Milwaukee's The Garage 'NO PLAY LIST' backlash, bar responds

MILWAUKEE - The Garage, a Milwaukee bar, responded to backlash Tuesday after a "NO PLAY LIST" of Black rap artists posted at the bar's DJ booth went viral online.

What is The Garage ‘NO PLAY LIST’ list?

What we know:

A now-viral video of the "NO PLAY LIST" was posted on TikTok Sunday, Aug. 23. Screenshots of that video have circulated further on social media and elsewhere online, including Google Reviews.

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The list includes more than three dozen rap artists, all of whom are Black – well-known names like Glorilla, Lil Wayne and Travis Scott – as well as "NO MILWAUKEE RAP" in bold letters at the bottom.

The video had more than 850,000 views as of Tuesday morning, along with tens of thousands of reactions and thousands of comments and shares. The account that posted it has just over 200 followers.

What we don't know:

The initial TikTok post does not identify where the "NO PLAY LIST" was put up, but does include #bradystreetmke as a tag. The Garage, and adjoining bar HiHat Lounge, are at the northwest corner of Brady and Arlington on Milwaukee's Lower East Side.

Commenters on the TikTok video identified the list as being at The Garage, and the bar itself has since responded.

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What they're saying:

The list sparked public backlash online, including in social media comments and on Google Reviews.

The bar has an overall rating of more than four stars as of Tuesday morning. In the time since the list was posted on TikTok, though, the bar has received more than a dozen one or two-star reviews. While not all reviews included comments, or had comments that made no mention of music, some did.

"Do not go to This bar they posted a list of about 20-30 black people and said they can’t play there music we are done supporting this business and I hope we can make this business bankrupt," one reviewer wrote.

The bar also received a smattering of five-star reviews, some of which referenced music at the bar, since the list went viral.

"Very inclusive with great music!" one person wrote.

What is the bar saying?

The other side:

The Garage posted a response on its Instagram page late Monday night, saying the goal was to avoid music that referenced violence, but acknowledging the list of specific artists was the "wrong approach."

"We are very proud of our diverse patron mix and our staff and we are very upset to learn of this situation. We have spoken to the employee who issued the list, which was not approved by ownership, and stressed why it was not acceptable. The intention was to eliminate music with lyrics that referenced violence or guns, and create a more relaxed vibe at the establishment but a list of artists was certainly the wrong approach," the statement read.

"We have always supported the diversity of Brady Street and will continue to do so. We regret that this presents us in any other light."

Comments on the bar's response are turned off. However, previous posts on The Garage's Instagram page have been flooded with comments, many of which reference race and music, critical of the bar over the past few days. 

FOX6 News also reached out to the owners but did not immediately hear back.