With hip-hop celebrating its 50-year anniversary, we thought this was the perfect time to re-air all six episodes of Backspin — our search for the city's first hip-hop song, led by 88Nine’s former music director Justin Barney and Tyrone Miller, aka DJ Bizzon.
Is it the first?
On this episode of Backspin, Justin and Tyrone dig into the song "Class A." It's the track Milwaukee group The Majestics recorded in Marvell Love's studio shortly after Love attended a conference that clued him into hip-hop as a rapidly growing genre — and a prime money-making opportunity.
With dollar signs in his eyes, Love set off to find a Milwaukee band that could help him capitalize on this trend. His search led him to The Majestics, a local R&B group who got their start in 1963, when Donald Cooper and Tony Washington performed together as kids around the city.
On this episode, you'll hear from Cooper and Washington as they discuss the history of their band, Milwaukee's music scene and how they crossed paths with Marvell Love.
'Backspin' episode guide
- Aug. 28 — Setting the Stage
- Sept. 5 — Milwaukee was Crackin'
- Sept. 12 — The Majestics Meet Marvell
- Sept. 19 — Scratch the Record
- Sept. 26 — Arrested Development
- Sept. 28 — The Friends We Made Along the Way
