most important part of this message is that it said this is coming from ownership.
Right, so remember that sentence like I say in the news report.
It sounds like we ain't know nothing about it What who did that?
They're trying to play in our faces.
They didn't know it would get out They didn't know it will get this big and they thought they can get away with something like that That's that's why now they're they're trying to walk it back, but you can't walk it back Too late We know what y'all won't and it ain't us.
That's all right.
We'll find somewhere else to go but
After the backlash exploded online, the garage released a statement that ownership was upset after learning about this list and that an employee issued it and the list was not approved by ownership, even though it said this is coming from ownership.
And then, didn't they, like I said, they also mentioned, well, we didn't approve the list, but we kinda don't wanna hear it.
So you know, dang well, you approved that list.
You pretty much confirmed you approved it.
Because didn't the original message allegedly tell DJs this is coming from ownership?
But now they're saying we didn't approve the list.
So either the employee falsely told some DJ, told the DJs ownership ordered it, somebody in ownership knew something about this policy, or there was just the massive breakdown in communication either way.
Whatever happened, somebody got some explaining to do.
Then I saw a post from Max.
I think he's a bar owner in Green Bay, right?
Zach Zach told me he was a buy owner.
Right?
I got it confused.
I thought it was day owner.
Didn't ask him like, oh yeah.
If damn.
But that's neither here nor there.
He's a bar owner in Wisconsin somewhere.
Ain't nobody going to that buy.
And he said, there's nothing wrong with some rap.
And he complained that the DJ pool was playing too much post COVID dog water hip hop rap.
And passing up other, exactly passing up other good music.
He said that venues will pay top dollar for DJs with broader genre knowledge.
And then said, he wants some heart and soul, not people rolling around on my floor twerking.
Who doing that in Green Bay?
I ain't never parted in Green Bay, I don't think.
I don't know.
Zach, is Green Bay even one of those places where people rolling around on the floor twerking?
Depends if the Packers one or not.
it up.
I
They be getting too creative for me.
I can't keep up.
He also said, like I said, people will pay top dollar with broader genre knowledge.
But I also agree with a guy in the clip that said what they think is cool, like some of these owners think is cool, just ain't cool no more.
Tom Austin, you want some heart and soul.
What you trying to hear?
You wanna play?
So that made me side-eye and it just makes me, makes me think about that time, right?
It's just, I mean, I don't mean to cut you off either.
No, go ahead.
But like, a lot of these people on this list are still headline performers.
Exactly.
Like, they are, they are headlining these festivals year in and year out.
There was, there was a, more on that list that I forgot.
There's
Don Toliver, Lil TJ, A Boogie with a Hoodie, Roddy Rich, Metro Boomin.
But like Don Toliver was literally just the headliner at Summerfest of this year.
We can't play his music Three blocks away from where I mean it's more than three blocks, but we can't play his music where like where he just like what?
Do they do these people not realize that half of the requests that we get as DJs at these bars where college students go to
Half of them are requesting these artists like Don Toliver.
They want to hear
Like City Girls.
I'm really confused.
And like these bars aren't in places where it's like a older crowd either.
So of course you're gonna get people in there that wants the new stuff.
That's what they want.
These are college age kids.
You know early 30s most of the time?
Like you're gonna get people that want.
to vibe out to the new stuff.
Right?
And I'm not, I guess I'm not trying to reduce this to, oh, the owner just hates rap.
You know, that ain't exactly what he said.
You know, he trying to, I guess, create a different, different vibe?
I don't know.
I don't know.
But when your establishment is already catching heat over a no rap list and then you you denying your your knowledge about this It just seems weird to me and I think the explanation was was weird too and Like I said, it also reminds me of a time Zach.
I know you a young buck
If
sure
don't
remember Listen back like back when 720 didn't even have like They would have like these crazy rules like no Jordans no visible tattoos No hats like anything like no dreads no cord like stuff like that love 720 down, but I remember there was a time
Downtown bars used to do stuff like this, and that's what it feels like they are trying to get back to.
They're going to start with the music, then they're going to be like, no YTs, no saggy jeans, no Jord, whatever shoe they think is popular to us, no Nike's.
They get real, they get real technical over there.
So that that's what it's giving.
It's giving.
We are going backwards, you know, and even when I heard about like the only thing I could think is like maybe they feel like.
Oh well, this is the music that makes people want to fight.
This is the music that's causing the issues.
Even if that was the explanation, I don't know.
But I can tell you, I didn't see people throw heads to a lot of different musics.
I saw somebody post on Facebook yesterday, they were like, I remember, I was, I think they said they were DJing at 720.
They were like, I was DJing at 720 playing Halo by Beyonce.
there was a fight.
It's clearly
music
and Tony Tony texted us at 833 212 1017 He said no, it's not racist not every black person listens to rap music We need to stop acting like these businesses depending on the black dollar And then he also said it's a reason why they have rules in a place too much ignorant people Have been coming in disrupting the peace while everybody is trying to have a good time
Nobody is really saying anything about rap music.
It's about The people that they had on the list all of those people had something in common on that list and More than one thing in common.
Yeah, they were all black or all rappers But they were all black as well So and to go and say no remixes you clearly don't understand how DJs work
We can make remixes.
We can do edits.
We can have a different beat under the instrumental or the vocals.
So now you're hindering our creativity.
It's
what do you expect us to
at you like... Expect you
Yes!
They want you to be the promoter.
They looking at you when the crowd ain't rocking to the music.
What do you want me to play when you put on this ban list?
All of the black artists that most young people are listening to right now, right?
And then they said they didn't they say they just didn't want to hear music about violence, you know, I listen that they
brought that up.
They don't want music to promote guns and violence.
That don't promote that
Exactly.
So why isn't it specific songs?
Why was it just these artists?
But we're gonna get deeper into this conversation.
We're gonna get deeper into it right when we come back from break.
Miss Charlotte, we're gonna talk to you right after break.
Break, please hold.
Don't go anywhere.
We wanna hear from you.
If you guys have questions, comments, and concerns, call us 833-212-1017.
We'll be right back.
Don't go anywhere.
Don't
go anywhere.
What's up y'all?
You are listening to the award-winning 101.7 The Truth.
This is the lunch break with Ray Nitty and maybe Shannon.
We got some callers on the line right now.
