Detroit is Different

Radio, Television, Broadcast, and Media were the life James Tate led before serving the city of Detroit as a council member. Entering a third term in the seat today Tate’s understanding and perspective for what council is expected to do, what council does, and how that balance is anchored is key. In this interview (my first with a sitting Detroit city council member) we explore District 1 and its...

Detroit, and particularly Detroit's Eastside fills the mind, heart, imagination, and ambition of Orlando Bailey. A voice for the Authentically Detroit Podcast, host of the Urban Consulate community conversations, and journalist for Bridge Detroit Orlando speaks life to the history while embodying the present and future of the city. In this interview, we explore his roots in the community and why h...

Urban Organic is the brand and it was a vision of Drake Phifer. The vision was a place and space for cool Soul and people to vibe together. In the early 2000’s the space for Neo Soul, Afro Beat, House, and Future music from a Black lens was rare. Today 20 years later the brand has traveled the Metro Detroit area, Michigan, the Nation and world alike. This weekend the brand carries the essence with...

Engineering is a very creative discipline. Volcano's work to the masses for years was Hip-hop Artist & Rock & Roll Emcee. For over 15 years The Fillmore, CroFoot, The Emerald, are only a few venues in the area crushed by Volcano. As a recording engineer, rapper, music producer, and musician he's touched thousands. As an engineer and designer, he's changed the way we move in cars, planes, a...

Doctor in Theology, Principal of the Detroit High School for Fine & Performing Arts, Pastor of Fellowship Chapel, and my BIG cousin are only some of the titles held by Mayowa Reynolds. Joining me for a second Detroit is Different interview we discuss the role of mentoring and teaching. Her passion as a child was sparked and flourished through dance. Mayowa is one of the few and proud formerly...

Mayor Monique Owens is dynamic, driven, and divine. For her, Detroit is Different interview Monique opened up how her love for East Coast Hip-hop and Church was a balance she found. This is the same energy that connects her as an Eastpointe resident turned Police Officer, Comedian, now Mayor, and candidate for State Senate. Monique Owens is what many identify as a trailblazer. Setting the standard...

Sterling Toles key expression is love. Sterling's friendships and relationships are built on connecting people to his understanding of love. As a music producer, public speaker (when requested), DJ, and visual artist, Sterling's works make waves. His current visual art showing at the MOCAD is an exploration of how we identify ourselves through seeking external validation while lacking internal pea...

The Marijuana movement is upon America. In my lifetime the taboo and underground world of indulging in Marijuana has now become a business of interest and popular culture. State and local governments across the United States of America began sanctioning medical marijuana whereas now recreational use is welcome and open to the world. The federal government still classifies marijuana as a schedule 1...

Buy the block is a phrase often spoken. Mama Shu was fulfilling this mission and purpose before the concept was trendy. Avalon street is a community that, in the mid to late 2000s, saw so much more attention and intentionality. During her many journeys, Mama Shu was drawn to the street owning and operating the Black Hole community space in unions and in partnership with others. Avalon started as a...

Mental Health is a buzzword today. The cohesive nature that makes up us all easily forgotten is Mental Health. Mental Health for Black men is genuinely an unspoken condition to heal, deal with, and prosper. Prostell Thomas joins Detroit is Different to open up about how to deliver in this space through the synergy of connecting with others. Learn about his time on Detroit’s historic  North End, Ak...

All Things Detroit is a holiday honoring the event Jennyfer Crawford designed to help small businesses. What began in an apartment now has a partnership with Chase bank, welcomes thousands of buying guests, and sells out vending space for hundreds of vendors in days. All Things Detroit is a cultural experience because it’s an extension of the passion Jennyfer has for Pop-Up shops. Sunday, April 10...

If you have a business ready for national and international distribution, Buy Detroit is the event you need. Keyra Cokely of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation had a vision of making the procurement and buy process between large-scale businesses and small Detroit businesses easy. The bonding, insurance, financials, and work are given a process Keyra has made plain for you. She opens up about...

The Spirit Says podcast is a space and place where we are welcomed into a conversation of two women driven to inspire the minds of young people and follow their spirits. Bria Warmsby & Korey Butler host the Spirit Says podcast. The focus of the podcast is welcoming listeners into the journey of where the Spirit moves Bria and Korey through life. Here meet how the Eastside culture of Detroit im...

