I was gonna say it's Friday.
It feels like a Friday.
Yeah, it feels like a Friday today.
It's Thursday.
You know what?
It feels like a Friday.
Why?
Because we're gonna be at Juneteenth.
That's right.
All day tomorrow.
That's right.
It's going down.
I'm excited too.
I'm excited.
I feel like Milwaukee is one of the top cities throughout the entire country that celebrates Juneteenth still and does it at such a high level.
Mm-hmm.
And it's amazing event, man.
Like to see, I love the fact that it's not one sided, where it's just one certain type of thing.
You have all types of people from the community, the old schools, the bikes.
Yeah,
I'm more interested in the food.
Me too.
The parade seemed like it's going to be aesthetic.
Yes.
Yeah, the food is pretty much what we look forward to.
Some of the African world dancers and stuff
that'll
be around there.
Intro radio will be in the parade as well come and catch us tomorrow morning in the Juneteenth parade.
We will be riding by Passing out some newspapers and some flyers
walking career
you heard We want to see y'all tomorrow.
So it's gonna be a dope weekend man a super dope weekend speaking of events
Today, um, me tonight, the tapped in segment will be officially covering, um, MJ's listening parties.
Shout out to MJ to wavy boy.
The whole team, um, his listening party will take place at brownstone 7pm this evening.
And I am excited.
He has a song called pretty woman.
So all the ladies need to come out for this show.
I'm telling you, it's going to be amazing.
It's free to the public.
Get there early.
I'm telling you.
You do not want to miss this event.
No, you don't.
Sunday is Father's Day, Meach.
Yes.
It's going down.
It's going down on Father's Day.
You know, don't smell like barbecue.
Don Calaver at Summerfest tomorrow, money bag.
Yeah, I thought you was leaving.
You say you was leaving.
You want to be here?
No,
I'm staying.
I'm staying.
I'm staying.
It's going down too much
this
weekend.
What you got out for the weekend,
Meach?
As far as I'm chilling, being with the kids.
Which
is their show day.
I mean,
pretty
much.
I know that's right.
You know,
throw something on there, but on the grill, get it cooking, get it rocking, but basically just be chilling, man.
You know, get that one, that one day, you know, receive all them takes messages, respond to all
my,
you know, my other fellow fathers that's
out
here, talk to my dad.
Yes.
Stuff like that.
Shout out to all the beautiful black men who are fathers, stepfathers, role models, real models, all of the above.
Happy Father's Day to y'all, for real, for real.
We got some special guests coming in today.
Who we got?
Yeah, we do.
We're going to be talking opportunity today with Emma James.
OK, that's fine.
Pretty much we got a well-known videographer, Ray Shotet.
Let's get it.
We'll be talking a lot of things, culture with him, you know, how it looks behind the lens, you know.
Right-shotted is so dope.
He came to one of the youth events.
I love his work ethic.
I love the quality of his videos that he actually take time out to try and network and build relationships with people, man.
Yeah, let me give you a fun fact, though.
Rick Taylor, we had
him
and Ray used to be in a group.
Are you serious?
I can see that.
That's crazy though.
I can see that.
I can see that.
Basically in a rap group.
I feel like our city is super dope when it comes to generations of music and entertainment.
Like for us, it was like Philly Flyboys, Dan Perry, then it moved over to the race shot.
Like we always just have super dope people in every arena.
Yeah,
it's alive.
It just doesn't stop.
Uh, the videographer thing on Facebook been kind of kicking up this week.
So we're going to talk about that, too, with them, see how you feel about that.
You know, a lot of people been with a lot of artists being pretty much having a lot of backlash with some videographer.
They done drug ray into it.
So we're going to see.
Oh, yeah, I saw that post the other day.
Yeah.
Somebody talking about somebody, no refunds or whatever.
Yeah.
Four to six weeks.
No, like, yeah, yeah.
Four to
six weeks turnaround.
I mean, you know.
No, I think it was it said two to three week turnaround, but it's been six weeks and they have
two to three weeks is a lot though.
I mean, I you should expect your video should be two to three
weeks.
Shout out to my hair is mine was my videographer in Philly.
I never waited more than three days.