We are talking about the list that popped up in the garage.
That's a bar downtown that had a long, long list of hip-hop artists, African-American ones.
A lot of them, super popular.
We want to hear from y'all eight three three two one two ten seventeen We try to get to the bottom of why it made so many people uncomfortable Wondering if it might be a little bit of racing races in that You know, but we don't go to our first caller miss Charlotte.
You are on the line.
What you thinking?
First of all, you need to teach your constituents that private is private and you have a choice
not to spend your discretionary income there.
And number two, who wants to go to a place where there's always chaos?
And we have to admit, young black people have been creating chaos in areas on Brady Street.
And so if business decides I don't want chaos, I think the message could be to tell people to behave.
Because they're insurance, you know what happens?
When there's many fights at different bars and stuff, the city will take their license.
If they think that the chaos started from their establishment, it's not a racial thing.
It's a behavior thing.
Why aren't we torturing our people to behave?
Nobody wants chaos.
That's understandable.
And you have a good voice.
And you have a good voice so people listen to you.
And before we go go jump through, raise your step, let's think about how we behave.
We want somebody in front of their establishment fighting a scared way of the patrons.
We got behavioral problems in the black community.
We really do.
We acknowledge
I'm doing okay.
Yeah, I wanted to call in.
I'm piggybacking off of what the previous caller said.
frequent Brady Street and Water Street.
I frequent them.
And I have noticed I am African-American male, young.
I have noticed that when they do play that type of music, it do attract a younger crowd.
they come in and she said destroy, fight, tear up.
We just had a backpack giveaway on Fondalac just recently.
And you see people don't even know how to act there.
They brought the fighting.
They had a gun there, had kids running.
It was all over Facebook and everything.
I believe, in my opinion, for me, because I frequent all around Milwaukee, that it is
based upon what you play, people will, it will bring out the wrong crowd.
And these businesses, I agree with them.
You know, that's their livelihood.
That's how they make their income.
They were making money before black people were coming down there or before they were playing this rap music.
The garage was playing all kind of music.
It wasn't just black, but when they start playing it, you start seeing it.
It's incidents occurring all along Brady Street incidents occurring all around all along water street and These businesses are trying to figure out ways to keep the Ignite people for lack of a better word from coming down there So no in my opinion, I don't think it's racist because if you had a business a bar or a club and You playing this type of music and you know what crowd is gonna bring in
You bring that crowd in and that three in the morning when the bar closed and not a fight or when the club closed and now they fighting and shooting all outside.
I mean, you're going to rethink your strategy like, OK, well, you know what?
I'm not going to cut this out.
I'd rather have this.
They'll take a loss.
I'd rather have this type of crowd come in than that type of crowd to save my business.
So that's my opinion on the matter.
And I actually frequent all up and down there.
And I see.
I see when you have a younger crowd playing that type of music, especially Big Point, those people, Lil Wayne, they're going to bring out the younger crowd.
The younger crowd want to hear up-to-date, like you said, current music.
But in certain instances, at some point, a business has to draw the line and protect their revenue, protect them.
that's my
OK.
Well, thank you for calling.
Thank you for calling.
Make sure you continue listening.
We're going to respond.
So it sounds to me like a lot of a lot of people think it's a behavioral issue and they are trying to get ahead of it But a lot of the issues that are happening on Brady from what I've seen are happening outside the bars It's from kids that aren't even bar age if I'm not mistaken a lot of them are just hanging out down there creating chaos and then you I Do understand that it is a DJ's job, right?
to kind of set the moods at the time.
So I think there was a better way to word it.
There was a better way to go about this situation.
I know Zach even shared with me something as simple as, Zach, do you want to tell me what you would have did?
Because I remember off air you told me, do you want to share with the people?
Yeah, like y'all got the wrong people managing these situations.
If you're a manager and you have to pass down a message from the owners about
Like, music that's being played, or just anything about the venue, that's your time to be like, alright, I gotta go in my professional bag, I gotta go in my PR bag, and you say, hey, hey DJs, we wanna make sure we're keeping all of our patrons happy, so going forward, we wanna refrain from music promoting guns and violence.
We understand this may include music by popular or local artists, however, we ask that our DJs create a safe, high energy atmosphere for everyone.
If we feel that any DJ has not adhered to this, you will not be scheduled.
Simple as that.
You don't print a list, laminate it, and put it in the damn DJ booth where the public can see it.
Exactly.
And then get mad when a Milwaukee artist posted on TikTok and it goes viral.
Like, how do you think, what taste do you think that would put in...
A person's mouth.
You know what I'm saying?
And a lot of people will say, oh, well, not all black people listen to hip hop, which is true.
Which is true.
I listen to a wide array of things.
I love me a little country.
I love me a little fallout boy.
I know their album starts to finish.
Most of them.
I love to mix it up a little bit, but I don't want to hear elevator music all day while I'm out.
And then if I saw something like that I would feel like naturally like you were trying to target me because I'm black and I see every name on that list is a hip-hop artist that is also black.
I feel the way.
I'm not saying that's all I want to hear and that's all I listen to.
But there's a way you go about things.
I'm just saying.
It sounds like we got a Robert on the line, a caller.
Robert, what you feeling
like?
has gone love listening to you guys.
I feel like this.
I'm a old here, but I know how we used to party back in the day.
But the responsibility of the owners in private, just like you would have a corporate meeting in private amongst your staff, they could have went to the DJ and say, Hey, you know what?
When you got a little out of hand, change the mode.
It's simple and easy as that.
But to put out a list like that,
That's something that was in the back of their mind anyway.
And they were loving the money.
Yep.
It's about the money too.
They were loving the money.
But then there were probably a couple of constituents, not of our shade.
That's all you guys are playing.
And now we got all these black people down here.
Well, the color of money is green.
They didn't see that until they had probably a couple of a couple of conversations where they were like, Oh, just like with the food trucks, the food truck didn't bring the fight.
It's the same situation, but we have to stop being privy to let people blame us for everything.
Yeah, we got some bad apples in the bunch.
But you know what you do?
The ones that are bad, then you find a reasonable way to get rid of them.
That's all you have to do.
But don't collectively say, oh, well, all in black music, and it's going to bring the black crowd.
Well, then that is stereotyping.
