HYFIN

01/17/2025

🎵 Your Weekly Album Guide: From Psychedelic Vibes to Electronic Heat 🔥
Dropping the ultimate guide to this week's must-hear releases. From Mac Miller's ethereal masterpiece to Busta's fierce comeback - these are the sounds shaping your next playlist.

⚡️ Mac Miller - Balloonerism
🌟 Yola - My Way EP
🐉 Busta Rhymes - Dragon Season
🎭 The Pro-Teens - MF TEEN
🌊 Kele - The Singing Winds Pt. 3
⚡️ Blacksea Não Maya - Despertar

Save this reel for your weekend listening session!

Link in bio!

What do you have on your playlist?

01/16/2025

✨ Celebrating the incomparable Sade Adu on her 66th! From designing clothes at Central St. Martin's to becoming music royalty honored with CBE by the British Crown, she's redefined sophistication in music. A Nigerian-British icon who started in a converted firehouse and rose to global stardom, yet stayed true to her artistry, refusing solo deals to keep her band together.

Her timeless voice has graced us for four decades, bringing smooth operator elegance to every note. **Fun fact:** Her name Folasade means "honor earns the crown" in Yoruba - and hasn't she earned it magnificently?

🎵 Drop your favorite Sade song below! Is it Smooth Operator, No Ordinary Love, or another timeless classic? 👇

12/25/2024

As we celebrate this joyous season, we want to thank you—our community, supporters, and partners—for helping us make 2024 an exceptional year. With your support, we’ve amplified Black voices, empowered Black business owners, and celebrated the brilliance of Black creativity.

The holidays are a time to reflect, give thanks, and look forward to the future. As we prepare for 2025, we’re excited to continue creating more powerful opportunities, provide even more engaging programming and community initiatives, and make an even greater impact.

From our HYFIN family to yours, we wish you a season filled with peace, joy, and community. Thank you for believing in our mission & our work and for supporting Black excellence. Let’s keep the momentum going as we head into a brighter new year together!

Happy Holidays and cheers to a thriving 2025!

12/19/2024

🎵✨ As we bid farewell to 2024, we're reflecting on the incredible soundtrack that kept HYFIN's airwaves vibrant all year long! From chart-topping hits to emerging artists, our rotation brought you the freshest beats and soulful sounds that defined the year.

These are some of the tracks that received a lot of love on the air, but we know there's more to the story.

👀 Drop a comment and share YOUR most-played songs of 2024! 🙌🎶

Doechii - Catfish
Mustafa - Name of God
Silas Short - L-Train
SERPENTWITHFEET - Ellipsis feat Orion Sun
Yaya Bey - Me and All My N*
Tierra Whack - Shower Song

12/19/2024

As we close out 2024, music publications have unleashed their avalanche of top album of 2024 lists, while streaming platforms turned listeners into walking billboards with annual data dumps. But at HYFIN, we like to take our time and let the music breathe. While everyone rushed to be first, we chose to be thorough.

Looking back at 2024, we’ve seen incredible contributions across genres – from Beyoncé redefining country music’s boundaries, to emerging voices like Laila! carrying forward hip-hop’s legacy, to genre-bending masterpieces from established artists like Tyler, The Creator. The beauty of Black music has always been its resistance to simple categorization, and this year’s standouts continue that tradition, weaving together elements of R&B, hip-hop, country, punk, jazz, and experimental sounds.

Some of these albums may have already found their way into your heavy rotation. Others might have flown under your radar. Either way, we’re here to celebrate the artists who pushed boundaries, honored traditions, and created the soundtrack to our year. These aren’t just albums – they’re cultural moments that deserve to be revisited and discovered.

As we close out 2024, music publications have unleashed their avalanche of top album of 2024 lists, while streaming platforms turned listeners into walking billboards with annual data dumps. But at HYFIN, we like to take our time and let the music breathe. While everyone rushed to be first, we [...]