I mean, that's that's, you know, it's almost like a rush, you know, and, you know, it's depending on who you who you dealing with.
type of relationship you got with the videographer, but
for the most part,
you should expect it to be because it's not that many high level videographers here.
So if you dealing with somebody that's dealing with a lot of clients, you should expect
that day after your video.
I
mean, that's why you ain't rapping.
That is one of the reasons, because when I'm on what I want, when I'm voting, that's just gonna be
that.
You feel me?
So you said we talk an opportunity today, right?
So the opportunity, what's the opportunities out here?
Like in Milwaukee or just overall, and what, like we talk in...
Jobs relationships opportunities in general.
What's the opportunity like do you have the right opportunity?
The opportunities you get is they for you You know me is you taking those opportunities or is pretty much the city or things in Around us is people shaping the opportunities that you could grasp.
Yeah Well me personally I feel like I was never
I'm not gonna say I was never given an opportunity, but majority of the opportunities that has come specifically from Milwaukee has been because people didn't listen to things that I said or the vision in the beginning and they are in desperate need of my
assistance.
Not because they genuinely believe that I deserved it.
I've had to go on outside of the city.
You know what I'm saying for better opportunities and then I always end up bringing them back resources back, right?
But I'm not going to say that there aren't opportunities here, but there's biases,
you know,
there's opportunities for specific types of people me personally I am not a woman who was spoon fed with the silver spoon.
I didn't have anything given to me I didn't take the orthodox way where I was in a sorority
None of that stuff.
Everything I have, I literally had to get it out the mud on my own.
Like create the
opportunity.
Create the opportunities, right.
But for the generation under us, I do feel like there is more opportunities than it was when we were their age.
I feel like it's more, but.
Is
they taking those opportunities?
No, some are.
I don't think some.
I think for those who aren't, I think it's a matter of not that there aren't opportunities, but it's taken so long.
And sometimes every opportunity isn't like for you.
It may not be a good thing because some things comes with, it's attached to some strings.
You know what I'm saying?
And they recognize that, right?
And they are more free, more independent, more entrepreneur style.
They don't wanna be controlled.
So some of the opportunities that are there, if they come with too many stipulations, then I think for that percentage that don't necessarily take those opportunities, that's why.
But it's like, you know, the opportunities out there, is it the same opportunities we wanted versus is it the opportunities they need?
I don't think they give us, I don't think they ever give us what we want.
And the reason why I say that is because it could be packaged up as if it's something we want, but...
was under the wrapper is everything that they need, you know?
And if they do, which is very often, give us an opportunity that we want, again, their stipulations, their strings attached to it that solely benefits them.
I mean, but if you choose the right opportunity, obviously, it'd be the probably the one you want, but it's opportunities that you just might have to take
in
order to get to.
or
reach the goal that you want.
That's what I was gonna say, because I don't even think it's a matter of, like, if there's opportunities, I think it's a matter of what you just said.
Do people want the opportunities?
Because a lot of times, when certain opportunities are presented, you may think you want it, you really don't, you're just acting out of survivor mode.
You're doing whatever it takes to get to where you need to get to.
That's what I was saying, is the opportunities outdated?
Yes.
Yep.
They come with too many limitations.
It's like, I mean, the city is progressing for sure, but we're still behind.
Culture-wise, we're still scared to fully embrace what's happening because they are so used to dealing with or presenting opportunities for the other Milwaukee
people.
Yeah, because it's like if you put this opportunity in front of you, this opportunity in front of you, this opportunity in front of you.
And some retrospect, is it an opportunity or is it a force?
You know what I mean?
Like, is it a, you know, we only have these available.
We gotta take it or leave it unless you don't get the opportunity to go to the next level in a sense, or reach your goal.
That's what I'm saying.
Sometimes it comes packaged as an opportunity, but it's really a motive.
You know what I mean?
Really, like, I don't... So what's
the opportunity
there?
It depends.
I mean, that's a loaded question.
It is broad.
So that's what I'm saying.
It depends on if we're talking career relationships, if we're talking, what are we talking?
That's figuring it out.
What we talking?
We talking opportunity, Truth Nation.
We want to hear from you.
A332121017.
We got to go to break.
Do not touch that dial.
Tap in with Jazzy and Meach, 101.7 and Truth.