As a professional Personal Fitness Trainer, Health/Wellness coach, stretch/yoga instructor, lifestyle+Mommy blogger; I understand that a big part of wellness can be attributed to physical fitness, however, it takes having balance in your Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Emotional health to gain overall complete wellness and self-care. A large part of self-care commitment is not only doing somethin...

Brittany March has always found Detroit fascinating. Her story of basketball, Allen Iverson, and being the daughter of a Mumford HS teacher is classic. Brittany tells how Allen Iverson, hip-hop, fashion, and Hartford Memorial Baptist impacted her life. Learn how attending ‘Walled Lake Central HS’ and ‘Southfield High HS’ made an impression on her life, how her parent's desire to have her in a ‘goo...

Elephants travel in packs and as a family. The story of the Tusk liquor brand connects deeply to that concept on many levels. Maurice ‘Mo’ Morton shares the story of how land originally purchased after his ancestors' enslavement created Tusk spirits. After enslavement, Mo’s great 5x grandparents purchased over 50 acres of land stolen through racial discrimination and later returned to the family i...

Dr. Kenfense Chike joins Detroit is DIfferent for a fruitful interview about African Centered Education. His personal experience teaching at Aisha Shule and NSOROMA Institute only drove his Ph. D. on the topic. Currently, he is one of the eight instructors leading the Black Education Workshop Series hosted by Alkebu-lan Village every Saturday through March 26, 2022, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm (at Alkebu-la...

Based on a True Story (BOATS) is the ep debut album effort from vocalist Tamara Jewel. Jewel’s vocals lace the soundtrack of many of Detroit’s most known hip-hop anthems (Payroll Giovanni, MJ the Don, and many others) and at the start of 2022, she released her first solo work. In this Detroit is Different interview we explore her start from Dayton OH (another D) to come to Detroit. The choir, chur...

Watercolors and acrylics are the paints Devin Laster loves. Laster’s Pop Art collection has featured Beyonce, Wolverine, the Obama Family, and many more. His take on colors, shadows, and shapes adds character to all people he captures. In this Detroit is Different feature we explore so much of what has led Devin to his passions. Devin’s first love for acting and performance began while attending C...

Living, working, and raising a family in Highland Park has committed Shimekia Nichols to a mission larger than just her own. The Executive Director of Souladarity has rich roots grounded from her family’s background in Detroit’s Southwest neighborhood 48217, known for being the most environmentally polluted zip code in Michigan. After that, in keeping pace with her creative, African-centered, and...

Faniz Bites is the brainchild of Jefani Edison. The daughter of one of Detroit’s premier attorneys (Jeff Edison) has a business in meal prep, seasonings, and catering. Jefani opens up about her upbringing with parents centered in Pan-Africanism. Jefani talks about her love for Nataki Talibah and Howard University. Learn about her perspective on the similarities and differences between the chocolat...

Michigan is a mid-western heartland welcoming people worldwide for beautiful Autumns, rich apples & cherries, and American tradition. The essence of the state through the lens of a Black Man magnifies the dual consciousness highlighted in literature by Ralph Ellison, Amiri Baraka, Richard Wright, Yusef Shakur, and many more. Deolis Allen III joined Detroit is Different to share his story givin...

January 1, 2022, Yusef Bunchy Shakur delivered the State of Black Detroit 2022 Address and it was impactful. Initially, Yusef defined Black Detroit and its importance. The depth of the relationship between the Great Migration, legacies of revolutionaries, history of resilience, and the bonds between families were prominently addressed in Yusef’s message. The interactive dynamic from Detroit is Dif...

Yusef Bunchy Shakur joins Detroit is Different to talk about his upcoming State of Detroit address. Yusef Bunchy Shakur tells the story of how Henry Ford Hospital is gentrifying his neighborhood. Yusef shares how he has informed through hearsay that a closed meeting about the future of his community. Yusef walked into the meeting to witness an urban planner tell him his Mother’s house will not exi...

Greg Frazier CPA was born in Little Rock, AR but grew up in Cincinnati, OH. In this interview, he opens up about his childhood and father (my grandfather Don Scott). We explore the dynamics of his upbringing and motivation to prove himself to his father. We also provide the perspective of Don Scott and his brilliance and business and vision. Greg Frazier offers his story of how he recognized the g...