After a few years off from releasing any new music together, a handful of the city’s most prolific rap veterans are stepping back up to the mic with plans to drop a series of new tracks under a new crew name.
Now known as the Art of 3, this group consists of emcees Phantom Channel, Cadillac and Dana Coppa and their first joint – called “Kings & Aces” – drops on Milwaukee Day, which is this Sunday, April 14.
Available on all streaming services, “Kings & Aces” is a return of the smooth and laid back boom bap flow that these three have perfected in their nearly 30 years in the local rap game.
Using a couple of obscure yet ingenious samples from the 1980s cult classic movie Big Trouble in Little China and the mid-90s Camp Lo rap crew, the new track has a mellow beat that fuses together deep drum kicks, soft keyboard action and a few surprises.
It jumps off with a verse from Cadillac, a man known for his deep voice and calm, conscious content. In it, he lays out where he’s at in life, describing a sense of gratitude as he slides around the city, full of confidence.
Up next is Phantom Channel, who co-produced the track with Charley Cooks. For his part, Channel expresses the challenges he sees in Brew City life while recognizing the many lessons Milwaukee strives to teach us.
And rounding out the raps is Dana Coppa, who stresses the importance of shooting your shot when the time is right and avoiding negativity.
Milwaukee rap fans who have been listening since the ’90s will recognize these men as three of the four original emcees of the Rusty Pelicans rap crew. Years after that ensemble first hit the scene, Coppa split off to pursue a solo career and other musical adventures while Cadillac and Channel continued together as the Rusty Ps.
Over the years though, the three have released a near-constant stream of music and all of them have appeared on each other’s projects. They’ve also rocked several shows at Summerfest together and separately and have taken turns opening for headlining rap stars who have come through town. And in 2016, the Rusty Pelicans got back together to release the heavily-underrated album Apartment 7.
As to why they’re getting back together now and rebranding as Art of 3, Channel says it was equal parts destiny and deliberate action. “The pandemic forced a break and that really put everything into perspective as far as what we spend time doing and what’s valuable enough to make sacrifices for,” he says. “But then eventually, everybody got that itch again.”
And now with Channel handling the lion’s share of beat production, they can expand on the sound they’re known for while keeping their fanbase intact. “This time, we wanted to do it a different way and with a different feel,” Channel says. “We don’t have to lock ourselves into anything. It can grow. It can evolve.”
The new track “Kings & Aces” is an example of just that: The beat is full but not cluttered or cramped and the lyrics are reflective and mature but still quick-witted and full of sharp phrases and wordplay. It’s familiar and fresh at the same time and certainly worthy of space on your next tracklist.
Art of 3 plans to drop new tracks once a month or more and will perform their first show as a group on June 15, as part of The Turf Skatepark benefit concert at Konkel Park, 5100 Layton Ave.