101.7 The Truth is your girl, Jazz Tyler.
Do not miss 101.7 The Truth Broadcasting Live from Milwaukee's Juneteenth Celebration.
Join us tomorrow, community conversations, interviews with community leaders and more.
Thanks to Educator's Credit Union, Mohsen Cores, Tabak Law, American Family Insurance, and Milwaukee College Prep for supporting their special community event.
We'll see you at the Juneteenth Festival as we celebrate freedom, culture,
education and community together.
I am excited, man.
It's going down.
It's going down tomorrow, man.
We got the Howard Fuller High School cheer team.
We got the Brewers.
We got 101.7 of Truth, Ottawa McCox District 6.
There's so many people who are going to be a part of this amazing parade.
And it's always good to see the kids.
Yes.
that won the honors.
The pageants, yeah.
Shout out to all the pageant finalists for Mrs. and Mr. Junting.
That's so dope.
So today we are talking opportunity, Meach.
Yeah.
Is opportunity real?
Ooh.
I mean, that's basically where we kind of broke down in the first segment.
Like, is it what it...
Pretty much the perception of it is you know me as they actually give you the opportunity to do this or they just pretty much kind of force in the way
Shout out to the chat.
So the lazy gang said I believe it's also situational to that point.
I believe a situational I would say is Every opera is the opportunity genuine.
Yeah, you know, I mean it's real but is it genuine because
Again, every opportunity isn't for you.
You can't take every opportunity.
You know what I mean?
You just have to go based on what your standards are and your boundaries are.
For me personally, before, in the reason why I work this way now is because I used to feel like whatever opportunity came my way was from God.
You know what I mean?
Whatever it is, it's for me, good or bad.
is gonna help me get to where I need to go to.
And then I started learning that I can't take every opportunity.
Like sometimes I have to sit back and figure out, just like when you go to a corporate job and they put you through orientation, they go over their company's core values and all of these things, right?
It should apply to you as well.
Does my core values align with this opportunity?
Does what I stand for, what I believe in, my morals, my integrity, does it align?
If it does not align, I don't care what it looks like, like how it's made up.
But if it doesn't align, then I cannot take this opportunity.
Yes.
So how many opportunities you think you left on the table?
Take a deep
breath.
I'm going to be truthful.
Not a lot.
Why not?
Not a lot.
Because I've never been afraid to take, to make a sacrifice or to take risk.
you know, whether I had it, whether I was up or down, I've never been afraid to.
I didn't know if it was gonna work.
I didn't know what was to come of it, but I've just never been afraid.
And I'm also very good with discernment.
If something feels off, I don't touch it.
You know what I'm saying?
No matter how bad I want it.
So opportunities that have come my way that I necessarily didn't take.
the few that did, I would say, I mean, Miss, I would say it was more so, it was younger, I was younger and it was more so due to me being immature in my attitude.
You know what I mean?
And that was just a few opportunities because every opportunity that has come my way, I have been successful with it.
So do you think the youth these days is leaving their opportunities that's being created for them on the table?
I don't necessarily think, I think some, yes, but for others, I think it's more so us having to prove to them why they should take the opportunity, you
know?
But that's why I said, is it the opportunities we want them to have?
Does that even make sense for what's going on in they world?
I think it should be opportunities that they want to have.
Because again, they're not gonna be youth forever, right?
They have to
they have to go through life with the decision that someone else made for them.
Just
like
all of us, right?
We always have to go through life with decisions that other people make for us.
So I think when we're presenting or creating opportunities, like, and not, because I'm gonna be honest, right?
We have this thing in Milwaukee where, oh, let's bring the youth to the table.
What's the youth who decide everything?
You know what I'm saying?
It's
specific youth.
They're curving the decisions we're making based on their actions in a sense.
But the youth who are making decisions aren't necessarily the youth that we're catering to.
Yeah.
That's where the miscommunication comes in at,
right?
We had to talk last night with Von and we pretty much got into that.
And we were saying, you know, he said the high peak hours is like 12 a.m.
to 4 a.m.
So you're doing
programming before that ends at 10.
You know what I mean?
How does that kind of align with the opportunity or just how did that align with making it safer for them to be out
here?
