MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's rap scene continues to grow. More and more artists are emerging from the city, making Milwaukee a household name in the rap industry. One of those artists putting the city on the map is Wave Chapelle.
"Milwaukee is like the hidden gem of the Midwest. We got our own lingo, our own culture, our own style of dress, you know what I mean, our own experiences that the mainstream hasn't seen yet," Radontae Ashford, who goes by the stage name Wave Chapelle, said.
Wave Chapelle grew up near Villard and Hampton streets in Milwaukee. He started rapping around 2008 in his grandma's basement with his cousin. That transitioned to battle rapping upperclassmen when he was a student at Messmer High School. His big breakthrough came in 2013 when he was signed to popular rapper Yo Gotti's label. During that time, he met major artists like Drake and Rick Ross. Then in 2017, he became an independent artist.
Watch the video below to hear Wave Chapelle's music...
The industry veteran's songs have millions of streams, he has gone on tour, performed multiple times during Bucks games, and opened for Lil Uzi Vert.
Wave Chapelle describes his sound as New Wave Hip-Hop.
“More skill and being witty and stuff, so that’s the hip-hop, right. But it’s still new wave because my production is fresh, you know what I mean. I’m still carrying it in a very fresh way," Wave Chapelle said.
His new wave hip-hop is very different from the sound which Milwaukee has become known for in the past few years, low end. That genre is characterized by dance-y beats and the heavy usage of claps. Artists like Myaap, J.P., and 414BigFrank are popular low-end artists.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love that sound, you know what I mean. A lot of the people that created that sound are my peers, so I love it, and I embrace it. I think I just grew up listening to - what I was attracted to was the Jay Zs and stuff like that. So I just paint with a different brush," Wave Chapelle said.
While the hype around Milwaukee is real, it has still been difficult for the city to get on par with places like Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, and Atlanta. Wave Chapelle believes that artists need to collaborate more, and that will help lift everyone up.
"Continuity. We need collaboration. I think more of us need to collab with each other. We have to put it together, you know what I mean. Cause the more we do things together, the bigger this thing will be," he said.
The competition in the music industry is as fierce as it has ever been. However, Wave Chapelle believes his music will break through the noise.
His three reasons for why he stands out are:
- "Where I'm from."
- “But then also how I approach music you know what I mean. I approach it from a different space then a lot of people that's where I’m from.”
- “And lastly, I would say my topic manner. I speak on very real things.”
With the help of collaborators like menebeats, dacotag, waldone, and deemiinor, Wave Chapelle has won over thousands of fans.
“A guy let me know from prison that he was listening to the music like man, you know, some of your songs really got me through that - through that situation," he said.
Wave Chapelle’s catalogue is deep with a dozen albums, EPs, and mixtapes. His most recent was The Black and White Pack, released in October 2025.
"I really got a good grasp on this independent thing. So we want to build that up. We gon' build the value up. We gon' keep mixing it up with the fans," he said.
His goal is to compete with the Jay Zs and Kendrick Lamars of the world and hopefully headline Coachella one day - all while repping Milwaukee.
“But I just want to be very intentional, like, I’m from here, and I want other people to see it, not just kids. But, you know, other artists thats pursuing it, you know what I mean, to be like okay he’s doing it, he’s from here, we can do it too.”
You can listen to Wave Chapelle on Spotify, follow him on Instagram, or see his music videos on YouTube.
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