Late night on Milwaukeee’s north side felt heavy with quiet danger as flashing lights bounced off cracked pavement near Hampton and 32nd Street while a wrecked car leaned against the bridge rails and two bodies sat slumped inside as cops whispered and neighbors muttered that the boys came from that YPN crowd.
Folks around that block said this was not the first time someone close to that crew died. And they said it probably would not be the last time either. People talked about a curse that followed them from YouTube views to courtroom benches and funeral homes. To understand why Milwaukee folks said the curse was real, you got to go back before the videos, before the chains.
back when they were just hungry kids chasing dollars on the north side. Milwaukeee’s north side sits stacked with liquor stores and boarded homes that outnumber real opportunities while whole blocks carry the weight of segregation carved decades ago through redlinining.
The city sits among America’s most segregated places, and anyone growing up there understands how that history moves through everyday life in ways outsiders rarely notice. Wisconsin locks up black men at one of the highest rates in the country, and that reality shapes childhood across north side neighborhoods, where kids watch uncles or cousins get hauled off long before they learn algebra.
Walking those blocks means seeing the system eat people in slow motion because every family has someone sitting in dodge or wow pong. And every kid learns early that prison sits closer than any scholarship. That constant rotation between home and jail makes the streets feel normal and the streets end up building the culture that fuels Milwaukeee’s underground rap scene.
The sound coming out those neighborhoods carries low-fi drums, frantic energy, and gritty lyrics about dumping, finesse moves, fast dope, and running from police during high-speed chases. Names like Chicken Pee, Laa, and the videographer Telazed it helped push the city’s movement forward while giving Milwaukee rappers a lane to speak their realities without pretending to be something else.
The city rewards people who are really outside because fans want someone who lived the stories they are rapping about and not some studiomade performer saying things they never experienced. That pressure to be authentic keeps many rappers tied to the same neighborhoods they claim. And those blocks often become the reason they struggle to survive long enough to grow.
Milwaukee has a pattern where artists get buzzed and almost instantly catch trouble because staying connected to the streets feels necessary for credibility. Many young rappers get locked up, disappear, or get shot once their names start rising because those environments refuse to let people lead cleanly.
YPN would eventually become one of the clearest examples of that cycle because their rise felt rapid and their fall felt painful. While nothing about their story needed exaggeration, their journey started in the same Milwaukee streets that shaped everyone before them. and their fate showed how unforgiving that environment can be when young hustlers chase paper without protection.
Before the music videos and online buzz, the boys who became YPN were just north side kids trying to eat in neighborhoods that offered almost nothing. Dimmitri Deep Joiner, known later as YPN Douggee, grew up alongside his cousin Maris Lloyd, who became YPN kids. And both boys learned early that money rarely came honestly around their blocks.
Desmond Love, who fans would know as YPN Rex, came up in the same environment along with Jaquan Martin, who turned into YPN Quack Quack. Mercury, Pete Mk Martin, and Tommy T. Love, who held the older brother role in their circle. They were young kids running small hustles like stealing snacks from corner stores or begging for spare change at gas stations while learning to flip bottled water during hot summers because survival demanded creativity.
Older neighborhood dealers became role models because they showed fast cash and local respect. And those images shaped the futures these boys chased. The older guys posted on porches with shiny chains or rented cars, and that became the blueprint these kids followed because nobody else showed them another path.
By their teenage years, the petty hustles shifted into real street business as everyone in the crew touched drug activity. Kez caught a possession with intent charge around 18, which showed the police already had eyes on him. Quack picked up narcotics cases that pushed him in and out of county. Rex got hit with a conspiracy to deliver charge tied to a 2015 sting.
And that case showed he was already moving weight. Douggee caught serious fleeing charges tied to high-speed chases, which was common for young Milwaukee hustlers driving dirty cars. These charges made it clear that YPN moved in the streets long before anyone called them rappers.
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They were a crew bonded by hustling, family ties, and constant neighborhood struggles while building a shared identity around making money. The name YPN carried the idea of young paper chasers, a title that reflected how they viewed themselves moving through Milwaukeekey’s roughest blocks. They spend long nights in trap houses or on dim corners talking about rap dreams while mixing weed smoke with talk about fast cash.