To be honest with you, it doesn't because there's a reason why we do the lock-ins the way we do them.
and it's not just because of what we think, but we actually have data from when we first started doing it that shows that during this time, when we keep them from 8 p.m.
to 8 a.m., in this specific area, this demographic, this age group, the crime decreases because they're in our care.
So that's given an opportunity to be somewhere at the time where they want to be
somewhere.
Facts.
You know what I mean?
And I think that's something that should be available.
But like you said, when they at the table, or if we bringing them to the table, where do they want to go?
Why are they out here?
Is they really looking at what the adults is doing at 12 o'clock?
Because that's the time everybody step out as an adult.
So is they trying to recreate that feeling for themselves?
Like, oh, well, they doing it.
That's what they looking at.
I mean,
honestly, Meach, we did it.
Like, we was out here at 12, one in the morning in traffic, riding all up and down, two, seven in capital.
You know what I'm saying?
Or we was at house parties.
Bustin' donuts.
Bustin' donuts.
We was at house parties.
We were in the neighborhood.
Like, we was outside, too, at the same time.
And that made me think about the callin' of the day said, like, you gotta literally think about how you was at that age.
Yes.
And I...
Always think like that.
Yeah,
like when I told you when I look at my son, I remember being his age
Yeah
to be able to relate with him.
Yeah at what he might be feeling or going through at the time So just trying to create the opportunity for the kids be it be difficult But it literally is like we controlling what their opportunities are.
I like yeah
And, and to that point, I mean, obviously as a parent, you know, you have to have some type of say.
So when it comes to opportunities, you have to screen it.
But for me, I think what we need to do more of is what is it that y'all want to do?
And then let's figure out how we can support it.
So to that point, for example, when Kalea was up here a couple of weeks ago, and me and you were talking about.
organized
team
takeover, right?
What does that look like?
That looks like hiring the youth to be an event planner and event manager.
You know what I'm saying?
Security, giving them roles and responsibilities so that they can have full control.
And all we do is say offer guidance and assistance and say, well, based off of my experience at this age, it will work better if you do it this way.
But if you want to do it that way, go ahead.
I'll be here to support.
It's almost like the idea when schools let them skip.
then they kind of organize the senior skip day.
Right.
With the students in the staff.
Right.
They organize
that.
Yes.
You know, it'd be sometimes where they might have another location or something, but that's because they want the privacy in a sense.
You know what I mean?
They want to be able to do what they want to do.
Yeah.
It's nothing wrong with that, but it's still letting them know, like...
Yeah, you can do whatever you want to do, except this.
I don't think we need to teach them not to be out and not have fun.
I think we need to teach them how not to die.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, it's okay.
We understand you want to have fun.
Do you remember when we were younger?
We had, like I said, we had the clubs.
I must die.
We was in traffic.
You know, think about how many of us was at these events, especially traffic in cars late.
No issues.
No fights, no nothing, right?
We have to teach them how not to die, how to how to enjoy like literally enjoy what it is that they're trying to do.
We didn't see the CDR or let's say the neighborhood get involved until we did traffic.
Everything else was like facts.
depending on the business owner that we was, you know, whoever had the club, you know, I don't remember nothing too bad happening at Amistad or nothing like that, no shootouts or nothing like that.
I don't, you know, y'all can fact check me.
No, no, no, there never was.
But I don't remember, you know, to significant like
that to
remember,
you
know what I mean?
Especially how often we was there.
And then to, for everybody to really reminisce about that, it has to be not, not have.
Issue like that just based on the stories you see people on Facebook talking about how you went down my style or just the dance culture when they bring it up So I mean like we had that opportunity to have fun late at night Absolutely, you
know I mean I mean that's what think about it like the other night over the weekend when it was like super nice outside at night I was just sitting in my backyard like I Missed this when you could sit on a porch at one or two in the morning door open
like just sitting talking on like, you know, we're in a car ride, like ride, I used to love to ride around the city, ride past the lake later, like listen to some music, you know, all of that.
That
like, it's not normal anymore.
Yeah, I mean, just because we're in an older generation, I could literally point to like a few times to where I'd be like, I know what's going on at the club or the situations that you see happen at the club, it's
not
our generation.
Yeah.
You know, because when we step out,
with our generation, it seems like we've been there before.