Because my mother and father taught me how to act, so you can't say, put that on a whole culture because of a couple of bad apples.
You know what?
You changed the mood.
And it's the DJ responsibility.
I used to DJ in Chicago.
When I see things starting to get a little out of hand, I switch over and like, hey, grab your girl.
Play some hide and see brothers have changed the mood, but you don't put up a list and say,
We're gonna, we're gonna ban all black music.
Well, they turned it to a damn country bar.
Anyway, thank you guys.
Man.
Let us listen to you.
And I love your perspective girl.
Keep on doing what you're doing.
Thank you, cousin.
That was cousin Robert, y'all.
You know everybody at call in.
They are cousins.
You know, not all of us see the same thing or see eye to eye or have the same perspectives, but.
Oh, we still family.
But we still family.
And Robert, specifically, I feel like his perspective was much like mine.
All I'm saying was when you start making a list that feels very targeted, it will be insane for you to not think that they are talking about you and your blackness.
That's what they talking about.
They just know they can't specifically say, no blacks.
They can't say that.
So they're going to do things like that.
Like I said, not long ago, a lot of those bars on Brady Street, a lot of those bars on water, it was
Very specific to what black people were doing, what black people were wearing.
I probably wasn't dressing like that.
But I knew what they were saying.
I could read between the lines.
No Timberlands.
No chains.
No tinted glasses.
No hats.
on.
No bandanas.
Like what's that gotta do with it?
No, come on man.
Then I ain't taking my stuff down there at all.
But like Robert was saying, it is the DJ's job to curate the ambience.
You know what I'm saying?
And if you wanted music to not escalate situations, there is a way to go about it.
Like Brother Z said, there's a way that you can say, hey, if the crowd's starting to seem a little rowdy, a little agitated, if arguments are happening, if people are doing a little too much, let's change the vibe.
You're a DJ, you know how to do that.
Like he said,
We ain't gonna play no Ozzy Brothers, Robert.
But, what we gonna play?
It start getting too rowdy, brother Z, what we gonna play?
Play some Kalani folding.
You can slow it down.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, they know how to do that.
We gonna continue this right after the break.
We gotta go on break.
Pay a bill or two.
Look over a menu.
We'll be right back.
We are back, y'all.
We are back cousins.
How y'all feeling today?
We are on our way to wrap up another dope episode of the lunch break with Ray Nitty and maybe Shannon.
But before we get into our last segment, we still talking about these Milwaukee bars.
But before we do that, I want to tell y'all what's on the menu.
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We back!
And we are talking about the list that management from the garage posted.
in their DJ booth.
We're talking about the names that were on the list of Do Not Play, which included No Milwaukee Rap.
I guess if you, well, what is it called?
What's that genre of music?
Something grass?
Bluegrass.
If you're a bluegrass music maker, they gonna play you in there.
And I'm a walkie-wrapped though, not the scene that actually is putting Milwaukee on the map that is being acknowledged across the states.
Not that though.
Bluegrass, y'all got a chance.
So, we had a few callers call in and they explained how people be down there acting a fool and maybe they just figured, let's start here.
But like I said, my complaint is how they went about it and how it feels very targeted.
We also talked about how, no, not every black person listens to hip hop, you're right.
But when they start doing stuff like that, you know what they trying to hint at.
We talked about the history of downtown and all those places doing stuff like this.
And a lot of times that's where it starts.
And then how they talked about, well, we don't want.
You know, we don't want the music with this type of content in it.
Which okay, cool.
But hip hop ain't the only music that got that type of stuff in it.
That part.
I listen to the other stuff and I think that's where, I think that's where us as a community, we do need to be in other people business.
Because we love to highlight what we doing wrong.
We love to talk stuff or, well they just don't want this, but then it's like, hold on now.
That's not how you get to the bottom of a problem.
We discussed other ways to kind of, is it called negate?
Navigate?
Or is it negate?
I guess you had negate.
We talked about other ways to do it.
Cousin Robert called and I loved his perspective.
He said he used to be a DJ in Chicago.
And if people start doing too much, you slow it down.
You change the vibe.
The DJs really are the curator of the atmosphere.
So I understand asking them,
Maybe slow it down or maybe limit yourselves to this much because better wording would have been we aren't a hip hop club or bar.
You know what I'm saying?
We like to do the top 40.
But if you feel like the crowd is getting a little too amped up, it's okay to shred away.
A meeting would have been okay in a situation like that.
Not a list behind the bar saying no Milwaukee music.
Rap music.
to be specific.
Come on now.
There's other ways to go about these situations.
And like I said, there's songs about violence and rock.
There's violence in country.
There's songs about drugs, killing, fighting guns across many genres.
It ain't just us.
And I ain't gonna let nobody tell us it's just us.
I understand sometimes we get the youngins down there and they get to act in a fool and doing the most, but anybody that knows us knows it's not just us.
Maybe you don't know enough black people from Milwaukee if you feel like it's just us.
And I do understand trying to figure out a solution, but that ain't the way to go about it either.
So is it blatant racism?
Probably not.
But.
Having the public that being in public view, I feel like it definitely sends a signal Sounds like we got a caller on the line.
Am I right, brother Z?
Eastside Corey on the line.
How you feeling Eastside Corey?
I was feeling pretty beautiful.
It's a gorgeous day, but we lost Dolly Parton today.
Yeah, it's all
over my TV.
Oh
my
over
country music
I just heard a story yesterday.
A story that she was giving a thousand families yesterday.
Some of her fortune, some of her money.
She helped them, whatever they needed, just giving them thousands of dollars.
She had two different kinds of cancers, but she looked good and she was in her right mind.
But another icon is gone, yo.
I will always love you by Whitney Houston.
She wrote that.
She wrote some beautiful music, man, and it crossed over.
You see what I'm saying?
You're talking about music.
It's our saving grace.
Okay.
It brings us together.
Let's all mourn together.
Come together.
Okay.
I love your topic today.
much.
Yeah.
I love your voice and, um, you make a lot of sense girl.
I really like your show.
on CNN.
God bless her.
God bless her family.
I'm going to get emotional.
She was a special lady.
always had a great smile, great sense of humor.
She didn't mind joking about her body and her looks.
She'd like to be a drag queen, you know?
what I loved
who I
But Mr. Producer, right away.
