Last night, October 17, the best of Detroit hip hop (minus Eminem) got together to perform a benefit concert for Hex Murda. Some may know him as the manager of Detroit's top acts (Black Milk, Elzhi, and Guilty Simpson among others) but to be honest he is actually one of the pivotal figures of the city's hip hop scene. All the acts he works with have been able to put out studio releases when they wanted, and a lot of those projects have been met with critical acclaim. On top of that, he just flat out knows the business of the industry back and forth. This is not a look at Hex's contributions though. I personally don't know his story well enough to do him justice. This is a look at why Detroit stands as one of the most renowned city's for musical output. If you have ever learned anything about music history you probably already have a few artists on your mind right now. What is it about this place? Let's take a look:
1. It's in the midwest:
This isn't a diss to other regions of the country, but the midwest has always been the place to turn out some stellar music. Detroit undoubtedly had Motown. Gary, IN was the hometown of Michael Jackson (and the rest of the clan). Chicago is responsible for Earth, Wind & Fire. And so on. It's important to recognize this, especially today when the majority of popular music seems to creep up from the South. I have no problem with the South, but I can't stand the fact that some of their seemlessly effortless attempts to make good music end up becoming the club bangers that Detroiters fall in love with ("Stanky Leg", Shawty Lo, "Make the trap aye", Plies, and Gucci Mane). There's the occasional joint from Fab or Jay-Z (Brooklyn!). And where would we be without hearing the 150+ names that The Game loves to drop over the course of 48 bars? Yeah we have Kanye West (and now Kid Cudi) but in the last few years Kanye has found himself dividing his fanbase (the auto-tune album, his guest spots on the Beyonce song, his verse on the Rick Ross album, and of course his "outbursts"). I love Mr. West, but in the last year I have found myself listening to his music more so because of him being Kanye West, and not necessarily because I liked what was being said. But I'm getting off topic. The point is that Detroit artists have been putting out music that you don't hear. In an industry dominated by "all sex, no talent" singers and "get swag, get cash" rappers, Detroit's music scene is the perfect getaway from the 95.5 flavor of popular music (yes, shots fired).
2. This city is responsible for some of your favorite music
Like I mentioned above, Detroit was the home of Motown records. I don't even have to dig deep to show you the impact it had on American culture. But in case you want to get into it, go find your favorite singer. Ask him or her who influenced the style. If they name 10 artists, I'm willing to bet more than 5 are going to be from the Motown era. And just in case you are asking a younger female singer, she'll probably say Aaliyah. The city is also the birthplace of techno (shoutout to the Belleville trio). Thousands of people flood the streets of downtown every summer to celebrate the legacy of electronic music that the city started. Not a techno fan? Fine. The city is also home to Alice Cooper and the White Stripes. Cooper being renowned for his illustroious live performances. The White Stripes being cited as the revival of the mainstream garage rock scene (which is huge in Detroit). And then we have this thing called Jazz...but I won't go over your head with that rich bit of history. Basically, it's only natural that a city that has done so much for music would be the home to so many artists who are continuing to push the envelope in hip hop.
3. It's rough in these streets
I won't get too deep into this, but if you have watched anything in the news about Detroit in the last few years you would know that things have been going haywire in the city. The economy, the politicians, the "worst of" lists, the tough break playoffs, the Lions, the schools...it's just too much. But in times of struggle, music always speaks to the masses. Think Marvin Gaye "What's going on" or even N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton". With so much stuff going on, artists have endless amounts of stuff to talk about.
These are the Big 3 (Detroit reference) that I believe have made this city a great place for music. Sure there are others that could be argued. Feel free to add your 2 cents.
Hasslehuff
