It’s no coincidence that Neptunes producer Pharrell Williams has taken Milwaukee rapper Prophetic under his wing. Prophetic is one of the local hip-hop scene’s greatest wordsmiths, a focused storyteller who raps with the poised confidence of Jay-Z, crafting economical narratives about hard work and success without falling back on easy punch lines or tired imagery. Will he be the rapper to beat the odds and put Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene on the map? It won’t be easy, but he certainly has the star power to make it happen.