GLENDALE, Wis. — What does a championship sound like? Tens of thousands of Bucks fans cheering in Deer District would be a good answer. However, what if you were told it was thumping beats coming out of a Glendale music studio?
For a group of musicians, they created that sound to win the National Beat Battle Association (NBBA) championship.
Milwaukee Pad Masters are a group of producers part of the NBBA. You could basically call this team of music makers some of the best producers in the country.
“Everybody knows what time it is. Milwaukee’s up next," Jarvis Reed, who goes by the stage name Meccah Maloh, said.
Just like the NBA, the NBBA has a regular season, playoffs, and a championship. For each matchup, teams compete in five rounds of song-making battles with various challenges. Teams will come up with five original beats on the spot. Celebrity judges deliver a 1-10 score. The team with the most points wins. There are teams from Chicago, Houston, Richmond, and more.
The winner gets all the glory. But for the Pad Masters, it’s about putting Milwaukee on the map.
“For me, it’s 414 or nothing. Take that away from it. I’m a take that like a pro wrestler directly to the camera. Milwaukee music is here to make records. We’re here to have fun," Christopher Taylor, also known as Godxilla, said.
Milwaukee isn't known for its music scene. People know it more for cheese, beer, and the Bucks. But Maloh and his team want to put Cream City on the hip-hop map. They love taking on teams from cities with strong music traditions like Houston and Chicago.
“Even when you watch some of the battles, even the judges can’t believe it. ‘Yo wait a minute. That’s Milwaukee? All that talent is in Milwaukee?’” Reed said.
Plus it’s an opportunity for these musicians, who are often behind the scenes, to get some recognition for their handwork.
“You know, really this is where a lot of the action lies. Your favorite singer is not your favorite singer until we’ve touched it," Taylor said.
The Pad Masters are looking to defend their title starting in April and show the world what Milwaukee music sounds like.
