Milwaukee's The Garage 'NO PLAY LIST' backlash, bar responds
Milwaukee’s The Garage ‘NO PLAY LIST’ backlash
The Garage, a Milwaukee bar, responded to backlash Tuesday after a "NO PLAY LIST" of Black rap artists posted at the bar's DJ booth went viral online.
MILWAUKEE - The Garage, a Milwaukee bar, responded to backlash Tuesday after a "NO PLAY LIST" of Black rap artists posted at the bar's DJ booth went viral online.
What is The Garage ‘NO PLAY LIST’ list?
What we know:
A now-viral video of the "NO PLAY LIST" was posted on TikTok Sunday, Aug. 23. Screenshots of that video have circulated further on social media and elsewhere online, including Google Reviews.
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The list includes more than three dozen Black hip-hop artists – well-known names like Glorilla, Lil Wayne and Travis Scott – as well as "NO MILWAUKEE RAP" in bold letters at the bottom.
Sexyy Red, who was named at the top of the list, responded on X with: "At least y'all know I'm number one."
The video had more than 850,000 views as of Tuesday morning, along with tens of thousands of reactions and thousands of comments and shares. The account that posted it has just over 200 followers.
What we don't know:
The initial TikTok post does not identify where the "NO PLAY LIST" was put up, but does include #bradystreetmke as a tag. The Garage, and adjoining bar HiHat Lounge, are at the northwest corner of Brady and Arlington on Milwaukee's Lower East Side.
Comments on the TikTok video identified the list as being at The Garage, and the bar itself has since responded.
Reaction to ‘NO PLAY LIST’
What they're saying:
Ishmael "Ish Darr" Ali, the local artist who posted the video, said the "NO PLAY LIST" screams discrimination.
"It definitely felt like we weren’t too welcomed, you know," he said. "We can have fun, spend our money, but when it comes to our music and our culture, things we are trying to bring, that’s not accepted fully."
Ali said the bold print at the bottom of the list, prohibiting local artists, was "the kicker."
Ishmael "Ish Darr" Ali
"No Milwaukee rap in Milwaukee? Like, c'mon guys, but I'm a rapper in here," he said. "I feel like minorities, our people, Black and brown, and it's saying we don't want that there."
Dig deeper:
The list sparked public backlash online, including in social media comments and on Google Reviews.
The bar has an overall rating of more than four stars as of Tuesday morning. In the time since the list was posted on TikTok, though, the bar has received more than a dozen one or two-star reviews. While not all reviews included comments, or had comments that made no mention of music, some did.
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"Do not go to This bar they posted a list of about 20-30 black people and said they can’t play there music we are done supporting this business and I hope we can make this business bankrupt," one reviewer wrote.
The bar also received a smattering of five-star reviews, some of which referenced music at the bar, since the list went viral.
"Very inclusive with great music!" one person wrote.
What is the bar saying?
The other side:
The Garage posted a response on its Instagram page late Monday night, saying the goal was to avoid music that referenced violence, but acknowledging the list of specific artists was the "wrong approach."
"We are very proud of our diverse patron mix and our staff and we are very upset to learn of this situation. We have spoken to the employee who issued the list, which was not approved by ownership, and stressed why it was not acceptable. The intention was to eliminate music with lyrics that referenced violence or guns, and create a more relaxed vibe at the establishment but a list of artists was certainly the wrong approach," the statement read.
"We have always supported the diversity of Brady Street and will continue to do so. We regret that this presents us in any other light."
Ownership also said it was unaware of a text sent by an employee to local DJs, saying failure to comply with the list would result in a loss of gigs.
The bar is supposed to open at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays but was locked and not open for business when FOX6 News went there.
Comments on the bar's response are turned off. However, previous posts on The Garage's Instagram page have been flooded with comments, many of which reference race and music, critical of the bar over the past few days.
Editor's note: This story was updated to add more information.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced the list posted online, Google Reviews and a response posted on The Garage's social media.