Lucas Slomski and Trent Brusky looked to cover all their bases when they wrote a song repping life in Wisconsin.
Turns out, that’s a lot of territory.
From huntin’, fishin’ and driving on winter roads to Friday fish, farmers and holding the door open, it’s all in there. The Bucks, Brewers, Packers and Badgers were givens. Cheese, brats, supper clubs, cribbage, bar dice, Kwik Trip, factory workers and beer also made the cut.
All that and a side of ranch, too.
As Appleton-based hip-hop duo Known Vandals, Slomski, who goes by Stress the Mind, and Brusky, as Trent Magik, were well aware of all the songs out there about the Packers and Green Bay as well as the many Dairyland parodies of well-known hits, but what they thought all of Wisconsin really needed was an original anthem to call its own.
With Slomski on lyrics and Brusky on beats, they came up with “Wiscanthem.” It’s meant to be a good time but not a joke. They’re both Wisconsin natives, so they put, not just their best camouflage and blaze orange into it, but their hearts as well.
These are my people and I’m thinking they’re all second to none/From Eagle River headed south on Highway 41/And all the east to the west and everyone in between/If you’re from Wisconsin then we all unite as a team.
“When we made ‘Wiscanthem,’ it wasn’t like, ‘Man, this is going to be funny.’ No, this is what it is here, and I’m proud of it,” Slomski said. “It’s as real as it can get. We’re not just saying things we don’t live. We know what we’re talking about.”
Known Vandals kept the ‘Dub-I-S-Con-Sin’ chorus simple
Slomski is from Appleton and wrote the lyrics. Brusky is from Green Bay and came up with the beats. They’ve known one another for more than 20 years and had each been making music on their own before forming Known Vandals in October. “Wiscanthem” was born out of that collaboration.
They knew they wanted it to be for everyone, which meant being kid-friendly and radio-friendly. They also know that when it comes to hip-hop and rap, there can be a stereotypical expectation of drugs, guns and violence in the lyrics.
“None of us live that life,” Slomski said. “I don’t rap about anything like that, because I’m not that kind of person at all.”
They were less concerned about genre and more focused on making “Wiscanthem” an irresistible listen that would get the whole state on board.
“Especially as younger kids, Luke and I, in the ’90s, whatever we heard on the radio, if it was catchy and trendy, we loved it. It didn’t matter if it was rap, an R&B song, Seal or Aerosmith, you can name a million songs. They all stick with you in your head,” Brusky said. “That was kind of the idea of this song, too, is to have it be catchy and almost like one of those memorable things like ‘Oh, man, remember that ’90s song (‘Tubthumping’) by Chumbawamba?’”
“Wiscanthem” hooks you with a chorus that spells out “Wisconsin” again and again — “Dub-I-S-Con-Sin.” Easy to remember and hard to get out of your head.
“Wisconsin. We’re a fairly simple people,” Slomski said of not overthinking it.
‘This isn’t a parody. This is a serious thing.’
While they poke a little fun at how people from the state talk in the lyrics, they made it a point not to rap in an exaggerated Wisconsin accent.
“This isn’t a parody. This is a serious thing. If you’re from here or if you’ve spent time here you’ll get it, you’ll understand,” Slomski said.
The accompanying video, with help from a talented videographer friend, bounces around the state, including footage from outside Lambeau Field, up north, in a deer stand, at a supper club and by the “I Love GB” sign on CityDeck. Pay close attention and you’ll see a generous pour of Cheddka Vodka and cheese curds that tumble out of a cup for bar dice.
Response to the song since its strategic release on the first day of 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay in April has been overwhelmingly positive, Slomski said. Even folks from Iowa and North Dakota have commented. Others have said they’re not rap fans but they love “Wiscanthem.”
The song is available on Spotify and Apple Music. Known Vandals are hoping it becomes a Wisconsin tailgating staple, but they say it fits equally well at a little league game or, heck, maybe even at Lambeau Field during a Packers game.
“Anywhere anything can be enjoyed and anywhere anybody is proud of Wisconsin or to be from Wisconsin,” Slomski said.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: From Friday fish to Packers, hip-hop’s Known Vandals give life in Wisconsin its due with ‘Wiscanthem’
Reporting by Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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