Yep, she sure did.
Come
Damn, Jolene.
I got some words to say.
Now I gotta get it back for Dolly.
But man, to wrap up this episode, all we're saying is there's certain ways you gotta go about things.
There's certain ways to go about things.
And like, East Side Corey said, music brings us together.
It shouldn't be a way to, to, to me, that looked like a dog whistle.
That list, you know, the dog whistles they use to say something when I'm really saying it.
Man.
Once again, Rest in Peace Dolly Pardon.
Hearing that news had me shook.
My girl is gone, man.
Rest in Peace Dolly Pardon.
Thank you guys for rocking with me on 101.7 The Truth.
The award-winning 101.7 The Truth makes you follow me across all platforms.
I am maybe Shannon M-A-Y-B-E-S-H-A-N-N-O-N.
Go over to Facebook.
That's where you can find us at Lunch Break.
We over there building a community over there as well.
Don't miss out on that Any day Monday through Friday you can find us here live on YouTube all of your hosts will be live on YouTube 101 7 the truth Man, I'm telling you when Dolly Parton said Listen, she didn't mind talking about her body.
She didn't mind talking about what inspired her look She was so ahead of her time
and the cold is white
I like to imagine that was my grandma that had to give my dad up.
That's what I like to imagine, y'all.
I like to build my own white side of the family, because my dad was adopted just to let y'all know.
I build my imagination up.
The dope ones get to stay, they're my cousins.
But y'all my cousins too, don't go anywhere, y'all.
We got the grapevine next.
Homer Blow gonna be in the building, am I right?
No, it's gonna be the best of the grapevine.
Homer will be back tomorrow.
Don't miss that, but...
Right after me, y'all got the best of the grape, I mean, y'all gonna have some good stuff, man.
Again, rest in peace, Dolly Parton.
Thank you so much to Paul for stopping by the studio and giving us some game.
This was a great episode.
Thank you again.
This is your girl, maybe Shannon.
Don't go anywhere.
Let her go.
Uh, okay, I can't stop now, won't stop, last time I checked, I'm 10 toes down, run it up, it didn't vest, I'm looking in the mirror, really hear him beating on my chest, then look at my agenda like what's next, getting off, I'm doing my thing, what's next, put on for my family and my team, what's next, cash out, I'm pulling up clean, what's next, after that I'm pressing repeat, what's next, uh, when I was a kid, even didn't knew I was
What's up?
What's up?
What's up?
We are back.
You're listening to the lunch break.
Man, we live at the American Family Insurance Studio, Third Street Market Hall.
We just had an amazing interview, y'all.
I hope y'all caught it.
If not, it's on YouTube.
Y'all could play it back.
We were talking about Paul takes T-A-C-K-E-S.
He said, I said how you want.
He goes by Mr. Paul.
He's the dean of students at greater.
Let me read this right before I tell you how to go somewhere else now because greater holy temple He's the dean of students and he has a amazing story man like listening to him tell his story and talk about where he where he come very powerful Where he came from where where he may have stumbled right?
Like most people do and how he got back on his feet.
And now he's given back to the youth and pouring into the youth in ways that he wished somebody would have poured into him.
He had an amazing family, but he was like, you know, I was still lost.
And, you know, sometimes you just need mentorship, even when you have a two family, two parent household, even when you have parents that care, not always they can give you what you need, you know?
That's why people say school and work sometimes can feel like a home away from home.
Those are the people, that's like the family that you, you know, you got to go to every day.
Because sometimes you end up spending more time with the people that you work with than your actual family.
So knowing that these students have him there, somebody that genuinely cares, somebody that loves what they do, somebody that is pouring into those students, that's important.
In so many ways, you know what I mean?
Like, and even at school, he said how he didn't really have a favorite teacher.
I bet he everybody's favorite teacher.
He said everybody getting hugs and high fives and he pulling up on people.
I'm like, man, I never had a teacher like that.
I remember one of my teachers taught me how to skip school.
Real story.
So, you know, having, having teachers actually talk to you.
or point you in the right direction, right?
Or see where you going and knowing how to redirect you, right?
In the right, in the right, you know what I'm saying, the right path.
That's something a lot of us need out here and it's just good to hear that we got people in our community that actually care about these students that actually are putting their time and their effort and their love into these kids and they're pouring into them the way they need to be poured into.
Cause a lot of times we forget that some
Some of these people care about these kids.
They care about our kids.
I was talking to my cousin the other day and she was a teacher.
Now she does substitute teaching and she says she will cry all the time because she cared too much.
You know, so, ma'am, it's just good to speak to people in our community that actually cares about the kids because too often we see how little people care about our kids, right?
But, moving on.
Cousins.
Cousins, cousins, cousins.
We gotta talk about something that happened right here in Milwaukee.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
So, the garage on Brady Street has officially found itself in the middle of some serious backlash.
I don't know if y'all seen it because when I saw this story, I was like, hold on now.
I ain't no way.
I thought it was AI.
I thought it was a joke at first, and I went about my day.
And after doing a little digging yesterday, I realized, no, this happened.
They went viral.
This post that went viral made its way on the Shade Room, one of the biggest platforms on Instagram.
Like the main page?
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
That's
everywhere.
Milwaukee everywhere,
both debate.
Always
wrong reason, man.
Always for the wrong reason.
Man, we everywhere.
I saw Complex posted us the other day too.
Everywhere, man.
Just because of the two, like R.I.P., but like, we do other stuff too.
The garage, which is on Brady.
It is very popular bar.
Me and my niece is frequent that bar.
We liked it over there.
We love the garage, but I don't know if they love us after seeing this.
So it showed a picture of a no playlist for the DJs at the bar.
So the businesses have every right to decide what kind of atmosphere they want.
If they want a top 40 type of vibe, or R&B lounge, or they want to be a country bar, they can do whatever they want to do.
That ain't the issue.
All right, so...
It's the way you go about
The list was also laminated and like it was in the DJ booth.
there.
It was texted in like a group chat of all of the DJs and a manager.
And on top of that, it was laminated and put in the DJ booth.
That sounds pretty official to me.
It sounds like we can't lemonade or print nothing up in this truth studio if it ain't go through management.
All types of stuff.
So y'all tell us we don't get into this, but let's talk about first.