We've been to
the club.
We had them experience as young, and we know how to conduct ourselves.
But then you'll see somebody that's in a younger generation, or you can see a crowd of people, and you can kind of identify them as a younger generation and be like, well, did they have the opportunity to know how the club scene really
fits the goal?
No, they don't, but they have the opportunity to make monies that they teacher make.
they have the opportunities to live the life of an adult.
They have those
opportunities.
So they're chasing that and they don't care about the opportunities that we're presenting because they are already making it happen for themselves the way that they want to whether it's right or wrong.
When I look at a lot of the youth out here, they go wrong.
They got money.
They got money.
They dress like adults.
They live in adults' lives.
Half of them be, you know, in high school with their own house or staying with a 22, 23 year old, they got their own crib.
You know, they just live like adults.
So they don't, it's the mentality of like, I don't need nothing from you.
Nobody was there for me anyways.
I'm going to create my own opportunities.
But is they able to create their own
opportunities?
I think they are.
I think they just have to.
It's the, it's how they do it.
And it's what they're doing.
That's what I'm saying.
Like us as adults.
in this space, I feel like we hold in the position of them creating opportunities, because it's like, we're dictating the opportunities they get.
You know what I mean?
Somewhere it's
like, I don't even know what it looked like for a teen to create an opportunity.
I haven't seen, you know, for them to create their own opportunity.
You know what I mean?
And that's just something that been on my mind.
And it's like, by the time we get something that's already accounted for, this is what we want to do.
Based off of what?
Who told y'all that this needs to be done?
I was already allocated towards this.
But who told y'all that these are the opportunities that the youth
want?
I'm sure they didn't tell you, and if they did, it's only to select a few.
Because we're going to be a general team.
Do you feel like they got the opportunity to be down there?
Yes.
Do you think they're going to take the opportunity to be down
there?
No.
I
don't.
Well, I don't know who they is, but... For you.
We're talking about the youth.
You feel like they're going to take the opportunity to be down there after a couple of years of people saying they don't want them down there?
It could go one or two ways.
They could either not come or they can take it over.
That or why everybody down there, they take the opportunity to go somewhere else.
Thanks.
That's why I say they can either not be there or they can take it over.
It's going to be one of the other.
Me personally?
I'm not even gonna say that.
We gotta go to break.
We wanna hear from you.
We are talking Opportunity A332121017.
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Meach, what are we talking today?
We're talking opportunities, but you just mentioned it in me over the break.
Don't start, Meach.
That is Friday.
Yes.
And we should be talking about the opera.
OK, I'm going to switch it from
Just strictly opportunity us being abroad to kind of Scaling it down a little bit.
We go we go go go opportunity for opportunity, so We don't start with Opportunity you have in dating.
What's the opportunities or people?
You know we talking people in a sense like how many opportunities you think you got out
here?
Oh, that's what you really gonna ask me you know
I
mean, what does a real dating opportunity look like for you?
And
would you take the opportunity if it arises?
No, you just said you don't need none on the table.
Nothing but my plate.
As far as dating goes, I'll say this.
Opportunity.
with dating, you have the opportunity to build something incredible, right?
If you select the right person, you have the opportunity to build a legacy, a family, a business, you know, unconditional love.
Like there's so much that comes with opportunity.
You also have the opportunity not to play in people's face.
You know what I
mean?
Like there's, it just depends on what you're dealing with and who you're dealing with.
But for me personally,
You know, I'm okay with the opportunity that I have right now.
The opportunity to say no?
I'm okay with the opportunity I have right now as far as saying no, but also saying yes.
Okay.
Options.
Optional.
No, there is no, like, there's always options, but when a certain opportunity is presented to you, and again, you grow through the process like a career or anything goes.
Does it align with my morals?
Does it align with my integrity?
Is it a safe space?
Is it something that I can depend on?
Is it something that's reliable?
You know, can he lead?
Is he a man?
Do we got his stuff together?
Can he teach me something?
And I think men had the same thing, same aspirations about women.
But do you feel like just because, okay, I open opportunity for somebody to talk to me?
or somebody had the opportunity to talk to you, would you open the opportunity for them, you know, for you to talk to them?
Yes.
Sometimes, you know what I'm saying?
