MILWAUKEE — According to the Milwaukee Police Department, there have been 85 homicides in the city so far this year.
Data shows that 17% of those homicides involved youth aged 10 through 17 and 29% involved people 18 to 29.
Sixty-one percent of the homicides involved Black community members.
Some of that violence may be influenced by the rap scene, according to people in the community.
“We where is Waldo, we showing off baby like a car show,” said Outtahere Drae while recording a song in Milwaukee.
Drae is a Milwaukee native. He said hip hop had an influence on his life at an early age.
“A lot of the stuff I used to listen to made me curious to know what it was or what was going on and once you start indulging in the activities, it was like, oh this is what he was talking about,” said Drae.
Drae said throughout his life he has spent time in prison cells and come face to face with gun violence. He said he doesn’t believe that Milwaukee’s rap scene played a part in this.
“I think it is more about guidance. Some people don’t have the proper guidance and you know what I am saying,” said Drae. “Me as being out here young, no guidance, you could be easily influenced."
According to a study done by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2020, Milwaukee’s Black community is exceptionally impoverished.
Black median household income in Milwaukee, adjusted for inflation, has declined by an astonishing 30% since 1979. The city also has the highest Black poverty rate among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, sitting at 33.4%, according to the study. That’s close to five times the white poverty rate.
Mech Harper is a music executive and producer for MK music agency. He said he works with some of the biggest names in Milwaukee’s rap scene.
“I have worked with everyone in Milwaukee. However successful they get, I am going to still be working with them. I manage the MT Twins and Lil Saucy,” said Harper.
Harper said the Milwaukee rap scene has a heavy drug influence, and he said along with that comes gun violence.
“It is more drug talk, how they have to get money, how they have to protect themselves, how they have to protect their money,” said Harper. “With the kids listening and the youth listening, over time it just becomes more and more the same thing in the music industry to where, that’s all they know.”
Harper said he and KB Barrell work closely with the artists to not only produce their music but also to market the artists and show fans who they are beyond their lyrics.
“Try to get you to understand the artist a little bit more,” said Harper. “Understand why they were in a situation. You know some artists didn’t have anywhere to stay at this point, it is about survival.”
Drae said he believes there will always be conflict. When he was younger, he said many things were solved with physical altercations, but now he said kids don’t use their fists, they use guns.
“You can come back from a fight, you can’t come back if you shoot somebody in the head,” said Drae. “Gun violence ain’t the issue because we have to protect ourselves, we have to have guns for protection but not for a dispute.”