Let's talk about the names that were on this list.
All right.
So if it featured names like Travis Scott, Little Wayne, Pusha T, Playboy, Cardi, Future, Lil Baby, Miko's, Dawn, Tollifer, 2 Chainz, I even had Dof on there.
What do I do?
Rest in peace, Flippa.
Man, Zach, can we play the video?
Yep, I think it's a good time to play the video we gonna play the the news report cuz news got ahold of it too.
It was everywhere
accusations that they banned rap artists.
Overnight, the owners of the High Hat Lounge and the garage on Brady Street posted a statement on their social media pages reading in part quote, we are very upset to learn of this situation.
The statement goes on to say the intention was to eliminate music with lyrics that referenced violence or guns and create a more relaxed vibe at the establishment, but a list of artists was certainly the wrong approach end quote.
Last night before the statement was posted, we talked with the local DJ about how something like this could happen.
I don't think the garage is unique in this position.
Unfortunately, this is kind of a common occurrence, right?
People.
It's a fight that's always we want popular music because that brings in the cool kids.
The cool kids want the popular.
What's new?
I think the problem that a lot of owners have is recognizing that what they view as cool isn't what is cool nowadays.
The post says the list was made without the owner's approval.
It also says the bar has spoken to the employee who issued the list and stressed why it was not acceptable.
Well The older express said it was not acceptable Like he ain't no was up there like I said it was laminated well like that told us it was laminated it was behind the booth It was texted out you telling me No, but they ain't know this was happening.
Sounds like they throwing a rock and hiding a hand if you ask me That's what it sound like So again
The list of rappers that was on that list, they had Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Pusha T, Playboy Cardi, Future, Lil Baby, Migos, Don Toliver, and Two Chains.
Two Chains folk bracelets.
Hear me?
And then at the very bottom of that list, am I right, Zach?
They said, no Milwaukee
rap.
From the screenshot that I have, let's go.
Nope, that
count.
It's gonna count.
It's going to count.
And then in the text message that was in the group chat, it says, hi, everyone.
Effective immediately, we can no longer play these artists that includes remixes.
I will also have this posted in the booth as well.
This is coming from ownership.
Look.
Crazy.
Failure to comply will result in a loss of gigs if you have any questions, please reach out direct to me directly That's crazy cuz didn't that news article just say management didn't approve it
ownership
didn't approve it,
but this
is this is coming from ownership
interesting make it
make sense and it was laminated like I said it's rules and regulations that go into running a business I'm telling y'all I can't print none up in here
If management don't get their eyes on what I'm over here, print it.
He told me it was laminated and and and pinned behind the DJ booth and it was texted out.
You telling me there was a group chat and management did not know the ownership did not know this was happening.
They know what's going on.
These people ain't crazy.
So I saw this list for the first time like two weeks ago, maybe on my friend's story and I replied to it.
I was like, is this real?
Because he posted the laminated version because he
was
there.
And he was like, he just posted it.
He's like, well, this is kind of crazy.
And I'm like, is this real?
This can't be real.
And he was like, yep, it's real.
It's in the booth.
And sure enough, I haven't stepped foot in that place since.
And it's like, bro, what are we doing?
Crazy cuz I kind of just played Milwaukee rap coming
back
Listen,
We're going to talk about it, y'all.
And I want to hear from y'all.
I want to know what y'all think about the garage stand.
They don't want to hear no Milwaukee rapping.
They have that long list of rappers that they don't want to hear up in there.
That's the garage on Brady.
I want to hear it.
I want to hear it from y'all.
I want to know if y'all think that they can do something like that.
I mean, they can, because they did.
But do y'all think?
Y'all understand why they would do something like that?
Do y'all think it was racism?
Do you think they just sick of hearing that?
Turn that ruckus off.
I don't know, but we gonna be back.
You listening to the award-winning 101.7 The Truth.
We are live in Studio 30 Street Market Hall.
Give us a call.
833-212-1017.
We gonna be right back.
Don't go anywhere,
y'all.
We are back 101.7
I'm holding it down though.
I'm in charge.
All right
It's me, maybe Shannon.
Make sure you join the conversation.
We asked the question, is it racist that basically they had a list hanging up in the garage DJ booth and they send it out to the DJs and said, we
don't
A long list, including some of the most popular rappers right now.
And at the bottom of that list is said, no Milwaukee rap, bold.
They wouldn't plan.
So we want to know what y'all think.
Do we think that it is racist?
Or is it is it driven, I guess, by racism?
I guess that's the question that we ask him.
Right.
Because inherently.
I feel like when people start doing stuff like that, they are hinting at other things.
But we don't keep going.
I'm going to keep breaking this down.
All right.
Because you already know that this hits differently because if you're.
If you're Milwaukee, right, and you are operating a business, you are benefiting from Milwaukee customers, Milwaukee culture, Milwaukee nightlife, and Milwaukee's Dallas.
So that screenshot that circulated that was reportedly sent to the DJs working in the garage.
It also listed those artists and it said no remixes like Zach said it warned if they didn't follow this rule they can lose gigs So basically you're threatening to fire DJs if they try to play it Hmm you telling me you know what look like I said The most important part of this message is that it said this is coming from ownership
Right, so remember that sentence like I say in the news report.
It sounds like we ain't know nothing about it Exactly they trying to play in our faces.
They didn't know it would get out They didn't know it will get this big and they thought they can get away with something like that That's that's why now they're they're trying to walk it back, but you can't walk it back Too late We know what y'all won't and it ain't us.
That's all right.
We'll find somewhere else to go but
After the backlash exploded online, the garage released a statement that ownership was upset after learning about this list and that an employee issued it and the list was not approved by ownership, even though it said this is coming from ownership.
And then, didn't they, like I said, they also mentioned, well, we didn't approve the list, but we kinda don't wanna hear it.
So you know, dang well, you approved that list.
You pretty much confirmed you approved it.
Because didn't the original message allegedly tell DJs this is coming from ownership?
But now they're saying we didn't approve the list.
So either the employee falsely told some DJ, told the DJs ownership ordered it, somebody in ownership knew something about this policy, or there was just the massive breakdown in communication either way.
Whatever happened, somebody got some explaining to do.
Then I saw a post from Max.
I think he's a bar owner in Green Bay, right?
Zach Zach told me he was a buy owner.
