I think that True Skool is a fantastic organization with a great goal. They want to focus the youth – with a good portion of those youth being considered "at risk" – and their sometimes misguided energy into positive programs that will benefit them in the long run.
Taggers can learn about legal graffiti art and other mediums of painting to help foster growth in skills that could be used down the road for graphic design, or simply will help them to realize a better release for their positive and negative energy so they don't end up in the juvenile detention system.
True Skool offers programs and opportunities for kids interested in all the aspects of hip-hop culture, including classes on breakdancing, DJing, music production and MCing.
The non-profit organization also gets its kids out into the community to do clean ups and to paint over tags and other illegal graffiti, teaching the youth to care about their neighborhoods.
Each summer, True Skool hosts a large summer party to help fundraise for their summer programs. The party typically has live art, music and breakdancing, and this year is no different.
On Friday, June 24 at the Wherehouse, True Skool is throwing "House Party 2011."
The DJ lineup for the evening, which kicks off at 8 p.m., is DJ Madhatter, Kid Cut Up, DJ Bizzon, DJ JDL and True Skool's resident youth DJ, DJ Kiki.
The live artist lineup is Zen of Emphatic Concepts – Graffiti, Eli Vallejo – Airbrush, Jasmine Barmore – Mixed Medium/Acrylic and Poker – Graffiti.
The breakdancers performing will be The Motion Disorderz Crew, Gravity Benders and Aaron Ferguson.
The live music performers will be Adi Armour, Raze, The Hollowz, Automatic, Relative Theory, Taste Emcees, Trutanium and Intrinsic Behavior.
If you are even remotely interested in the hip-hop culture, this is the event you need to be at this weekend. If you think Alderman Bob Donovan's unwarranted, angry tirade against True Skool last summer was inappropriate, show him by going to this event and donating some money while keeping things peaceful. If you like organizations that try to help at-risk youth, check out their website and their booths at their event to get more information about how you could possibly help. If you are just looking to have a good time on a Friday night, go to this event.
Born in Milwaukee and raised in the Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer, Concordia University Wisconsin alumnus Poppe has spent the majority of his life in or around the city and county of Milwaukee.
As an advocate of Milwaukee's hip-hop community Poppe began popular local music blog Milwaukee UP in March 2010. Check out the archived entries here.
Though heavy on the hip-hop, Poppe writes about other genres of music and occasionally about food, culture or sports, and is always ready to show his pride in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