No, like, so you have to make opportunity.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Like, you have to thoroughly take time.
And I'm learning this or I have learned this you have to take time sit back and really put effort into the situation Learning and understanding what you're dealing with before you even present the opportunity I think nowadays we are and I'm guilty of it too is like you just present the opportunity right away like this is what I you know know
You don't even know if it's what you want.
Just sit back a little bit and see if this is the right opportunity for you and then you present the opportunity.
Yeah, do people, do you think people open up to people
like
that?
The right people will.
You will know it.
You will know.
Like,
yeah, I know.
I know.
I know so.
The right people will
Open up it because nine times out of ten.
They're waiting.
They're waiting for you to present the opportunity You know I'm saying whether it's good or bad.
They're still waiting as far as their intentions.
They're still waiting so again you I've learned to You know what if this is something I feel like Works for me like not what I like not just what I like but like
what I need.
Yeah, but everybody not taking it that way.
Everybody looking like, or some people take the opportunity for a come up.
Absolutely.
Or to stroke their ego, or to, yeah, absolutely.
Especially in the line of work we do, it's a lot of those, men too.
You know, it's a lot of those, but for me, I'm in a space now where I feel like, I feel like,
a certain opportunity when it presents itself, and you don't have to question it, that's the opportunity for me.
That's the opportunity for me.
So let's talk about the opportunity when you had the opportunity to get married.
I did, yep.
Yeah, how did that feel?
Honestly, I don't know.
You wasn't
excited?
It's not that it was I was so young married at 25 So I wasn't even I didn't even
feel like opportunities for like that's supposed to do
exactly like it felt as if I'm doing the right thing for my children right it felt as if this is Something that I've seen in my family and I believe that this opportunity can produce opportunities for my children, right?
Excited, yes, but I didn't fully understand it.
What I will say is because I had the opportunity of being married before, it prepares me for the next opportunity of being married.
You know what I mean?
The skill sets that I've learned from being a wife versus being a girlfriend is completely different.
Learning how to love a man properly.
and what he needs is different as far as my outlook.
Whether I'm single or not, these are things that happen because I had the opportunity of being someone's wife.
So again, opportunity is important on every level.
Personal, career, relationship.
I
mean, did he present the opportunity correct?
He did.
I mean, he did.
And again, we were young.
I just feel like...
If I could do it all over again, as far as not just with this specific person, but just with marriage in general, I wouldn't get married that young.
Because in your 20s, you're still trying to figure out who you are as a person.
And you still are trying to heal through whatever you've been through.
You know what I
mean?
It's hard to tell or teach somebody about you when you're still learning yourself.
Yeah.
But again, what I do appreciate is that I've learned so much.
from being someone's wife that my next husband is about to die forever.
He ain't gonna have the opportunity to lead this
time.
Oh, no, he ain't gonna.
It's a wrap.
Once you win, you win.
Ain't no hope.
I'm never letting him go.
We gotta go to break.
Come on.
Come on.
Tap in.
Do not touch that dial.
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A-3-3-2-1-2-1-0-1-7.
101.7 is truth.
Okay, I'm straight from
the North Side.
Thought I went with Sparrow.
Well, do you want that?
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can
do
that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
I can do that.
You also said be a good friend to your future mate first.
Very important, meet their past, their friends, family multiple times, and you will learn a lot.
Amen, that's the truth.
Mitch, we got a special guest in the building.
Yeah.
Who we got?
Famous rapper Emmett James.
Let's go.
Welcome to the tap in.
I don't know about famous, but I appreciate it.
Locally famous to me.
Yes, indeed.
Welcome to the show.
Thanks for having me.
How are you?
I'm doing all right.
I'm doing all right.
Are you mean it or you just?
No, I'm doing all right.
That's a good question though.
I know people say stuff in passing that they don't mean but.
Absolutely.
I'm
solid.
Thank you for joining us today.
Yes
indeed.
So we talking opportunity today man.
So let us know how you been doing and what you got going on first.
I'm doing good.
I'm doing solid.
Can't complain.
This summer for me is very busy.
If you, a musician, an artist in Milwaukee,
You know, the summertime is where you like eat.
Yeah.
Festivals and all that type of stuff.
So I got a lot of that going on.