Right?
I got it confused.
I thought it was day owner.
Didn't ask him like, oh yeah.
If damn.
But that's neither here nor there.
He's a bar owner in Wisconsin somewhere.
Ain't nobody going to that buy.
And he said, there's nothing wrong with some rap.
And he complained that the DJ pool was playing too much post COVID dog water hip hop rap and passing up.
Exactly.
Passing up other good music.
He said that venues will pay top dollar for DJs with broader genre knowledge.
And then said he wants some heart and soul.
Not people rolling around on my floor twerking.
Who doing that in Green Bay?
I ain't never parted in Green Bay, I don't think.
I don't know.
Zach, is Green Bay even one of those places where people rolling around on the floor twerking?
Depends if the Packers win or not.
it up.
I
Maybe getting too creative for me.
I can't keep up.
He also said, like I said, people will pay top dollar with broader genre knowledge.
But I also agree with a guy in the clip that said what they think is cool, like some of these owners think is cool, just ain't cool no more.
Tom Austin, you want some hardened soul.
What you trying to hear?
What you wanna play?
So that made me side-eye and it just makes me, makes me think about that time, right?
It's just, I mean, I don't mean to cut you
like, a lot of these people on this list are still headline performers.
they are headlining these festivals year in and year out.
There was, there was a, more on that list that I forgot.
There's Don Toliver, Lil' TJ, A Boogie with a Hoodie, Roddy Rich, Metro Boomin.
But like Don Toliver was literally just the headliner at Summerfest of this year.
We can't play his music
from where I mean it's more than three blocks, but we can't play his music where like where he just like what?
Do they do these people not realize that half of the requests that we get as DJs at these bars where college students go to
Half of them are requesting these artists.
Don Toliver.
City Girls.
I'm really confused.
And like these bars aren't in places where it's like a older crowd either.
So of course you're gonna get people in there that wants the new stuff.
That's what they want.
These are college age kids.
You know early 30s most of the time?
Like you're gonna get people that want.
to vibe out to the new stuff.
Right?
And I'm not, I guess I'm not trying to reduce this to, oh, the owner just hates rap.
You know, that ain't exactly what he said.
You know, he trying to, I guess, create a different, different vibe?
I don't know.
I don't know.
But when your establishment is already catching heat over a no rap list and then you you denying your your knowledge about this It just seems weird to me and I think the explanation was was weird too and Like I said, it also reminds me of a time Zach.
I know you a young buck If you remember back in the day, I
sure
look, you don't
No, I don't.
Listen, back when 720 didn't even have like, they would have like these crazy rules like no Jordans, no visible tattoos, no hats, like anything like no dreads, no cord, like stuff like that.
Love 720 down, but I remember there was a time.
Downtown bars used to do stuff like this, and that's what it feels like they are trying to get back to.
They're going to start with the music, then they're going to be like, no YTs, no saggy jeans, no George, whatever shoe they think is popular to us, no Nike's.
They get real, they get real technical over there.
So that that's what it's giving.
It's giving.
We are going backwards, you know, and even when I heard about like the only thing I could think is like maybe they feel like.
Oh well, this is the music that makes people want to fight.
This is the music that's causing the issues.
Even if that was the explanation, I don't know.
But I can tell you, I didn't see people throw heads to a lot of different musics.
I saw somebody post on Facebook yesterday, they were like, I remember, I think they said they were DJing at 720.
They were like, I was DJing at 720 playing Halo by Beyonce.
there was a fight.
It's clearly
and Tony Tony texted us at a 3 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 7 He said no, it's not racist not every black person listens to rap music We need to stop acting like these businesses depending on the black dollar And then he also said it's a reason why they have rules in a place too much ignorant people Have been coming in disrupting the peace while everybody is trying to have a good
Nobody is really saying anything about rap music.
It's about the people that they had on the list all of those people had something in common on that list and More than one thing in common.
Yeah, they were all black or all rappers, but they were all black as well So and to go and say no remixes you clearly don't understand how DJs work
We can make remixes, we can do edits, we can have a different beat under the instrumental or the vocals.
So now you're hindering our creativity.
Like,
so,
be the promoter.
They want you to be the promoter.
They're looking at you when the crowd ain't rocking to the music.
What do you want me to play when you put on this band list all of the black artists that most young people are listening to right now, right?
And then they said they didn't they say they just didn't want to hear music about violence, you know, I listen that they brought that
up.
They don't want music to promote guns and violence.
That don't that don't promote that stuff
So why aren't it?
Why isn't it specific?
songs Why why was it just these artists, but we can get deeper into this conversation?
We're gonna get deeper into it right when we come back from break miss Charlotte We gonna talk to you right after break break, please.
Oh, don't go anywhere.
We want to hear from you
If you guys have questions, comments, and concerns, call us 833-212-1017.
We'll be right back.
Don't go anywhere.
Don't go
anywhere.
What's
You are listening to the award-winning 101.7 The Truth.
This is the lunch break with Ray Nitty and maybe Shannon.
We got some callers on the line.
Right now, we are talking about the list that popped up in the garage.
That's a bar downtown that had a long, long list of hip-hop artists, African-American ones.
Lot of them super popular We want to hear from y'all eight three three two one two ten seventeen We try to get to the bottom of why it made so many people uncomfortable Wondering if it might be a little bit of racing races in that You know, but we don't go to our first caller miss Charlotte.
You are on the line.
What you thinking?
First of all, you need to teach your constituents that private is private
And you have a choice not to spend your discretionary income there.
And number two, who wants to go to a place where there's always chaos?
And we have to admit, young black people have been creating chaos in areas on Brady Street.
And so a business decides, I don't want chaos.
I think the message should be to tell people to behave.
Because the insurance, you know what happens?
When there's many fights at different bars and stuff, the city will take their license.
If they think that the chaos started from their establishment, it's not a racial thing.
It's a behavior thing.
Why aren't we encouraging our people to behave?
Nobody wants chaos.
That's understandable.
And you have a good voice.
And you have a good voice so people listen to you.
And before we go go jump through racist stuff, let's think about how we behave.
We want somebody in front of their establishment fighting a scaring way of the patrons.
We got behavioral problems in the black community.
We really do.
And
I'm doing okay.
Yeah, I wanted to call in.