Kez carry loud energy and a wild offbeat flow that made him a natural frontman. Douge acted like the flashy one who loved showing stacks because he enjoyed proving he could really move money. Rex focused on actually rapping with structure in bars because he was the first one who took music seriously. Quack brought unpredictable energy and always found trouble quickly.
Perk stayed quieter, but still inside the circle. Tommy T moved like an older influence whose reckless driving and presence around drama kept their story complicated. They were kids raised by the north side, and their future was already forming before any camera ever pointed at them.
Rex stepped into the music lane first while calling himself Des and he moved like somebody who wanted his crew seen. He hit little basement studios on Milwaukey’s north side where smoke hovered over cheap equipment while the boys punched in lines about real plays they handled earlier.
Those early sessions felt raw because they recorded fast without clean mixes and their voices sounded young but determined. Rex carried a steady tone while guiding his friends into the booth because he believed their stories needed a microphone. They kept recording through 2016 while dropping tracks that felt like north side diary entries.
Songs like had gone in and the way I do moved around Milwaukee because people recognized every reference. Folks heard the lines about dumps, fast phones, county visits, and local corners. and they knew the boys lived exactly what they wrapped. Many locals whispered about seeing certain members catch cases right before those sessions.
And some tracks dropped while boys were still out on bond. Milwaukee listeners loved hearing rappers who stood on real stories without exaggeration because the neighborhood already followed every headline tied to their crew. The energy shifted when Kez and Douggee linked with Lil Chicken during late 2016 because Chicken already carried a strong Milwaukee buzz.
Kez and Chicken connected easily inside the studio since both rappers enjoyed fast flows and loud delivery styles. The boys recorded dumper quickly and the vibe felt heavy with confidence and authentic street detail. The next day they shot the video and Kez walked in carrying around $25,000 in cash, which he flashed proudly.
His stunt shocked Chicken because the stack looked fresh and heavy and it proved those boys moved real money. Dumper hit YouTube and the city reacted instantly because the slang spoke directly to Milwaukee hustlers. A dumper describes someone selling product consistently with strong results.
And that word carried real weight across the north side. People saw young boys flashing cash, jumping around stolen vehicles, and representing neighborhoods with confidence. The collaboration pushed YPN past simple local recognition and into the lane where big neighborhoods and club DJs started repeating their name.
Their music grew because their presence felt believable. And many fans enjoyed seeing young hustlers become rappers without pretending like someone else wrote their lines. YPN kept dropping visuals and singles throughout 2016 and 2017, and the pace looked impressive on YouTube. Kez released Addicted, which climbed quickly because his offbeat flow and loud voice created a catchy vibe.
The crew later dropped an all-white Buffy’s remix, which nodded toward Detroit’s Cardier culture and strengthened connections between Milwaukee and Detroit listeners. Their sound stayed consistent with loud drums, messy delivery, chaotic adlibs, and plenty of streetcoded details. Their energy felt wild because they recorded constantly while moving through court dates, probation meetings, and pending charges.
Fans enjoyed the music while police watched the background because several YPN members carried serious cases. Some members fought narcotics charges and reckless driving cases, and others dealt with weapon related investigations. These legal problems stayed quiet publicly while the music climbed, but the tension sat underneath everything.
People close to Milwaukee street scene noticed that the boys lived their lyrics daily, and the city understood that energy often brought heavy consequences. Their rap era started fast and loud because their lifestyle already held momentum before the cameras turned on. YPN became one of Milwaukey’s most talked about groups because their output moved quickly and local writers praised their run.
Some Milwaukee music observers said the crew had one of the biggest runs in the city based on streams and non-stop releases. Their name rang through house parties, basement kickbacks, and club rotations because DJs loved the energy inside their tracks. Cars riding down Capitol Drive or Fondulac Avenue blasted YPN songs loudly because the city moved with those beats.
Their personalities became clearer as fame spread and each member locked into a role. Kez carried the spotlight comfortably with loud punchlines, funny lines, and unique offbeat timing. Douggee moved like the flashy best friend who brought charisma while flashing heavy stacks on video. Quack and Perk added supportive voices while Rex tried to build structured projects that sounded more polished.