I've played a lot of them already.
Local Street Festival.
I did Morgan Park Picnic.
I did Pride Fest.
Tomorrow is Summer Fest at Team Opal Stage.
And then I, one of them, I end my summer with an event that I produced myself for the Friends called the...
The Emmett James Big Band Barbecue, I
played with
a 20 piece band.
And it's a fundraiser concert, so every year we pick a org to partner with, raise money for them, stuff like that.
Yeah, how
long that's been going?
This is the fourth one, and the last one probably.
Why the last?
I think I'm moving next summer.
Oh, okay.
I'm sorry.
You're moving again?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was in LA for like eight years, I just came back three years ago.
You gone back?
I want to go to Brooklyn first,
because I've always wanted
to be in New York.
If I like it, extend it, but it's like something I'm doing on my way
back to LA.
Going back to Cali.
Yeah, so how the music
been
going?
Music is good.
So here's the thing.
I'll try to make this short.
So I was doing music full-time as an independent artist up until last year.
I almost got evicted for being a rapper.
Not like Discrimination
wise,
just me being stubborn and not getting a job.
And I was like, you know what, it's time for you to work.
So I'm a barista.
I work at like five coffee shops.
So that's what I do.
What did you ask me?
I went there for a reason.
What did you ask me?
I said, how the music been going?
Oh, the music is going good.
So when people talk about music, I just work so much.
And then I kind of like just fit in music where I can.
But I'm so dedicated to it.
Online, it might look like I still do it for a living, or like 100%.
I'm just working in there, fitting that music where I can.
Yeah, so you say you went to LA for eight years and came back three, so would you from Milwaukee, right?
Yeah,
Born and
Raised
on the
North Side.
On the North Side, so what's the
name of it?
In high school, I was on off of 18th and Hampton.
Before that, I was on 45th and right, like right around the corner from Washington High School.
My dad lives off of 27th and Capital.
Yeah.
But I live in Soros.
I've
been
there for like
a year.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, uh, if somebody from Milwaukee had to see you in 10 years, what would surprise, what would surprise him the most about
you?
I gained a lot of weight.
Really?
I used to be like tiny, like a pencil.
Um, shout out to people who are shaped like a pencil.
Um, no, I, uh, a lot of weight.
Um,
But everything else is the same.
I'm still like vibrant.
I'm still into music and coffee.
I'm still chasing my dream because that's important.
And I still ain't married.
I still ain't got no kids.
It's
the same.
Yeah.
We got Amy James in the building, man.
We talking opportunity.
And what opportunities exist in Milwaukee right now that artists and creators are overlooking.
This might be corny or generic.
The opportunities that you could create for yourself.
I think a lot of times, even right now, there's some discourse online about people not getting booked for stuff.
And I'm kind of one of the artists.
If you're outside looking in, I could see how you could be like, I ain't playing everything.
And I get it, because I felt that way before too.
But I've also created a lot of opportunities for myself.
So when I was in LA, and I'm using that as an example, but it could be used as a parallel.
When I first got out there, I played one showcase and it was like a pay to play thing and I didn't like how it went and then from there I started throwing my own backyard shows.
And then that turned into opportunity.
So it's the same thing that I have done here and that people can do here.
Like you got an album coming out, EP, whatever, book your own show.
There's a gallery on the Walker's Point called Vore Gallery.
They
charge $50
to rent the space.
Bring a band, bring your own crew, whatever.
It's primarily an art gallery, but secondarily, they don't want to overcharge musicians and artists, so they're just like, yo, use the space how you want to use it.
Be respectful, but it's $50 to rent it.
So you think it's just a lack of information?
No, I think, I do think that there's some opportunities that sometimes we get overlooked on, like when the bucks won the thing.
The person who came up with the song was not from here.
Shout out to that person.
I think sometimes the...
Big girl corporations do miss the mark a little bit.
It's like, bang, like we could have.
But as a DIYer, if you don't like some, create opportunity for yourself.
If you can't get a residency at a venue that you like and they got a program, create
your
own.
That's just kind of where I'm at with it.
One of the things I wanted to touch on that you mentioned was the rhetoric about not being booked for certain events, right?
And why certain people
are the only ones who get these opportunities.