I'm piggybacking off of what the previous caller said.
I frequent Brady Street and Water Street.
I frequent them.
And I have noticed I am African-American male, young.
I have noticed that when they do play that type of music, it do attract a younger crowd.
They come in, and she said destroy, fight, tear up.
We just had a backpack giveaway on Fondalac just recently.
And you see people don't even know how to act there.
They brought the fighting.
They had a gun there, had kids running.
It was all over Facebook and everything.
I believe, in my opinion, for me, because I frequent all around Milwaukee, that it is
based upon what you play, people will, it will bring out the wrong crowd.
And these businesses, I agree with them.
You know, that's their livelihood.
That's how they make their income.
They were making money before black people were coming down there or before they were playing this rap music.
The garage was playing all kind of music.
It wasn't just black, but when they start playing it, you start seeing it.
It's incidents occurring all along Brady Street, incidents occurring all around all along Water Street.
And these businesses are trying to figure out ways to keep the ignorant people, for lack of a better word, from coming down there.
So no, in my opinion, I don't think it's racist because if you had a business, a bar or a club and you playing this type of music and you know what crowd is going to bring in.
You bring that crowd in and that three in the morning when the bar closed and now they fight.
Or when the club closed and now they fighting and shooting all outside.
I mean, you're going to rethink your strategy like, OK, well, you know what?
I'm not going to cut this out.
I'd rather have this.
They'll take a loss.
I'd rather have this type of crowd come in than that type of crowd to save my business.
So that's my opinion on the matter.
And I actually frequent all up and down there.
And I see.
I see when you have a younger crowd playing that type of music, especially Big Point, those people, Lil Wayne, they're going to bring out the younger crowd.
The younger crowd want to hear up to date, like you said, current music.
But in certain instances, at some point, a business has to draw the line and protect their revenue, protect them.
understand.
But that's
OK.
Well, thank you for calling.
Thank you for calling.
Make sure you continue listening.
We're going to respond.
So it sounds to me like a lot of a lot of people think it's a behavioral issue and they are trying to get ahead of it But a lot of the issues that are happening on Brady from what I've seen are happening outside the bars It's from kids that aren't even bar age if I'm not mistaken a lot of them are just hanging out down there creating chaos and then you I Do understand that it is a DJ's job, right?
to kind of set the moods at the time.
So I think there was a better way to word it.
There was a better way to go about this situation.
I know Zach even shared with me something as simple as, Zach, do you want to tell me what you would have did?
Because I remember off air you told me, do you want to share with the people?
Yeah,
y'all got the wrong people managing these situations.
If you're a manager and you have to pass down a message from the owners about
like music that's being played or just anything about the venue, that's your time to be like, alright, I gotta go in my professional bag, I gotta go in my PR bag, and you say, hey, hey DJs, we wanna make sure we're keeping all of our patrons happy, so going forward, we wanna refrain from music promoting guns and violence.
We understand this may include music by popular or local artists, however, we ask that our DJs create a safe, high-energy atmosphere for everyone.
If we feel that any DJ has not adhered to this, you will not be scheduled.
Simple as that.
You don't print a list, laminate it, and put it in the damn DJ booth where the public can see it.
And then get mad when a Milwaukee artist posted on TikTok and it goes viral.
A person's mouth.
You know what I'm saying?
And a lot of people will say, oh, well, not all black people listen to hip hop, which is true.
Which is true.
I listen to a wide array of things.
I love me a little country.
I love me a little fallout boy.
I know their album starts to finish.
Most of them.
I love to mix it up a little bit, but I don't want to hear elevator music all day while I'm out.
And then if I saw something like that I would feel like naturally like you were trying to target me because I'm black and I see every name on that list is a hip-hop artist that is also black I feel the way I'm not saying that's all I want to hear and that's all I listen to But there's a way you go about things I'm just saying It's it sounds like we got a Robert on the line a caller Robert what you feeling
like?
has gone love listening to you guys.
I feel like this.
I'm a old here, but I know how we used to party back in the day.
But the responsibility of the owners in private, just like you would have a corporate meeting in private amongst your staff, they could have went to the DJ and say, Hey, you know what?
When you got a little out of here, change the mode.
It's simple and easy and that.
But to put out a list like that,
That's something that was in the back of their mind anyway.
And they were loving the money.
It's about the money too.
They were loving the money, but then there were probably a couple of constituents, not of our shade.
They probably said, man, that's all you guys are playing.
And now we got all these black people down here.
Well, the color of money is green.
They didn't see that until they had probably a couple of conversations where they were like, oh, just like with the food trucks, the food truck didn't bring the fight.
It's the same situation, but we have to stop being privy to let people blame us for everything.
Yeah, we got some bad apples in the bunch.
But you know what you do?
The ones that are bad, then you find a reasonable way to get rid of them.
That's all you have to do.
But don't collectively say, oh, well, all in black music and it's going to bring the black crowd.
Well, then that is stereotyping.
Because my mother and father taught me how to act.
So you can't say put that on a whole culture because of a couple of bad apples.
You know what?
You change the mood.
And it's the DJ responsibility.
I used to DJ in Chicago.
When I see things starting to get a little out of hand, I switch over and like, hey, grab your girl.
Play some hidey brothers.
I've changed the mood.
But you don't put up a list and say,
We're gonna ban all black music.
Well, they turned it to a damn country bar.
thank you guys, men have listened to you, and I love your perspective, girl.
Keep on doing what you're doing.
Thank you, cousin.
That was cousin Robert, y'all.
You know everybody at call-in, they are cousins.
You know, not all of us see the same thing, or see eye to eye, or have the same perspectives, but we still family.
But we still family.
And Robert, specifically, I feel like his perspective was much like mine.
All I'm saying was when you start making a list that feels very targeted, it would be insane for you to not think that they are talking about you and your blackness.
That's what they talking about.
They just know they can't specifically say, no blacks.
They can't say that.
So they're going to do things like that.
Like I said, not long ago, a lot of those bars on Brady Street, a lot of those bars on water, it was
Very specific to what black people were doing, what black people were wearing.
I probably wasn't dressing like that.
But I knew what they were saying.
I could read between the lines.
No Timberlands.
No chains.
No tinted glasses.
No hats.
on.
No bandanas.
Like what's that gotta do with it?
