We had the distinct pleasure to have ANOTHER, excellent convo with Shalina Ali and Fidel Verdin from True Skool about their 9th Annual Summer Park Jam, taking place August 14th & 15th at The Peck Pavilion at The iconic Marcus Center, in the heart of Downtown Milwaukee.

The event includes the CEO Sessions on Friday, with some excellent speakers and tons of wisdom and experience being shared from individuals, sharing game, knowledge and insight into how they became successful.

Saturday comes with endless dope and fun things to do, including a Breakdance Battle, open turntables for the DJs, Live Graffiti. Topped with LIVE performances from some legendary Women in HIP HOP...YoYo, Rah Digga AND Sweet Tee and some turntable wizardry from DA ODD COUPLE: DJ Rob Swift and Mista Sinista.

Family-friendly AND FREE. Festivities kick off at 12:00PM CST.

I had the absolute honor of sitting down with 414 royalty, my brother Brad Anthony Bernard—aka B.WYZDOM—on the latest edition of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow right here on listener-supported HYFIN. We chopped it up heavy about the power of Black art, the deep roots of Milwaukee funk, and how he’s keeping that legacy alive and breathing in the city. We're bringing all that energy straight to the neighborhood for the return of the Community Arts & Funk Festival on Sunday, August 16th at Davidson Park (3725 W. Juneau Ave.). Moving right into the Near West Side, this is a full-day, mobile block party built to uplift local visual artists, youth poets, and uncut rhythm.

Brad broke down how this whole movement is rooted in history, pulling inspiration from the legendary Milwaukee Inner-City Arts Council days and using art as true community activism and healing. With a stacked lineup from morning to night—grounds open at 10:00 AM with a teen poetry slam moderated by national champ Onyx Rose, a $1,000 "Best of Show" fine art competition centered around the theme of Revolution, and a special youth bus mural reveal with the Milwaukee Art Museum. Then at 2:30 PM, the stage lights up with live sets from DJ Gid Money, Songbird, D’Aych & the Next Level Band, and heavy power-chord headliners Peace, Love, and Hope.

The sensational DJ Gid Money and HYFIN’s own A-BIZ are gonna be there on the scene and on the wheels of steel, bringing that funk and working some magic and holding it down, for the funkophiles, so clear your schedule and come kick it with us! The festival is 100% FREE and open to everybody from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Slide over to artsandfunk.com for all the official details, give @community_arts_and_funk a follow on social media, and get ready to celebrate our community!

On the latest installment of our podcast series, YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW we chop it up with exemplary Milwaukee MC, NileXNile. From his early days beatboxing in the lunchroom at Atlas Preparatory Academy to becoming a "Crown Jewel" of the Milwaukee music scene, NilexNile’s journey is a masterclass in staying true to your creative pulse. In this episode of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, the Fat Nerds co-founder reflects on the "aha" moments that defined his path—from witnessing the power of rhythm to captivate a rowdy crowd of students to the pivotal realization that he wanted to be a star after singing along to Usher as a child. His sound is a diverse "gumbo" of influences, rooted in his mother's love for icons like Whitney Houston and Beyoncé and his father's collection of raw hip-hop legends like NWA and Snoop Dogg.

Despite early struggles as a "bad student" in a traditional academic setting, Nile found a lifeline through teachers like Mr. Myers, who recognized his notebook full of raps as a sign of true passion rather than a lack of discipline. This encouragement led to a life-changing pivot to the Milwaukee High School of the Arts, where he successfully auditioned with a rap and began proving his skeptics wrong. Today, Nile remains grounded by an "underdog" mentality, balancing his artistic evolution with the reality of a part-time gig to "feed the beast" of his creative career while staying focused on health and his signature "Pastel Views".