Reggie Bonds bridges Chicago, Milwaukee hip-hop scenes
Only 92 miles separate Milwaukee and Chicago, but it’s like their hip-hop scenes are different worlds.
Several of the most famous and influential rappers on the planet hail from Chicago: Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, Common, Chief Keef.
For all its talent, Milwaukee’s scene rarely has received mainstream recognition.
Thanks to such rising Milwaukee rappers as IshDARR and WebsterX, that is starting to change. And there have been a few noteworthy signs of players in the two scenes working together.
Milwaukee-born, Chicago-based producer OddCouple (who’s worked with Chance, among others) curated the “Lakeside 4Cast” Chicago and Milwaukee showcase at Summerfest last year, featuring WebsterX, Chicago rappers Saba and Joey Purp, and Chicago singer and Chance collaborator Jamila Woods. WebsterX is signed to Closed Sessions, a hip-hop label credited by the Chicago Tribune as one of the leading creative forces in the city’s scene.
And then there’s rising rapper Reggie Bonds, who’s gotten some national write-ups, and splits his time between Chicago and Milwaukee, making inroads in both scenes.
His forthcoming mixtape — the raw and deeply personal “Life + Times” — also showcases a few of the two cities’ most promising hip-hop artists, including Chicago’s Mick Jenkins and Milwaukee’s Mike Regal.
Watch two premiere performances of “Life + Times” tracks at jsonline.com/music as part of our Sound Check series. Local band Melodic Prodigies backed Bonds in the Journal Sentinel studios, featuring Azzy Fifer on keyboards, Jaylan Higgins on drums and Maleek Patterson on guitar.
Growing up: I grew up on (Milwaukee’s) north side, at 44th and Locust. I used to write my name on CDs. In third grade, I would be in my notebook writing full concepts before I even started on the actual music; I would think of the name of the CDs, think of the song titles. It helped me get through tough times. I lived in shelters and group homes. My mom was addicted to crack cocaine. Growing up, this was something that kept me out of a lot of trouble. I’d be in my own little world, writing what I was feeling.
First experiences: When I was about 10 or 11, my sister for a Christmas gift bought me a DJ mixer and a computer, and you could actually record. I remember I made a song for my niece who was just born, and I was on the bed jumping and playing it back. In school, people would start beating on the table in the lunchroom or beating on the lockers, and I would start rapping, just freestyling. And I did a lot of talent shows at the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club; I was the head coordinator.
Getting serious: Once my dad died in 2008, the writing started pouring out of me. I was 16, going on 17, and it was time to take myself to a better place, to focus more on my academics, so I could be more creative. I liked intricate rap, and I was listening more to Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, Lil Wayne. I was good at rap, but I was playing around, and from that point on, I felt like I had something to say in my music.
First releases: I released my first mixtape in 2010, “Money Season,” and released some videos and freestyles on Tumblr and YouTube. I hooked up with (Milwaukee producer) Mammyth to make “The Miseducation” mixtape. I went in and rerecorded that project two times trying to perfect the songs and flow. That’s when Mick Jenkins reached out to me on Twitter, and we did a song (”Ol’ Dirty Bastard” in 2015). My “Long Live A$AP Yams” tribute after he died (in 2015) received high praise. With the success of the “Black Timbs” visual (in 2015), more blogs started reaching out and things like that. Show-wise, I’ve opened for 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Freddie Gibbs.
Making “Life + Times”: It was a therapy session. I was finding myself through the music. The introduction “A Long Way From Home” is about me traveling between cities reflecting on the battles, reaching for success and trying to stay grounded. “Break the Chains” is the story of a boy whose brother comes home from jail, and he’s fighting and trying to break the chains, he’s understanding that he doesn’t have to play into the world.
Future goals: We’re going to continue to release visuals for the project and I’m putting a tour together. I want to reach as many people as I possibly can and can give them an understanding that creativity in one’s life can free your mind. It helped me become a better person, and digging deep helped me to address certain demons and dark matters that occurred in my life. That is the best feeling.