Madison Youth Poet Laureate and rapper Justin Russell insists he wrote his first rap song out of necessity. The diss track, aimed at a sixth-grade math teacher he despised, became infamous among his classmates. The success led to more writing and eventually, a freestyle circle on the playground. From there, Russell started to experiment with poetry as well as rap.

After years of honing writing styles and techniques, Russell has moved far beyond a freestyle circle.

Now a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, Russell was named Madison’s Youth Poet Laureate in September. Russel said his new title bestows him with a slew of responsibilities, including collaborating with local poets, reading his poetry at City Council meetings and representing the poetry scene in Madison for those under 19.

Though Russell is busy juggling the responsibilities of being Madison’s Youth Poet Laureate, he refuses to turn his back on rap. After collaborating with talented artists for years while developing his career, Russell said he had the idea to build a community of rap artists who have historically struggled to find a niche in Madison.

“Poetry is definitely going to be in the future, for sure, because of the Poet Laureate job, but as far as rap goes, I have this rap collective in Madison that we’ve been building for years, and we’re starting to push to try to create a rap scene,” Russell said.

The collective, titled “s.plus,” was first created in 2020 by Russell’s friend and fellow rapper Elijah Brown. Brown, who creates music under the name of “toshi.splus,” said he remembers first making music in third grade by recording a beat on his television and singing over it using SoundCloud. Slowly, Brown became more serious about his music, finally getting his own studio setup last month.

Robert Hill, a Madison rapper and friend of Russell who uses the name “Breezo2xx,” stressed the need for increased attention to rap and hip-hop artists in Madison. Hill said he enjoys helping younger rappers produce songs and practice performing, but wishes Madison had more spaces for these artists.

“I want to have a safe space for artists where you can come and perform like an open mic,” Hill said. “Artists around the city can just come perform a song or two and get the momentum they need from other artists, or work with people to [collaborate] and learn.”

Many rap artists The Badger Herald spoke with said they feel Madison can be a difficult place to thrive and be supported as a rapper. Hill has not been able to create a space, with many bars and venues shying away from rap music.

At The Sylvee, a popular music venue in Madison, only three out of the thirteen scheduled artists playing this November are rap or hip-hop artists. In certain cases, popular Madison bars have deleted rap artists off of their touch tunes. 

Madison rapper and producer Andrew Arias said he feels the lack of enthusiasm and support surrounding rap music in Madison.

“We should support more hip-hop because you don’t see much hip-hop or rap anything here, everything is just rock bands or country,” Arias said.

Russell and Brown said they first created their collective not just to bring artists together, but to put Madison on the “hip-hop map.” Their next steps involve connecting with more local rappers, booking venues and working to put together group shows. These shows offer artists a chance to learn from each other’s musical talents while practicing live performances.

For Russell, performing in front of an audience is still new, with his first time being at the Memorial Union terrace earlier this year. But, Russell said he’s quickly becoming more accustomed to the spotlight, recently reciting his poetry to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and speaking at City Council meetings.

Russell said, performing for an audience gives him a chance to share his work while reflecting on his own personal experiences. Russell said his difficult childhood and time spent in foster care shine through his rap and poetry. While he knows many of the audiences he performs in front of won’t relate to his background or some of his vulgar lyrics, he still finds it important not to hold back.

“Hip-hop is a catalyst to be ourselves,” Russell said. “That’s what rap has always been for us: a way to express ourselves and our true perspectives. Sometimes that vision is explicit, and that’s okay.”

Russell said Madison serves as inspiration for his work, though Milwaukee is often considered the epicenter of rap in Wisconsin. Adrian Enriquez, a Madison rapper who works under the name “ABK CAPO,” talked about the difficulty for Madison rappers to be taken seriously.

The lack of resources and artistic spaces often leads to amateur artists independently making beats, writing lyrics and producing their own songs. Many rely on other members of the rap community for support — Enriquez said he’s working with Arias to produce multiple of his songs. Enriquez believes just one local rap artist gaining notoriety could change the entire future of the rap scene in Madison.

“We need somebody blowing up from this area because if somebody blows up, that means it brings all of us up,” Enriquez said. “I don’t care who it is.”

It is this same supportive nature that enables the rap and hip-hop scene in Madison to persist and grow. Tune into WORT.fm on Dec. 23 to hear the “s.plus” collective perform and listen to Brown’s new song “Need It” on Oct. 31.