Their street rep mixed with their rap rep naturally because they came from neighborhoods where both identities blended easily. Local tension followed their rise and certain Milwaukee crews disliked their attention. They clashed with a group called [ __ ] Money Team, which pushed minor confrontations across social media and street corners.
The trouble grew when the crew traveled to Atlanta for nightife and strip club fun because they wanted to enjoy their new fame. Things went wrong inside an Atlanta strip club when Kez got jumped and his chain snatched during a heated moment. The situation embarrassed the crew because losing jewelry damaged reputation inside rap circles.
Freu entered the picture after that incident and he stirred the drama intentionally. Buu posted a chain online while claiming it belonged to Kiss. Then he tested the metal publicly and told viewers the piece looked fake. That humiliation stung heavily because chain snatching and fake gold claims destroy a rapper’s image quickly.
Milwaukee watched this unfold through Instagram posts, live videos, and shared clips that spread across the city. Kez responded quickly with dissies because he refused to let Buu control the narrative. He called Buu a snitch during his rants, which mattered deeply because snitch allegations carry serious weight on Milwaukee streets.
The claim hit hard after people confirmed Buu testified during a Milwaukee murder case and court records publicly linked him to that testimony. Their feud grew louder across YouTube comments, Facebook posts, and local conversations because fans loved watching conflicts unfold. That rising attention placed YPN under brighter spotlights while police silently collected information.
Detroit Energy entered the drama when Damadote’s mafia chain got snatched in Milwaukee and Buu showed it on social media. Buu used the moment for clout because he acted like Milwaukee dominated Detroit and he taunted Detroit rappers online. Pezy traveled to Milwaukee to retrieve the chain which created a small cultural moment across Midwest rap circles.
That situation connected Detroit’s rap politics to Milwaukeee’s rising underground scene, and YPN’s name floated near the center of those conversations. Milwaukee and Detroit shared longstanding cultural overlap through fashion, slang, and street activity, and this chain incident strengthened that link. YPN’s name appeared in countless online videos discussing Milwaukeee’s rap tension and Midwest street dynamics.
Their movement attracted local fans, rival crews, bloggers, and police attention because their buzz refused to slow down. Their fame and their issues grew together, which built pressure around every move the crew made during that period. Night settled cold on the 32nd in W Hampton while a speeding car tore down the street until shots cracked through the dark sky and the vehicle smashed hard into the bridge structure.
Police reached the scene quickly with flashlights cutting across snow as they saw bullet holes punched through the doors and two bodies slumped motionless inside the wreck. Officers later confirmed the victims as 20-year-old Ivan Boyd and 20-year-old Mayvon Holton, who both moved closely with the YPN circle since childhood.
Ivan Boyd, known around Milwaukee as Butter, held a deep bond with YP and Douggee, and many people called them brothers in everything but blood. Douggee sat locked inside jail on a probation hole when the crash happened. And hearing about Ivan’s death crushed him severely. The news traveled fast through Milwaukeee’s north side because people respected both young men who lost their lives that night.
A third person survived the crash and police identified him as 18-year-old Tommy T. Love, who was Rex’s older brother. Officers discovered cocaine inside the wreck along with multiple guns, which raised concerns about what happened before the crash. Investigators believed shots were fired during a rolling situation involving unknown shooters, which pushed the car toward the fatal impact.
Tommy T faced hit and run causing death charges because prosecutors accused him of fleeing the vehicle after the crash. Instead of turning himself in, he went on the run and somehow still managed to release music online while wanted. His actions shocked Milwaukee listeners because he appeared in new tracks while police searched for him across multiple neighborhoods.
The situation placed heavy pressure on the YPN crew because their names entered police meetings and local news broadcasts. Suddenly, this crash hit YPN emotionally because losing Ivan and Mayvon took pieces from their extended family. It shook them symbolically because it exposed how dangerous their path had become with violent situations arriving without warning.
Police attention increased heavily because investigators connected familiar names to the wreck and they started watching the crew more closely. Douggee learned about Butter’s death inside jail, which created a heavy moment that pushed deep pain into his spirit. The crash signaled one of the earliest breaks in the YPN momentum because it showed that real danger surrounded their rise constantly.
