Soul Food - Hands In The Sky - 1997

 

In the 90s, Milwaukee,WI remained largely outside the map of American hip-hop. While major cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago captured the attention of the industry and the media, Milwaukee's local scene developed in relative obscurity. With little infrastructure, few established labels and almost no national exposure, hip-hop grew on the margins, driven by a small group of artists determined to operate outside traditional channels.

In Milwaukee, tracks circulated primarily on cassette, passed from hand to hand and moved through local networks. It was within this environment that groups like SOUL FOOD emerged, recording and distributing their music independently. Among these recordings was the track "Hands In The Sky" from 1997, a rare example of Milwaukee's underground output from that era, which eventually found its way into the hands of Dope Folks Records (Rest In Peace John Kuester).

Despite extensive research and reaching out to several hip-hop activists from Milwaukee, I haven't found any information about this group. So if you happen to know anything about them, feel free to send me a message. Peace

Video : Kali Tribe - Gettin Bigger - 1993

Scan courtesy of Save Undaground

"Simply put, The Kali Tribe will always be at the forefront on Putting Milwaukee On The Map in the 90's. Consisting of King Kamonzi, The Musical Messiah Lando Land (RIH), The Mic Snatcher Prince Ulami and The Pharaoh Twan Mack; they were notorious for killing live sets in their home city and any place they happened upon.

Gettin Bigger is a play on words regarding each emcees prowess with women, but done in a tasteful manner, minus any curse words. Produced by Twan Mack, the record/visual made Kali the first Milwaukee rap group to be on B.E.T., where the visual stayed in regular rotation for quite some time. Unfortunately, as do many groups, they disbanded in 1994 because of internal issues. Nonetheless, their contribution to Kareem City Hip Hop cannot be downplayed or overlooked. 

King Kamonzi went on to tour the world, displaying pinpoint lyrical skill and crowd rocking as an important part of the Zulu Nation. Lando Land went on to produce, D.J. and work behind the scenes as a record executive until his untimely death in 2014. Prince Ulami went on to start his own trucking company and is still married to his high school sweetheart. Twan Mack went on to produce for Arrested Development and help kickstart the career of Stricklin (1/3 of EMC). Currently he merchandises, produces and emcees; being a mainstay in adult contemporary Hip Hop. 

Filmed in 94, by Laurie Bell, the video features a cameo by critically acclaimed lyricist/producer Def Jef, who met the crew while he was touring with the Brand New Heavies in 1993. He took a liking to the group and got them to Los Angeles for a promo tour and tutelage on the industry. Def Jef is responsible for producing hits for Tupac, Etta James, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Maxwell and Shaquille O'Neal, just to name a few. He also sampled the Kali on Shaq's "I Hate to Brag" which went platinum.

Kali is a swahili word meaning fierce. The group was oringally named Def Kali by King Kamonzi's father, Dr. Ronald Edari when it was formed in the late 80's while under the banner of the Milwaukee musical collective "The Fresh Walk Family", which was formed by Arrested Development founder Speech.

This is Milwaukee Hip Hop History @ It's Finest!!" - Antoine Mack