Wisconsin rap fans were in luck this weekend, as Philadelphia native rapper Lil Uzi Vert gave a free concert right outside of Milwaukee Area Technical College on Saturday.
Milwaukeeland, hosted by Rock the Vote in partnership with the City of Milwaukee, took place from 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m this past Saturday to incline Milwaukee’s youth to vote early.
700 W. State Street, where Uzi performed, is an early voting site. Festival participants were urged to take five minutes to go vote inside while they waited in line for the concert to start. The voting site was open right up until the performance at 2 p.m.
Marquette, thanks to the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility is providing a shuttle to and from this voting site on Oct. 29. Those interested can meet at the Alumni Memorial Union from noon to 5:30 p.m and check in at the Arrupe Center located in AMU 137.
Wisconsin polling places also allow voters to register at the polls. Bring a valid ID, and if a Marquette student the voter ID fee statement printed out to provide proof of residency, which can be found in Checkmarq. For more information, visit Marquette.edu/vote.
Along with a free concert, Milwaukeeland provided a plethora of activities to engage in, including: donut truck, a slide, basketball games, free nail decor, food trucks, free sneaker cleaning, a DJ, a free haircut and an opportunity to vote early.
Besides food trucks, every activity was free of charge as an incentive to get those that attended to vote. For a free sneaker cleaning, you had to text a friend encouraging them to vote and show proof of the text.
Many Rock the Vote participants walked up and down the blocks where concert goers lined up saying that they will save someone’s spot in line if they went to go vote. The participants also announced that they were pushing to set a record for early voting in Milwaukee.
Those who got there when the festival started at 10 a.m received a VIP wristband for a chance to get closer viewing at the concert.
The gates opened at 2:00 p.m, where people flooded in filling the stage area. While the crowd waited for Uzi to come out, other performers kept the loud audience entertained. Rappers J.P and Wave Chappelle got the crowd going with their opening acts. They were also followed by Milwaukee Rappers Steve Glover and Big Frank.
After an hour and a half, at 3:15, Uzi made his debut at Milwaukeeland in all white. The rapper was engaged with his fans and even played catch with a football on stage. He performed some of his most popular songs, such as “Money Longer,” “The Way Life Goes,” “Pop, “Neon Guts” and “Just Wanna Rock.”
They also announced that Eternal Take 2 will be coming out within the next week, amongst continued encouragement for the crowd to make sure they vote.
Early voting is still open this week at the concert site at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Voting is open from 10 a.m to 6 p.m Monday through Friday and 10 a.m to 2 p.m on Saturdays.
This story was written by Trinity Zapotocky. She can be reached at [email protected]
