Beloved Milwaukee local music scene legend John Kuester, also known as Kid Millions, has died. He was 48.
A successful hip hop career, owning Lotus Land Records and being part of the operating team of Bay View’s Wiggle Room are just parts of the legacy Kuester leaves behind.
Kuester’s hip hop career began in 1993 when he joined Brew City’s 3’z Company, releasing his first solo album “Words Get Around” in 2001, according to Legacy.com.
“There is no one in all of rap music, Milwaukee and beyond, that rapped like John,” Radio Milwaukee Executive Director Jordan Lee said. “…No one sounds like [nor] will ever sound like John.”
Kuester opened doors for countless aspiring artists, including Lee.
Lee met Kuester more than two decades ago, and he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Kuester gave him his first ever paid job as a DJ: a gig opening for Kuester at Riverwest Commons.
This trend, according to Lee, continued until the final weeks of Kuester’s life.
Kuester had a big impact on the Milwaukee community through these endeavors.
Kuester also co-founded Dope Folks Records with Chris Schulist, co-owner of Bay View’s The Vanguard and Wiggle Room, in 2010.
What was special about Dope Folks — and a testament to Kuester’s knowledge and love of music — was its mission of seeking out and reissuing rare rap records.
“I can’t tell you how excited we got when we signed artists or discovered projects,” Schulist wrote from a Dope Folks’ Instagram post. “What I’m saying is, John was the driving force behind Dope Folks Records … If you knew him you know he was the real deal.”
Kuester’s contributions of the local scene did not stop with the platform he gave to aspiring artists. Lee said Kuester “was at everybody’s shows all the time.”
“If you had a local show, he was going to be in the audience,” he said.
Even after Lotus Land closed, Kuester kept his collection alive. Lee called him “an encyclopedia Britannica” of records — and a man, Lee also wrote online, “who would literally open his home for people to buy records, talk about music and be part of a community.”
A celebration of life will be held later this summer, and details will be announced at a later date, according to Kuester’s obituary.
Kuester is survived by his cousin, Mary Gorski, and was preceded in death by mother Patricia Luckey, father James Kuester and brother Anthony Kuester.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Obituary: John Kuester known as ‘Kid Millions’ leaves rap legacy, co-founded Dope Folks Records
Reporting by Kylie Volavongsa, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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