One of the things that people have to understand too is that if you get an opportunity and you make it successful, they will always call you back.
That's the point of making sure that when you take the opportunity that you do what it is that you need to do.
So it's not a matter of people are constantly being left out, but if it's not broke, don't fix it.
If I book you and you do a great job, why do I need to book someone else when I can just book you?
That's the reality.
So I mean, but is the opportunity aligning with the culture?
I think they do.
We just got done.
Oh, it was off air.
We was talking about Summerfest.
We was talking about a shout out to Ishell and MK Groove.
She set up a whole, like, you want to play Summerfest?
Then join this competition.
And now there's a bunch of people.
Some people didn't make it.
Some people did.
I got some friends who are playing Summerfest that way this year.
She's giving them my opportunity to play, and you get to play with a live band that you won't gotta pay out of your pocket.
I gotta pay my band out of my pocket.
But some people not taking the opportunity because
they feel like their music don't fit the live band or their music don't fit what Summerfest's offering, but they wanna be on the stage.
Listen, first of all, if GZ can do a whole orchestra to thug Motivation 101,
I don't want to hear that you can't take your music and put it with.
Music is music.
I
mean, Bootsy just showed up with the track
work style.
Music is music.
I think it's more so a lack of confidence.
I think because they aren't used to playing with live bands and they're afraid.
I don't necessarily think it's because they feel like their music don't fit.
Yeah.
So what's what you think the biggest thing standing between Milwaukee, Thailand and next level?
I think when we talk about.
Stuff that's truly impactful,
I think
that's always gonna be on the corporate organizational level.
Like if I'm the Milwaukee owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, who I don't know what is, I'm speaking irregularly, but just using them as an example.
If I'm the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and I have an opportunity to change an artist's lives here, it's people like that who could move
and
stuff like that.
And I think that it's like giving Milwaukee artists opportunity to do that.
But where we meet them and not meet them in the middle, but again, on our own individual level, we just have to keep doing our own thing.
Because that's what
I'm saying.
It seemed like most Milwaukee artists is kind of dependent on the corporate corporation or the organization to be pushing the initiative that they try to, you know, you rap.
So we throw in these events for you to rap.
No, that ain't what's going on.
Yeah.
So.
I think they just won't love.
Like when you look at other cities and states and you're looking at their teams and different things, they are including the artists from their city.
But it's also too about relationships, not just from the artist's dance.
I feel like a lot of these major corporations don't take the time to really learn the community.
Sometimes they do it because they have to.
We have to do a fundraiser or we have to show up.
But like if you actually learn your community and don't take advantage of them.
then you'll be able to build these relationships and you'll be able to utilize what's in the city versus going, versus outsourcing.
And I think, so that's my, that answer.
I think organizations, corporations should do that.
But if I'm a person who cares about those opportunities and I'm upset that I'm not getting them, then I'm going where they at.
I'm going to the gallows.
That's what they doing.
They
doing art exhibits.
I'm like, if I really care about those opportunities, then I'm gonna go meet those.
people where they are, to show my face.
Because you mentioned about the opportunity in Los Angeles, and that kind of made you off to where it's like, okay, I'm gonna go create my own.
Yeah, because I play the show, I was the only artist there with a band.
They had a second round called the Encore Round, and we didn't make it to the Encore Round, even though we were the only act that got a real encore from the audience.
And from there, I was just like, you know what, if I'm gonna lose money,
I'm gonna lose it throwing my own events.
Yeah.
Facts, yeah.
As a person who has done events, there's nothing more satisfying than throwing, dictating what you wanna do.
You know what I mean?
Like, I get to do it my way, and if I fail, I'm the only person to blame.
Yeah, so, was you kind of like, when you was in the transition, creating your own opportunities?
Did you still look back, like, for other opportunities, or you just stuck to creating your own?
No, I did a lot of my own shows, but I also just tried to be in the building.
Like, I was, uh, I make this quick, I was, er, can that golden voice, y'all know what golden voice is?
It's the company that produces Coachella.
So I make coffee in their corporate
offices.
So just being in the places where I need to be to connect
with the
right people.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
We got to go to break.
We got image James in the building.
We want to hear from you a 3 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 7 do not touch that dial jazzy and each one on 1.7 the truth