12/18/2024

Milwaukee's largest hip-hop cultural celebration reaches its tenth anniversary this March. The Adidas Day Party, founded by entrepreneur Lena Cole, occurs at Turner Hall Ballroom. Cole recently received recognition for her contributions to Milwaukee's music scene. HYFIN's Anti-Gala honored her with the Entrepreneur Award for R&B Live in October.

The event continues its tradition of featuring renowned hip-hop artists. Previous performers include Digital Underground, DJ Kid Capri, and Fatman Scoop.

12/18/2024

Milwaukee native Silas Short has released his rendition of "My Conversation." The song will appear in Jesse Eisenberg's new film "A Real Pain." The cover marks Short's first movie soundtrack placement. Eisenberg personally commissioned the Los Angeles-based artist to reinterpret the 1968 reggae classic.

The original track, performed by The Uniques, emerged during Jamaica's rocksteady era. Lead singer Slim Smith's vocals helped establish the song as a cornerstone of reggae history. Producer Bunny Lee created the track's distinctive rhythm. The beat later became the foundation for "Yamaha Skank," reggae's first one-rhythm album.

Milwaukee native Silas Short has released his rendition of “My Conversation.” The song will appear in Jesse Eisenberg’s new film [...]

12/18/2024

Milwaukee-born duo SistaStrings performed with Metallica at the YouTube Theatre on December 13. The performance celebrated Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation charity event. The full concert premieres December 19 at 3 PM EST on YouTube's platform. Sisters Monique and Chauntee Ross opened the show with their signature string arrangements. The duo later joined Metallica for two songs during the headlining acoustic set.

The Ross sisters performed with Joni Mitchell at the 66th Grammy Awards and contributed to Alice Randall's groundbreaking project, "My Black Country." HYFIN, Milwaukee's urban radio station, recognized SistaStrings' talent early on. The duo received HYFIN's first Musician of the Year award at the 2023 Anti-Gala.

Milwaukee's SistaStrings join Metallica for acoustic charity performance, showcasing their genre-defying talents at YouTube Theatre.

12/13/2024

This weekend is your last chance to see this spectacular show at Milwaukee Repertory Theater!

More Info:

Before Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s groundbreaking blend of gospel music, swing rhythms and fierce electric guitar made her an unconventional music superstar in the 1930s and 40s. Acclaimed writer George Brant (Grounded) unearths the unsung roots of the fe...

12/13/2024

We are the only station that champions and celebrates both of these artists!

12/12/2024

The Sundance Film Festival has announced its 2025 lineup. The festival will take place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, from January 23 to February 2. The festival's hybrid format continues evolving, offering selected titles online from January 30 to February 2.

Among the 93 selected projects, six films by Black directors illuminate diverse narratives: Questlove's "Sly Lives!" examines Sly Stone's musical legacy, Elegance Bratton's "Move Ya Body: The Birth of House" chronicles Chicago's house music evolution, Kahlil Joseph's "BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions" exploring consciousness through an Afrofuturistic lens, Maia Lekow and Christopher King's "How to Build a Library" documenting Kenya's postcolonial transformation, Brittany Shyne's "Seeds" portraying Black generational farmers, and Rashad Frett's "Ricky" depicting post-incarceration challenges.

Sundance 2025 spotlights six Black directors exploring music, heritage, identity & social change in compelling documentaries & features.

12/10/2024

HYFIN artist Meshell Ndegeocello is set to perform in Milwaukee on January 27, 2025, at the Vivarium. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., with the show starting at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, offering options for reserved cabaret table seating, general admission seating, and standing room.

Earlier this year, Ndegeocello released “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin” on August 2, 2024. The album has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album. This project honors the centennial of Baldwin’s birth, weaving his profound literary legacy into a rich tapestry of sound. The album, born from an eight-year journey beginning with a 2016 theatrical tribute at Harlem Stage, features an eclectic mix of collaborators, including co-producer and guitarist Chris Bruce, vocalist Justin Hicks, saxophonist Josh Johnson, keyboardist Jebin Bruni, and drummer Abe Rounds.