Everything felt different after that night because the price of their lifestyle became clear to everyone near them. By late 2017, the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office grew tired of seeing YPN pop up inside narcotics reports, chase cases, and firearm files. Detectives and prosecutors pushed older cases forward while stacking charges across the crew because their names appeared repeatedly.
Officers believed the group required aggressive attention and the justice system tightened around them slowly but consistently. Each member felt different levels of pressure while the system prepared to bring consequences. Perk received one of the lighter outcomes because he caught a short sentence of around 4 months tied to a police chase case.
His situation looked mild compared to his friends because most of them prepared for long terms while he walked out quickly. YPN Quack faced a harsher outcome because he received roughly 5 years for heroin and narcotics related charges. He entered prison during his early 20s and his sentence showed how deeply the streets shaped his future.
YPN Doogie picked up about 6 months for his latest situation, which likely came through a plea arrangement. He walked out early in 2018, but he returned to a city filled with complications waiting for him. Tommy T eventually faced the fatal consequences of the Hampton crash because prosecutors charged him with hit and run resulting in death for the losses of Ivan and Mayvon.
He received around seven years which removed him from Milwaukee for a long time. Kez carried the heaviest fall because his legal problems stretched across multiple serious incidents. Police arrested him in August 2016 for cocaine and heroin possession with intent which marked his first major blow.
In early 2017, he got caught in a high-speed chase where shots were fired which added reckless endangerment to his record. In February 2018, a judge sentenced him to around four years in prison at only 22 years old, which devastated his growing fan base. While inside, he caught an additional 3 years for new issues, but he received a chance to reduce time through a program.
His fall shocked Milwaukee because he stood as the main face of YPN with major musical potential. Rex attempted to keep the YPN presence alive while serving as one of the remaining free members. He already completed a one-year jail term between 2016 and 2017 before returning home with determination. He dropped a project called Back Home, then released War on Drugs in 2018, which critics praised for strong quality.
He tried to represent the brand with maturity and structure while staying consistent with his sound. His efforts faced challenges because nearly every close member sat locked up or dealt with strict supervision which weakened the crew’s momentum significantly. By 2018, the YPN wave broke under the weight of legal pressure because their strongest members disappeared into prison sales.
Their star rappers sat behind bars. Their main hustlers manage probation or jail sentences and Tommy faced years inside state custody. Their name floated across Department of Corrections, paperwork more than music blogs, which changed their narrative completely. YPN shifted from a buzzing Milwaukee powerhouse to a crew defined by courtrooms and mug shots instead of loud anthems and club energy.
Douggee stepped out of jail with fresh energy and he talked about moving smarter while promising people he would focus on music. His confidence looked strong because he believed experience would guide his next moves forward. Reality shifted quickly after release because Douggee returned to heavy hustling while pushing large amounts of drugs across Milwaukey’s north side.
Police caught him around 2019 during a serious investigation and he received roughly 5 years in prison which removed another core YPN member from the streets. Quack came home around 2021 after serving 42 months and he dropped a first day outstyle track that carry loud confidence. People believed he might reset his path because he sounded hungry and focused.
His moment faded quickly because he violated extended supervision with no new charges mentioned publicly. The state revoked him and returned him to prison where his terms stretched toward 2026 which stunned many listeners. Milwaukee sees these situations often because guys with momentum return home and fall into familiar habits or small violations.
P MK stayed far from drama during these chaotic years and he avoided major headlines while moving quietly. He appeared focused on staying out of state custody which separated him from the curse that followed his friends. Many people believed Merc dodged the long-term fate that swallowed the rest of YPN.
Up to this point, the YPN story involved teenagers and young adults who understood the life they lived and the stakes that came with it. Everything shifted toward darker territory in 2022 when tragedy touched someone who never chose the streets. Milwaukee police responded to a north side home where a 5-year-old boy died from fentinyl exposure in circumstances that shocked the entire community.
Investigators discovered the house served as a drug processing location run by the child’s mother’s boyfriend and his associates. Oliver Smith played the role of the boyfriend while Desmond, Rex, Love, and Tommy T moved through that same house during the period investigators examined. According to the criminal complaint, the men were seen cooking drugs in the kitchen while children moved around the home.
