Detroit is Different

30 years of Business is an accomplishment that deserves recognition. The Source Booksellers began with interest from many readers in the books Janet Webster Jones was reading. “People were always asking me about the books I was reading, where they could buy them, and this led me to start …,” Janet Webster Jones. Today the Mother and daughter bond between Janet Webster Jones and Alyson Turner is sh...

Episode Notes Jevona Watson has brought her entrepreneurial vision of Detroit Sip to life. A Renaissance HS alumni and lifelong Westside Detroit now offers the experience she was determined to share. Watson spent years in East Lansing earning a Bachelor’s degree and Legal degree studying hours on end. The hours of studying at coffee shops in our State capital encouraged her to want to offer this e...

Episode Notes The shy poet from Detroit toured the world before she was old enough to buy a glass of wine. Lola Damone shares the story of how her passion for poetry transitioned into a career as a rapper. Years of writing her thoughts, feelings, and imagination provided Lola a basis for rapping. The reality of being a young woman in the Rap industry has strengthened her in experience and more. Lo...

Episode Notes Kyle Hoff & Alex O’Dell are back on Detroit is Different with a full furniture line. What began as creating a table for the millennial moving and un committed to one location is a full line. Bed frames, coat racks, shelving, and sofas are all in the works with Floyd Furniture now. Klye and Alex are not what you would expect to see as furniture architects and designers, but my fri...

Episode Notes Coolaide is the funniest person I ever met in my life. The character, demeanor, and style of jokes about relationships, the Black community, and the Black family were courageous observations many did not have the guts to make. Last week he made his transition after a long fought battle with a rare cancer. His attitude through cancer was the same off-color and humble approach that wou...

Episode Notes University of Michigan Ann-Arbor has a class that covers Hip-hop. It’s 2018 and people like Dr. Stephen Ward have moved the culture forward enough where the knowledge of Hip-hop is earning accredited college degrees. This semester I (Khary Frazier), Sterling Toles (Hip-hop Producer of Boldy James & more), and Buff1 (of Athletic Mic League & The Black Opera) all held an open d...

Episode Notes The Underground Hip-hop Awards will be held Sunday January 6, 2019 at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History. This is the 5th year where rappers, producers, movie directors, promoters and the people part of the scene of Underground Hip-hop will be recognized. If you have yet to witness a world of passion and creativity this is a can’t miss event. DJ Uncle P (Co-Host...

Episode Notes Undisputed Truth has a new album produced, mixed, played, and sung with the Funk & Soul of Norman Whitfield’s original vision. Joe Pep Harris who’s always been the original lead singer gathers BJ Evans, Dazzee Luv, and Jaki G Fondren all make the experience of Undisputed Truth real. Visit www.therealundisputedtruth.com to hear, buy, and get the music & message of Undisputed T...

Episode Notes Blair Anderson and Caprice Quinn are life long Black Panthers. Blair was in the home and witnessed the FBI murdering Fred Hampton in Chicago. Caprice was a key organizer of Detroit’s Black Panther Party. Together they gave life to Alia Harvey-Quinn, Blair Harvey-Quinn, and Najanava Harvey-Quinn. The strength of Caprice’s wisdom, beauty, and love carried through to three daughters who...

Episode Notes Tene Dismuke is an entrepreneur groomed and raised in the matter of her Father as a Business Maker. Her creativity in dance has led to her owning and operating studios, classes, and choreographing projects. We discussed how dance has been her primary form of expression and through dance travels across the nation have begun. Her days living in NYC working in the music and television i...

Episode Notes Rhonda Smith has been led into entrepreneurship through the admiration, intrigue, and interest of people aware of how she manages her household. Vegan, plant based foods and herb based home products are what Rhonda gives to her family out of love. Rhonda herself, her husband, and two sons were the first benefactors of Rhonda’s foods and goods adding to quality of life. Today she meal...

Episode Notes Monica Lewis Patrick’s relationship with Detroit is tied directly to Willie Horton. Horton who is a Detroit Tiger legend one of Baseball’s greatest players is also Monica’s Uncle. Horton welcomed and sent for his family from the South throughout his Detroit journey. Horton’s relationships with Judge Damon Keith, Coleman Young (RIP), and Erma Henderson (RIP) connected Monica and her w...

