It all started in Oshkosh at photographer and owner of Most Honorable Studios Keynen Butler’s the 710 Show. Artists PaperStacks, Mo’City, Phif, Peez, Tre P and dässolo all performed at the 710 Show, which sparked an idea in PaperStacks’ head. After talking with a few of his guys, it was decided that Camp Shuttlesworth, along with friends would be going on tour to perform around Wisconsin.

Included in Camp Shuttlesworth are artists Mo’City, Peez, dässolo and C’zo (who will be joining the tour in July). To make this tour more inclusive, other artist not a part of Camp were included: PaperStacks, Phif, SGod Jayy and Brisco Dinero.

According to the guys, it only made sense to go on tour together because before anything else, they’re friends. Plus, they all have the mindset that if they’re going to make it, they must first make it in their home state of Wisconsin.

Camp MKE Wisconsin Edition tour started in Whitewater back in May and will continue throughout the summer. They’ve toured in Green Bay, Oshkosh and will make their way to Milwaukee within the next few weeks.

The point of the tour is to get their names out there, but to prove to themselves and others that you are in control of your own career. The entire tour was self-motivated and put together by the artists themselves.

PaperStacks

Back in April, PaperStacks opened up for legend Too Short along with his homies Phif and Mo’City, where he gained a few followers. The more shows he did, PaperStacks noticed the impact and influence he had on the crowd and knew he had to keep the momentum going. PaperStacks wanted to expand out of the city and into new areas to gain a stronger fan base, so tour was the best option.

“I honestly love this,” he said about the tour life. “The group of artists we got are different in so many ways.” Each artist is lit in their own way, he added.

At the age of nine, PaperStacks wrote a song that he got praised for. He said he always stood out as a kid and was always in the forefront. In a way, the life of an artist was calling for him at a young age.

As time went on, PaperStacks began to understand that making music is only a small portion of the road to success for an artist. You have to perform, network and attend other artists’ shows. And when you do attend shows, make sure to find out who organized the event and personally introduce yourself.

“Exchange social media, build relationships [and] talk to people,” PaperStacks said.

Many see PaperStacks as a hype artist, but he says he has a lot more to say. He strongly believes before he goes that route, he has to gain a bigger name. He said one must reach a certain status for others to indulge in whatever message he wants to spread.

“That side of having a voice will come later,” he said. And when it does come, PaperStacks is interested in redeveloping the city, such as adding a movie theater close too or nearby Skybox.

PaperStacks is always seen smiling and that’s because he finds the best in people. Even in a city like Milwaukee, he said you have to the find positive things in life. That positive mindset stems from his family and he tries to spread that happiness everywhere he goes.

Follow PaperStacks here.

dässolo

Not many know but the 710 show was dässolo’s first performance. He’s been doing music since 17, but admits he wasn’t doing it the right way. Back then, he would write a song, record it in one take and then drop it. At a point in time, dässolo stopped releasing music to rebrand himself and find a sound that was satisfying to him. Despite rebranding, he always knew he had bars.

“I had to look at everything I was doing wrong,” he said about his decision to take a break from music. Now, it’s less about dropping a song and more about producing quality music.

He said a lot of artist have the mindset of quantity over quality, but that’s not the case when it comes to his artistry.

“I’ve yet to make a song in less than three sessions,” said dässolo. “I have to go back and work on the song a different day.”

dässolo has the same process for each song he makes, and they all begin with first writing the song. Then, he raps it as much as he can before going to the studio to record. The first recording is just a draft that he usually fixes. The last step is listening and critiquing and making small adjustments.

“I look at everything differently now,” he said. “Back then I didn’t know how to do adlibs.”

dässolo has a long history with music and it all started with his mom. His mother worked at radio stations and dealt with artist development. At the young age of six, dässolo was exposed to all of the new music that was coming out at the time before it reached mainstream. He didn’t attend daycare much, so he was usually with his mom as she worked.

He stated the cool thing about this tour is that everyone a part of it takes pride in their music and are aiming to make it as an artist full time.

“We’re actually passionate about what we’re doing right now,” he said. “A lot of motherfuckers just making music.”

Follow dässolo here.