No More Water is a musical meditation on Baldwin’s 1963 work The Fire Next Time, exploring themes of race, sexuality, and religion. Tracks like “Travel” and “Trouble” exemplify Ndegeocello’s ability to craft deeply evocative soundscapes, blending militaristic drumbeats with haunting basslines to create a powerful emotional resonance. Critics have praised the album’s thoughtful sequencing and immersive quality, calling it a sermon-like experience for listeners willing to engage deeply with its themes.

Experience Grammy-nominated Meshell Ndegeocello live in Milwaukee Jan 27, 2025. Tickets on sale now. Don’t miss out!

12/10/2024

🖋️ Legendary poet Nikki Giovanni, whose powerful words illuminated Black joy, love, and resilience for over five decades, has passed away at 81 in Blacksburg, Virginia. The celebrated voice of the Black Arts Movement died peacefully with her partner Virginia Fowler by her side after battling cancer.

From her groundbreaking 1968 debut “Black Feeling Black Talk” to her upcoming final collection “The Last Book,” Giovanni’s fearless poetry tackled race, gender, and social justice while inspiring generations. A distinguished professor at Virginia Tech for 35 years and recipient of multiple NAACP Image Awards, she leaves behind an indelible legacy of truth-telling and artistic excellence.

12/09/2024

Milwaukee's Summerfest will host its first-ever Juneteenth celebration in June 2025. The festival partnered with Northcott Neighborhood House to expand the city's traditional celebrations. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, at the Summerfest grounds. Multiple stages will feature national and local artists throughout the evening.

Grammy winner Gary Clark Jr. leads the initial lineup of confirmed performers. Other artists include Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Ginuwine, Joy Oladokun, and Mike Jones.

Milwaukee unites Summerfest with historic Juneteenth celebration, marking first-ever festival partnership with headliners Gary Clark Jr. and cultural ceremonies.

12/05/2024

Milwaukee’s dining scene, long overshadowed by nearby Chicago, has found an unexpected champion in viral food critic Keith Lee, who recently named the city among America’s most underrated culinary destinations during an in-depth interview with Shannon Sharpe on Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. The former MMA fighter turned digital tastemaker, whose reviews can transform small restaurants’ fortunes overnight, brings fresh attention to Milwaukee’s diverse food landscape that many critics have overlooked.

Lee, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree with over 19 million social media followers, places Milwaukee alongside cities like Baton Rouge, Detroit, and Seattle in challenging conventional wisdom about America’s food capitals. His endorsement carries significant weight – his reviews have helped transform over 150 family-owned establishments in the past year alone, often leading to dramatic increases in business within hours of posting.

“Milwaukee got a good food scene that’s pretty underrated,” Lee emphasized, contradicting traditional coastal-centric food narratives. His broader rankings of America’s top food cities – led by New Orleans, Houston, Chicago, Toronto, and Miami – suggest a shift in recognizing excellence beyond traditional culinary centers.

12/04/2024

Anthony Foster did an amazing job with this interview...
Milwaukee’s hip-hop community lost one of its most influential voices when Antoine “Twan Mack” Mack passed away on November 8, 2024. This interview with HYFIN’s Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow podcast, recorded July 30, 2024, is a profound testament to his pioneering vision and enduring impact on the genre. As the community prepares for a tribute concert at The Cooperage on January 11, 2025, Mack’s last recorded conversations offer invaluable insights into hip-hop’s past, present, and future.

In one of his final interviews, Milwaukee hip-hop pioneer Twan Mack shares profound wisdom on artistic evolution, legacy, and hip-hop's cultural future.

12/02/2024

✨ Making history at our 3rd Annual Blackity Black Holiday Market! We’re proud to have hosted Wisconsin’s largest Black-owned business holiday marketplace, featuring nearly 60 incredible entrepreneurs at the iconic Turner Hall Ballroom in downtown Milwaukee this .

Your overwhelming support continues to strengthen our community and empower local Black-owned businesses. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us in this celebration of entrepreneurship and culture.

Special appreciation to our incredible sponsors who made this possible:
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