Remembering Strick: Milwaukee’s Legendary MC and a Rapper’s Rapper

Over the last few hours, news has spread across the internet that Steve Stricklin, better known as Strick or Big Strick, one of Milwaukee’s legendary MCs, has passed away. Details surrounding his death are still forthcoming.

Strick, who also served as a member of the Milwaukee Fire Department, was internationally respected for his intricate wordplay, rhythmic precision, and undeniable lyrical talent.

I first stumbled upon Strick on Masta Ace’s 2001 album Disposable Arts. The track “Something’s Wrong” opens with Strick laying down perhaps one of my favorite 16 bars of that era.

At the time, I was writing for my hip-hop website, Contrabandit.com, and had the opportunity to interview Masta Ace. “Something’s Wrong” was one of my favorite records on the album. What made it even more remarkable was that I had no idea Strick was from Milwaukee. I just knew his verse was dope.

Over the years, I got to know Strick and came to appreciate what he represented.

Strick was part of the fabric of what makes Milwaukee great: extraordinarily talented people who often operate in the background, connected to the world yet firmly rooted in the city that made them.

He was what hip-hop heads call a rapper’s rapper. An MC whose technical skill, craftsmanship, and command of the art form earned the respect of other elite lyricists. The kind of artist whose greatness was sometimes best understood by those who truly understood the craft.

Rapping alongside some of the East Coast’s most legendary MCs and performing on stages around the world, Strick built an international reputation while continuing to call Milwaukee home.

He was never as locally visible as Coo Coo Cal or Baby Drew, but his longevity, relationships, and commitment to the culture created something equally significant: a career that extended well beyond the Brew City and earned him respect across generations and continents.

Strick represented a different model of success in hip-hop. One built not simply on radio hits or hometown celebrity, but on lyrical excellence, consistency, and the respect of his peers.

Like the Milwaukee MCs who came before him, including those we’ve already lost, such as Twan Mac and OG Tweezy, Strick deserves to be remembered as one of the artists who helped establish our city’s place in hip-hop history.

His passing is another reminder that Milwaukee’s hip-hop pioneers deserve their flowers while they’re still here.

Their influence runs much deeper, and reaches much farther, than many of us ever imagined.

Rest in power, Strick. Your words traveled the world, but your roots were always here in Milwaukee.