Phif

Phif started behind the scenes as a songwriter. According to Phif, he always sung and wrote poetry, but was too scared to share his work with anyone. It took until his brother pushed him to go for the spotlight after Phif wrote and recorded a song for a reference track. He then started to reach out to artist who were either in the direction he wanted to head in or were well on their way there, to see how he could better himself as an artist. He often researches artist to see how they became successful, such as Jay Z, The Notorious B.I.G. and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.

When working on a song, Phif likes to be drunk, feeling good vibes and sometimes likes to listen to other artists. Phif likes to use his platform of music to push positivity and love.

“Anything I speak on is to push the message of togetherness,” he said.

He’s currently working on a new project that promotes love in the sense of couples. Phif said it’s important to speak positively about love, especially in a time where there’s so much hate being spread around the world. He wants to send the message that “whoever you love is whoever you love” and that nothing else really matters.

Phif grew up in the 53206 area—known as the poorest and most violent-ridden area in Milwaukee—and said are city is missing love. He eventually wants to “build a foundation off love.” He wants to start a youth arts program, which comes from his creative side of being a graphic designer.

“If you’re into the arts, there’s an avenue for you,” he said. “College didn’t work for me…you have options.”

He also wants the youth to know that they are not being overlooked, and that there is someone out there that cares about them.

This tour is a great example of what coming together can do. Phif said every night on stage with his guys is a great night. He hopes this tour inspires other artist to start their own tours and pave their own ways to the top, despite what anyone says.

Follow Phif here.

Tre P

Tre P started his music career doing cyphers to Lil Wayne and Gucci beats around 12 to 14 years of age. Making it as an artist has been Tre P’s dream since he was 14 or 15, and he doesn’t plan on stopping until he gets everything he wants.

The key to making music is putting your life into the music, said Tre P. He said luckily, he’s been blessed with the writing bug. Although writing comes easy to him, Tre P said the hardest part about being an artist is the marketing aspect. He said you never know what song will pop which is why he puts his all into every track he makes.

As a spiritual man who believes strongly in God, Tre P says it can be difficult to find the balance between spirituality and the rapper life. “[It’s about] knowing that you’re going to be a born sinner,” but knowing God loves you as you are, he said.

Tre P is dropping a new single soon that shows a side of him many think he doesn’t have, which is a heart.

“I made this song to show the endeavors I’ve been through,” he said.

As a Black man in Milwaukee aged 16-25 years of age, it’s hard for people to take you seriously, said Tre P because “you’re already considered a halfway criminal.” Tre P understands the circumstances he faces, but doesn’t let that stop him from being him.

He admitted that his interviews won’t reflect in his music, and some may believe that they are two separate people. But he feels that him and his music are the exact same person.

Eventually, Tre P wants to show people what it takes to be a revolutionary. And this starts by growing our own food and stop drinking the water because it’s contaminated. Now this doesn’t mean stop drinking water all together, but to seek sources for freshwater.

When it comes to music, Tre P said he had to change up the people he was hanging around to people who were investing in themselves. He said hanging around the guys he’s on tour with has helped him take music more seriously.

Follow Tre P here.

Sgod Jayy

Added last minute after the first show was canceled, Sgod Jayy said he was happy to be asked to a part of something so great. There’s a negative connotation that comes with being a rapper, but Sgod Jayy said they’re making sure to show love in every city or town they hit.

It’s “lit mode” at every show, he added.

“We have a lot of genuine people on our tour,” Sgod Jayy said.

Sgod Jayy. (Picture by Most Honorable Studios)

Sgod Jayy is all about positive energy and making sure those in the crowd are feeding off his energy. Being on a tour like this one, he quickly learned to do research on venues before performing at them. There are certain songs he’s taken off his tracklist because he knew it wouldn’t fit the crowd, but it took until his first show on tour in Oshkosh to realize this.

“I didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into,” Sgod Jayy said about the first show in Oshkosh. “It was crazy energy.” He said the crowd loved his confidence and even got on stage with him.

For a while, Sgod Jayy was low on doing shows because he was focused on graphic designing, which is his main source of income.

He graduated from Indiana Tech with an associate degree in digital graphics and design.

Attending college in a different state made Sgod Jayy mature. He went to school with a few friends, some he lost and others he grew closer to.

“I grew up a lot,” he said. “I learned how to be broke [and] independent.”