No, come on man.
Then I ain't taking my stuff down there at all.
But like Robert was saying, it is the DJ's job to curate the ambience.
You know what I'm saying?
And if you wanted music to not escalate situations, there is a way to go about it.
Like Brother Z said, there's a way that you can say, hey, if the crowd's starting to seem a little rowdy, a little agitated, if arguments are happening, if people are doing a little too much, let's change the vibe.
You're a DJ, you know how to do that.
Like he said,
We ain't gonna play no Aussie brothers, Robert.
But, what we gonna play?
It start getting too rowdy, brother Z, what we gonna play?
Play some Kalani folding.
way to
But before we get into our last segment, we still talking about these Milwaukee bars.
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We back!
And we are talking about the list that management from the garage posted.
in their DJ booth.
We're talking about the names that were on the list of Do Not Play, which included No Milwaukee Rap.
I guess if you, well, what is it called?
What's that genre of music?
Something grass?
Bluegrass.
If you a bluegrass music maker, they gonna play you in there.
And I'm a walkie-wrapped though, not the scene that actually is putting Milwaukee on the map that is being acknowledged across the states.
Not that though.
Bluegrass, y'all got a chance.
So, we had a few callers call in and they explained how people be down there acting a fool and maybe they just figured, let's start here.
But like I said, my complaint is how they went about it and how it feels very targeted.
We also talked about how, no, not every black person listens to hip hop, you're right.
But when they start doing stuff like that, you know what they trying to hint at.
We talked about the history of downtown and all those places doing stuff like this.
And a lot of times that's where it starts.
And then how they talked about, well, we don't want.
You know, we don't want the music with this type of content in it.
Which okay, cool.
But hip hop ain't the only music that got that type of stuff in it.
That part.
I listen to the other stuff and I think that's where, I think that's where us as a community, we do need to be in other people business.
Because we love to highlight what we doing wrong.
We love to talk stuff or well they just don't want this but then it's like, hold on now.
That's not how you get to the bottom of a problem.
We discussed other ways to kind of, is it called negate?
Navigate?
Or is it negate?
I guess you had negate.
We talked about other ways to do it.
Cousin Robert called and I loved his perspective.
He said he used to be a DJ in Chicago.
And if people start doing too much, you slow it down.
You change the vibe.
The DJs really are the curator of the atmosphere.
So I understand asking them,
Maybe slow it down or maybe limit yourselves to this much because Better wording would have been we aren't a hip-hop club or bar You know I'm saying we like to do the top 40 But if you feel like the crowd is getting a little too amped up It's okay to shred away a meeting would have been okay in a situation like that not a list behind the bar saying no Milwaukee music Rap music
to be specific come on now there's other ways to go about these situations and like i said there's songs about violence and rock there's violence in country there there's songs about drugs killing fighting guns across many genres it ain't just us and i ain't gonna let nobody tell us it's just us
I understand sometimes we get the youngins down there and they get the act in a fool and doing the most, but anybody that knows us knows it's not just us.
Maybe you don't know enough black people from Milwaukee if you feel like it's just us.
And I do understand trying to figure out a solution, but that ain't the way to go about it either.
So is it blatant racism?
Probably not.
But.
Having the public that being in public view, I feel like it definitely sends a signal Sounds like we got a caller on the line.
Am I right, brother Z?
Eastside Corey on the line.
How you feeling Eastside Corey?
I was feeling pretty beautiful.
It's a gorgeous day, but we lost Dolly Parton today.
Yeah,
it's all over my TV.
Oh
my
over
country music
I just heard a story yesterday.
A story that she was giving a thousand families yesterday.
Some of her fortune, some of her money to help them, whatever they needed, just giving them thousands of dollars.
She had two different kinds of cancers, but she looked good and she was in her right mind.
But another icon is gone, yo.
And she wrote that song, I will always love you by Whitney Houston.
She wrote that.
She wrote some beautiful music man, and it crossed over you see what I'm saying you talking about music It's our saving grace.
Okay.
It brings us together.
Let's all mourn together come together Okay, I love your topic today.
much.
Yeah, I love your voice and You make a lot of sense girl.
I really like your show
CNN.
Yeah, God bless her.
God bless her family and I'm going to get emotional.
Oh,
Yeah, well, she was a special lady, you know, she was.
She always had a great smile, great sense of humor.
She didn't mind joking about her body and her looks.
She'd like to be a drag queen.
You know,
what I love
who I
But Mr. Producer, right away.
Yep, she sure did.
Damn, Jolene.
I got some words to say.
Now I gotta get it back for Dolly.
But man, to wrap up this episode, all we're saying is there's certain ways you gotta go about things.
There's certain ways to go about things.
And like, East Side Corey said, music brings us together.
It shouldn't be a way to, to, to me, that looked like a dog whistle.
That list, you know, the dog whistles they use to say something when I'm really saying it.
Man.
Once again, Rest in Peace Dolly Pardon.
Hearing that news had me shook.
My girl is gone, man.
Rest in Peace Dolly Pardon.
Thank you guys for rocking with me on 101.7 The Truth.
The award-winning 101.7 The Truth makes you follow me across all platforms.
I am maybe Shannon M-A-Y-B-E-S-H-A-N-N-O-N.
Go over to Facebook.
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Don't miss out on that.
Any day Monday through Friday, you can find us here live on YouTube.
All of your hosts will be live on YouTube, 1017, The Truth.
Man, I'm telling you, when Dolly Parton said, listen, she didn't mind talking about her body.
She didn't mind talking about what inspired her look.
She was so ahead of her time.
And the cold is white women.
I like to imagine that was my grandma that had to give my dad up.
That's what I like to imagine, y'all.
I like to build my own white side of the family, because my dad was adopted just to let y'all know.
I build my imagination up.
The dope ones get to stay, they're my cousins.
But y'all my cousins too, don't go anywhere, y'all.
We got the grapevine next.
Homer Blow gonna be in the building, am I right?
No, it's gonna be the best of the grapevine.
be back tomorrow.
Don't miss that, but...
right after me y'all got the best of the grape I mean y'all gonna have some good stuff man again rest in peace Dolly Parton thank you so much to Paul for stopping by the studio and giving us some game this was a great episode thank you again is your girl maybe Shannon don't go
anywhere