The 5-year-old boy later died and fentinyl exposure was identified as the cause which created a painful moment in Milwaukee. Police shifted their attention toward anyone present inside that house during the drug activity. 10 days after the death officers spotted a vehicle carrying Smith, Rex, and Tommy while driving through Milwaukee, the trio led police on a high-speed chase that touched speeds over 100 mph across city streets.
Officers eventually stopped the car and discovered multiple guns along with heroin, fentinyl, meth, cocaine, and oxycodone inside the vehicle. All three men were arrested and questioned while investigators built the case further. Oliver Smith faced reckless homicide charges and several related counts tied to drug processing and child endangerment.
Rex faced serious drug and firearm charges with a bond set around $95,000 during the early hearings. Tommy became tangled in another major case while still dealing with his previous 7-year sentence from the Hampton crash. As of 2025, the case continued moving slowly, and Rex risked decades in prison if prosecutors secured convictions across the listed charges.
Many Milwaukee residents saw this moment as a disturbing shift because the tragedy involved a child who had no connection to street life. The YPN story moved from hustler excitement towards something heavier that involved real innocent loss. People watching from the outside believe this moment showed how far things had gone and how dark the consequences became.
Kez returned home around 2023 after completing his initial sentence which excited fans who waited years for his voice. He appeared in a mini documentary called Walk a Mile where he spoke about growth and reflected on his time inside custody. He told viewers he owned businesses and property while explaining he wanted to move differently now that he had another chance.
He dropped a single called Landlord Back with a sharp video that made people believe he regained focus. His progress cracked quickly because police arrested him in April 2024 with cocaine, heroin, and a Glock fitted with a switch that transformed it into an automatic weapon. Kez remained on extended supervision at the time, which meant the state revoked him instantly after the arrest.
He returned to prison with new charges waiting, which damaged his second chance significantly. His situation showed how difficult breaking patterns can become for someone raised deeply in Milwaukee’s street environment. The music comeback looked promising because his talent never faded, but his habits followed him closely.
The cursed people mentioned felt less like supernatural energy and more like cycles repeating themselves without real interruption. For Kez, the street still held influence and his return to prison showed how that world continued pulling him back. By the mid 2020, the YPN roster looked wounded because nearly every major name sat inside some form of state custody.
Kez sat back in prison fighting new drug charges and a gun case tied to a Glock with a switch. Rex waited inside county while facing heavy drug and firearm counts from the child overdose investigation. Quack stayed inside prison on a revocation that kept him held until around 2026. Douggee approached the end of his 5-year sentence while trying to keep his spirit steady.
Tommy served his 7-year hit from the Hampton crash while also fighting charges from the fentinel case. MK stood as the only original member who avoided long sentences or public trouble, which made him a rare survivor. The crew also carry losses that could never return because Ivan Boyd and Movante Holton died in the Hampton crash.
And the 5-year-old victim from the Fentinel House remain the darkest part of their story. Milwaukee still remembers YPN clearly because their songs continue spinning in cars and parties across the north side. Old videos keep climbing because people still enjoy the raw energy their early music carry.
Older heads talk about that era like it was chaotic but unforgettable because the city felt electric when YPN controlled conversation. Younger kids view them with mixed eyes because some see legends while others see warnings about how fast life can collapse. People in Milwaukee say YPN carried a curse because too many members ended up locked up or gone.
The curse formed from their environment, their choices, and the systems surrounding them. Milwaukeekey’s segregation shaped everything because entire blocks normalized, hustling and survival before education. Kids growing up around neighbors who sold drugs or ran from police saw prison as a normal outcome.
YPN’s music worked because they wrapped what they lived, which brought fans in trouble equally. Their authenticity kept them tied to the same streets that harmed their futures. Cameras pushed their profile higher, which brought more rivals and more police attention. Douggee caught new charges repeatedly. Kez returned quickly after release.
Quack fell during supervision, and Rex sank deeper into serious cases. None of them escaped the fast life fully, which made the curse feel more like repeating cycles than supernatural energy.
