Want to catch a concert near you? Don't forget to check out our monthly concert listings!
The thrill of competition and the excitement of live music rarely ever intersect with one another. While halftime shows are fun, the music rarely is the competition itself; that's where Big Beat MKE, an annual tournament from Breaking And Entering that showcases Milwaukee's hip hop and electronic music producers, comes into play. Over the next eight weeks at The Wicked Hop (345 N. Broadway), 16 of the Milwaukee area's finest producers will do battle in a head-to-head format to determine who the city's best beatmaker truly is.
Each producer will get three one-minute rounds to play their best beats for the Wicked Hop crowd. A panel of judges, as well as fans voting via QR code in the venue help determine who moves on to the next round. If the crowd gets loud enough, one overtime round is contested as well. Spoiler: overtime is a common occurance.
The format is an evolution of the Miltown Beatdown, which hosted events at The Wicked Hop in their Jackalope Lounj event space from 2005-2014. Big Beat MKE combines two head-to-head battles every night, plus two performances from artists in the Milwaukee hip hop scene, to be part competition, part concert. With a prize package from sponsors and a full suite of software from production company Native Instruments on the line, the stakes have never been higher.
This year, there's also a rotating cast of hosts, set to take the place of longtime host emcee, Twan Mack, who unfortunately passed in 2024. Each host will take a night of the event series, which is a homage to Mack's presence and enthusiasm for hip hop.
Each event will take place on Thursday nights at The Wicked Hop, with battles beginning at 10 p.m. The battles are free to attend, for patrons 21 and over. You can follow the beat battle bracket here, and check out the performance lineup below:
2025 Big Beat MKE Lineup:
- April 24th – Micah Emrich and Spaidez
- May 1st – Juke Marciano and Heyzeus
- May 8th – Paperstacks and Girlz of Trad3
- May 15th – J-Lamo and Super Ego Beats
- May 22nd – David Lopez and Keav
- May 29th – NilexNile and G-Gifted
- June 5th – Von Alexander and Richie P. Goldchain
- June 12th – Art of 3 and Wave Chapelle
