MILWAUKEE — An icon of the Milwaukee music scene is returning to the stage to celebrate a major milestone.
The hip-hop band Black Elephant is returning for a special concert on Black Friday. The concert commemorates the 20th anniversary of their second album Eat This. The album featured the song "Nutrition." Radio Milwaukee called the song one of the 10 most important hip-hop records from Milwaukee.
The core members of the group are Element Everest Blanks, Dameon Ellzey, and Derrick Harriell.
“We were kind of at the forefront of performing with live bands as far as hip-hop is concerned. All of our band members are still out there making music," Everest Blanks, who goes by the stage name Element, said.
Listen to Black Elephant's Music...
The three rappers, poets, and singers formed thanks to Geraud Blanks back in 2000. The group released two albums, Hiatus (2002) and Eat This (2004). They toured all across the country for a decade.
However, it wasn't always easy to book shows as a hip-hop band.
"When we started there wasn't a lot (of hip-hop bands), so we had to pave that lane. It was hard for us to get shows at first because people was like, 'a hip-hop band?!' You know, you could be either north side, east side, and we was in between," Dameon Ellzey, who goes by his own name on stage, said.
That didn't stop the group, though. They persevered and performed dozens of shows for small audiences and large crowds.
"We'll play for 5 people. We’ll play for 500 people. I know that’s cliche. We’ll also play for $500 bucks or $5. We were really hungry, and we really just wanted to get our message out there, our artistry," Derrick Harriell, who goes by the stage name Verbal, said.
Black Elephant wanted to leave their listeners and audience thinking about life, culture, and the state of affairs.
“Our message was social, conscious, Milwaukee grit. It was like a melting pot of everything," Harriell said.
Geraud Blanks, the group's manager, remembers how each artist was talented in their own way, but together they complimented each other to create a unique sound.
"The three of them, when they come together, there's this amazing chemistry. And they do so many different things that's the beauty of this group," Blanks said.
The "different things" is in reference to the group's versatility between poetry, singing, and rapping.
"We would always make space for everyone's artistry to show on every song. And it was just a natural fit. It was never something we had to argue or fight over," Element said.
Eventually, the group disbanded around 2010. There was no bad blood. The group was just ready to move on. They had new passions and growing families.
“But we’ve all kept in touch, we’ve all been cool, and we’ve been wanting to get back to this point," Ellzey said.
The reunion show is at The Cooperage in Milwaukee on Black Friday. While the members might be a bit older now, they are going to bring the heat like it’s 2004.
“My back is sore right now from the grueling rehearsals, but of course, we’ll be ready by Friday," Verbal said.
All three of them are just excited to be back on stage making music with their friends.
"I miss the band. You see all the instruments here, this room being full of that energy, that creative energy, and everybody being in that same mode and everybody wanting to get to the perfect sound, the perfect song, finishing it up. That’s beautiful," Ellzey said.
The show starts at 8 and general admission tickets are $35.
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