According to Sgod Jayy, people didn’t start listening to his music until two years ago. But, graphic design has helped him build up his artist fanbase. As an artist you’re always going to need graphic design work and Sgod Jayy used that as a way to build his clientele while also getting his artist name out there.

“I realized I wasn’t doing anything to make people tap into,” he said. Now, he’s not only known has a graphic designer, but as an energetic rapper.

“It was either give up or do it the right way,” Sgod Jayy said about going hard for his music.

Follow Sgod Jayy here.

Mo’City

Music is everything for Mo’City, it’s his happy place. Through music, Mo’City was able to be vulnerable and emotional, something that’s been hard for him to do. He said the cool thing about music is that you can hear and understand different perspectives on the same issue or topic from different artists.

Although Mo’City has a name for himself in the city, he wants to be known in different markets. He also wants to the rest of the state to know that “Milwaukee has great talent.” Mo’City said he can name 20 artists right now who are worthy of the spotlight, such as Mudy, Camb and Tajh Virgil.

Being on the road so much has helped Mo’City adapt to any environment, venue or performance. “No one is just limited to one stage,” he said.

Mo’City. (Picture by Most Honorable Studios)

He encourages the city of Milwaukee to hop on board and support one another like we would support any mainstream artist. And to also “come with an open mind” and be engaged with the performers, he added.

“We’re doing something new in the city,” he said about the tour. “[Because] we’re so used to not working together…we’re just building bridges.”

It’s not just the lack of support from other artist or fans, but it’s also the lack of support from blogs and media outlets. Most blogs like to focus on artist “they deem as safe” and are scared to take risk on artist, such as the ones a part of this tour, he said.

“Let em’ shine,” Mo’City said to the blogs and media who often overlook Milwaukee artist.

Most people consider Mo’City a conscious rapper, which he said is so different from the Milwaukee that’s in him. Just like many individuals from the inner city of Milwaukee, he’s experienced violence, death and trauma.

“There’s a reason for some of the ignorance,” Mo’City said. There’s a lack of opportunity in this city, specifically for the youth. He wants others to know that Milwaukee’s Black and brown kids, and adults, are more than what the media portrays us as.

“There’s something here, you just have to look for it,” he said. “You have to be willing to read the book,” and not just a few chapters.

Follow Mo’City here.

Peez

You know the show is lit if Peez is either in a beater or with no shirt at all. He said during this tour, the energy is always there and they’re bringing hit after hit.

“You're going to get a whole lot of vibes and you’re going to feel them all,” Peez said.

Peez said him and his guys got tired of waiting on others to put together shows, so they went their own route. They took the initiative and he said that added more drive to him as an artist.

It was important for the tour to travel around the state because they had to make sure people at home know who they are, and home doesn’t just mean Milwaukee or Oshkosh, where Peez currently lives.

Peez said this tour was a great opportunity to show his friends in Oshkosh who he is as an artist, and not just an employee who works at Applebee’s.

“I know what I can do with this music. I know I’m fire,” he said.

It feels amazing to go city to city, back to back performing with his guys, he said. He also added that there’s no top guy or performer because they all treat each other equally.

Although the tour is fun, Peez says it’s for a greater reason and plan.

“We all just got the motivation to keep going,” Peez said. “We gave ourselves the mindset that there’s no other option but to make it.”

He continued: “Everything we do is bigger than us.”

Peez wants other artists to look at this tour as an example of what they could be doing, if they really put their minds to it. It’s all about support and showing up to shows anytime you get a chance, he said.

It’s also about speaking up and reaching out to others. He said don’t just do it for you, but to make your success a collaborative effort.

“We would blow if we all gave some support,” he said. “An entire city of artists working together as one, [but] egos have to be put to the side.”

Follow Peez here.

Each artist apart of the tour used their connections to find venues and book their performances. Not all tour dates are released yet since they’re booking as they go. And, to those who are skeptical about attending one of Camp MKE Wisconsin Edition tour dates, the guys said they have something for everybody.

Most artists apart of the tour have either released new music or are planning to within the next few months, so be on the lookout.

Brisco Dinero couldn’t be reached in time for the article release.

The tour’s next stop is in Green Bay on June 22.

Camp Shuttlesworth and Friends Go on Self-Initiated Wisconsin Tour