Episode Notes This episode: The Hosts of the Unicorns Are Real podcast Asia Dobbins and Erin Palmore host the Unicorns are Real podcast. Asia & Erin are young artists in love with Detroit artistry. Unicorns Are Real is art. We are two quirky like-minded, yet very different young adult females (Asia aka “Miss Dobbins”/ Erin aka Pineapple or The Quirky Natural) exploring ALL aspects of art. A Un...

Episode Notes This Week: The Hosts of The Cat's Meow Podcast Sharron Fincher and Nicole Denson host the Cat’s Meow podcast. Sharron & Nicole work on behalf of and for Women’s & LGBTQ Rights. Their work and advocacy influences their show. We discuss what has inspired their work. Cat’s Meow podcast hosts open discussions about the LGBT community as well as women’s rights. Cat’s Meow celebrat...

Episode Notes What began as a platform to share my music and introduce people to my friends, mentors, and people of Detroit I think are cool is now a strong media platform. Today through video, social media, podcasting, and graphic design Detroit is Different has impacted the world. Dr’s have used Detroit is Different interviews as material supporting research, magazines in Italy have used Detroit...

Episode Notes Donnell White and I have one of the most in depth talks about the role of the NAACP today. This was a pivotal discussion about the relevance of an organization with roots in Black professionalism, Black politics, and the Black church. Today the success, relevance, and impact of all these institutions are questioned more and more. Donnell opens up about the functionality of the Detroi...

Episode Notes Ralph Godbee and Kayla Godbee sat down and joined me for a candid discussion on family, opportunity, and decision making. The connection and bond between Father and Daughter is vivid in this interview. The vulnerability shown and respect earned from Parent to Child is humbling. Kayla shares what childhood and growing up learning from her Father. Ralph opens up about the role spiritua...

Episode Notes Mayowa Reynolds and Vicki Hooks Green are Master Teachers. Vicki Hooks Green is an English teacher that’s met, touched, and engaged hundreds of Cass Tech students for years. We discuss her maturation from Beauty Pageant contestant to Beauty Pageant developer. Miss Black Star was creation of Vicki’s passion that became a family institution. Mother, brother, sisters uncle, aunts, and e...

Episode Notes Eban Morales is a father advocating and working on behalf of other parents of Highland Park MI. Highland Park MI has been impacted in the most challenging ways in Post-Industrial America. The home of where the Model T Ford Assembly line ushered in the renaissance of Metro-Detroit & Michigan’s economic & social relevance internationally is experiencing a new day. Public system...

Episode Notes Donna Jackson has an eclectic spirit. The intelligence of an engineer, doctor, and theorist have culminated into a passion for expression through artistry. Planning and working on projects using graphics, paint, and curating the art of others has created platforms of success for Donna. We discuss how she moved from her Westside background to now welcoming international attention. Det...

Episode Notes Unassuming and introverted is the natural disposition of a rising comedy star, Jeff Horste. Jeff was featured on Kevin Hart’s Comedy Central Hart of the City show in 2017 which led to his 30 minute Comedy Central special for Kevin Hart’s Next Level which will air Friday August 24 2018 at 11pm EST. Horste is one of the four Motor City Laugh Kings with Josh Adams, Darius Bennett, and R...

Episode Notes Charlie Beckham’s Detroit story runs deep. Engineering at General Motors when GM was the largest company in the world began Beckham’s professional journey. Soon he joined his older brother Bill Beckham and worked with the Coleman Young’s Mayoral administration. Ever since his start with Coleman Young Beckham has worked on behalf of the city. The understanding of people, systems, and...

Episode Notes Eric Campbell is a Father who’s creating art he’s passionate about to inspire himself, his children, and his elders. Riverwise Magazine is part of the legacy of Grace Lee Boggs and carries the mission of social justice she executed her whole life. Campbell is the editor and a writer finding community voices to collaborate in giving their expression of what’s happening in Detroit. Cam...

Episode Notes Fluent like many of my guests I’ve known for years but through our interview now have a much more in-depth perspective of who he is. He was one of the youngest people to make his way to Café Mahogany when Zana (of Spectacles Boutique) provided him the opportunity to host. The techniques of shaping expression from hip-hop to poetry were laid and followed from Khary Kimani Turner (my n...

Episode Notes Sam (Handsome Sam) Spurill is a co-owner of one of the places in Downtown Detroit that brings in the essence of Millenial Detroit. Queens Bar at 35 E Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48226 since opening has brought in the energy of today's young Detroit. The essence of a venue packed with 24 & 26 year old Detroiters from different life walks is an extension of Sam's vision. Here Sam...