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 trained Katherine Dunham dancers. Her start honing a craft and talent in a competitively formal spac...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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 high as an influential leader with poise, integrity, and historical determination, Monique Owens co...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 9 min
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 peace. The S(h)elf exhibit is showing in the white house space on the campus of MOCAD. The home welcome...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 52 min
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 drug substance. This creates many banking and taxation challenges on a Federal level. These challen...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 47 min
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 property she exclusively believed in and now welcomes tens of thousands annually to s actual space....
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 32 min
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, Aknartoons, Northern HS Jayhawks, etc. Prostell shares his process of spending mornings with music, tec...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 35 min
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, 2022, 10 am – 4 pm visit Eastern Market and see what All Things Detroit is all about. Watch the in...
Apr 06, 2022•57 min
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 how her grandfather’s view of plain business inspired this vision. Learn how Keyra’s understanding o...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min
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 impacted both women. Inner City Sub Center, Eastland, Chandler Park, and Alkebu-lan Village are all hi...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min
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 something “nice" for yourself but making sure we are replenishing all of the care and love we give so freely...
Mar 23, 2022•1 hr 25 min
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 ‘good school’ was not the right fit for her. Discover how her time after school with her mother playing ...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 13 min
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 in 1906. The disconnect from the farm in Halifax, VA, only recently brought the family back to tend t...
Feb 23, 2022•21 min
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-lan Village & Online virtually). We discuss the call to action for African Centered Education and t...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr 2 min
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, church, poetry beginnings that led to her embracing the stage today are what sparked her journey connect...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 3 min
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 Cass Tech learning under the tutelage of the historic Ms. McCormick. Devin shares what he learned the...
Feb 02, 2022•1 hr 6 min
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 knowledge-seeking mother, Shimekia followed suit. An Aisha Shule & W.E.B. DuBois Preparatory Aca...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 4 min
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 chocolate city of Washington DC and Detroit. Jefani shares about her time working and managing LePetit Zinc ...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min
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 giving an insightful perspective to this all. Allen was born in Ann Arbor as his parents finished their c...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 51 min
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 Different’s live stream was a success as well. Rev. Teferi Brent, Brandon Jessup, Nadia Love, Prostell ...
Jan 06, 2022•2 hr 4 min
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 exist in Henry Ford Hospital’s plans. Yusef Bunchy Shakur tells the story of how his grandmother and ke...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 25 min
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 glass ceiling in corporate America as a Black man. How General Motors rewarded fellow white co-worker...
Dec 23, 2021•2 hr 16 min
Malik Yakini is a Detroit original. Naturally creative and driven towards a higher quality of life through Black Liberation, Gardening, and seeking Knowledge are pillars of life I’ve witnessed from Baba Malik. He was the original guest on Detroit is Different and seven years later he joins me again to speak in more of the macro on philosophy, theory, and the need for action in our community. Malik is dynamic from works leading reggae band (Akoben), helping found an African centered school (Nsoro...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Design is the key to all art. Mike Willingham is an artist that has used design to guide a career, business, and opportunity. Michael Roze Artistry has a portfolio of jewelry, visual arts, clothing, and more. He joins Detroit is Different to discuss the impact of Cass Tech, his Father, visions, and plans for art, and more. This is an insight into how a designer thinks about art and more. Witness more of the art on Instagram at Grind Ave and RozeGoldJCO today. Detroit is Different is a podcast ho...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Give to the Detroit is Different Ca$hApp Crowdfund Campaign at $Detroit501c3 on CashApp Detroit is Different Community Group is a nonprofit Michigan corporation formed by Khary Frazier to bridge the gap between marginalized Black Detroiters and traditional local media outlets by producing an annual 12-week summer series entitled a lot of Studio.” An obvious play on words and true to its name, a lot of Studio creates the live studio audience experience within the heart of a westside Detroit neigh...
Nov 30, 2021•29 min
Detroit Hip-hop has roots that reach through the 1990s, connecting rappers, producers, and DJs. DJ Butter was one of the first hip-hop DJs with an official mixtape, I remember. Kill the DJ was an album he pressed up thousands of albums independently distributing and marketing. In this Detroit is Different interview, we discuss J Dilla, Proof, his start in Highland Park with hip-hop, and more. Today DJ Butter helps anchor the work of J Dilla and others. He joins me for a Detroit is Different inte...
Nov 16, 2021•56 min
Mentorship and seeking brotherhood were tenets of life that guided Greg G Mac McKenzie at an early age. The master emcee of hip-hop helping lead vocals for Detroit's eclectically African-centered band experience of Mollywop opens up about his journey as a child. Boxing, hip-hop, and joining a gang were his understandings of brotherhood until destiny connected him with the Alekebulan Village. In this Detroit is Different we talk about how his past was an anchor for today. Detroit is Different is ...
Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 1 min
T Barb’s laugh, smile, and joking style have been a beckon of light in tough times and a gateway for business opportunities. The lifelong Detroiter groomed in the Mackenzie neighborhood is now a national brand. The Vegan Chef, Author, Business Consultant, and Comedian are hats she wears, but her personality anchor her in many things. Learning about her journey through a rougher childhood connected her to becoming a social worker. See what an invitation to a comedy night connected her to a new pa...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The original interview with Charlie Beckham was fun, engaging, and eye-opening. Today he is back to talk more about his life story. The one-man stage play is now a film shown on Thursday, November 11, 2021, at 7 pm at the Charles H Wright Museum. His story opens up about the targeting of leaders and public officials under a microscope from the FBI. This interview explores in more detail the roles public officials play in Detroit politics. This is another piece of the puzzle into the wit, charact...
Nov 09, 2021•33 min
Stefany Washington is a self-proclaimed “whole vibe” and interviewing her was a joyous experience. Frustrated with the city’s approach to economic development, this local Detroiter decided to do something about it. Not only did she put in her bid as a mayoral candidate, but she has also been helping community members understand the ins and outs of home improvement, homeownership, and navigating policy jargon. Along with Steffany’s community efforts, she also discusses her goals to change the nar...
Nov 04, 2021•59 min
Tia Ervin is a legitimate hustler, social media influencer, and young parent-turned advocate. She works in the field of education and community outreach. Although she has a number of projects that she’s working on, her priority is supporting her children to cultivate their goals into businesses. In this interview, we explore the background of this Detroit native, what makes her different, and what her mantra “I Am for My Four” truly means. Join me as we talk a little trash with Tee! Detroit is D...
Nov 04, 2021•43 min
