If you look around, it seems everybody is searching for a bit of nostalgia. Just a few weeks ago, the world was caught up in “what happened in 2016,” a trend that touched every social platform, influencing the masses to share their memories from 10 years ago for weeks on end. Another popular trend, 2000s parties, went crazy last summer, and the amount of events requiring baggy clothes, velour sets, and airbrush tees had us feeling like we were all in a music video, the good kind.
On 313 Day, that feeling of revisiting a moment in time is arriving in the form of a long-lost hip-hop project finally seeing the light of day.
Fifteen years later, one local artist is digging deep into the crates for a rebirth of a 2011 compilation album, McBANGER. The project is curated by Scootie McB, a multi-hyphenate artist, designer, and producer from Detroit’s west side.
“In 2010, there was a resurgence of new artists in Detroit,” he shares on how this came about. “My relationships had grown with so many individuals that I decided to take the initiative and assemble something never done before for Detroit music.”
During this era, events were being produced, artists were making names for themselves, and the community had grown into its own ecosystem of talent.
“What inspired me the most to do this project was the creative synergy that was going on in Detroit with new artists,” he says. “So many people were able to come together through various events, such as The Air Up There, The Kickback, The Red Cup Sessions. The goal was always to curate songs with artists that had never worked together before and create some uncanny collaborations.”
Other inspiration came from DJ Drama’s first Gangsta Grillz album, which Scootie felt offered a model in camaraderie that Detroit artists needed. From there, he dreamed up what this could be, an album where we saw and heard artists unite sonically.
“After getting this grandiose idea, I took my first trip to New York, but when I returned I got the news that my family and I were being evicted from our home due to foreclosure,” he explains. “This would eventually turn to me relocating to Chicago to live with my family in 2011 for a year.”
During this time, he found ways to stay creative and make a living, never giving up on his original plan. “I would travel back to Detroit for an entire week every month to book recording sessions with artists from all over Detroit,” he says.
Despite his location, it was a must to be a part of and create within the organic creativity being produced in the city. Thanks to his large and friendly personality, he’d made a way for himself in the community before he even knew McBANGER would be a thing.
“With me meeting so many people, I accumulated a network of producers and musicians now to source for production,” he says. “I was able to sit with music to think of certain artists who would fit into particular songs.”
From there, he began working with artists like ZelooperZ, Nolan the Ninja, Phil Swish, DeJ Loaf, Richy Marciano, Moschino Jones, Reason, MC Marie, Phil Fresh, and A-Minus. “What a time to be a fly in the room,” Scootie says with excitement, looking back on those studio sessions. “It was always a great time, people pulling up off the intention to create and make something crazy, a certified banger. I would imagine I know what it felt like when Wu-Tang Clan first started. Everyone was coming with their sword sharpened, performing their best. Nobody lacked in those sessions.”
Like Wu-Tang, this was a true coming of age, before many of the artists reached new levels of stardom and fame, when it was just the music community of Detroit. “A portion of the project was recorded with Don Kutta, he had a beautiful finished basement with great recording equipment to get it done,” Scootie says. “To be around so many great artists and peers of my time was such a moment that you couldn’t pay for it … People coming through in fire outfits and being inspired while they’re also preparing solo projects that they were working on at the time.”
He was able to use another of his skills, music production, to fine-tune and complete the project and paid attention to different settings and moments captured during studio sessions. “All the artists that I knew had released so much music that I knew [their] recording styles,” he says. “I would listen to beats and mimic their styles as if I were them, and how they would potentially approach the song.”
He adds, “It’s like putting a puzzle piece in the right spot just so the picture is complete.”
There’s something to be said about the times we are in now, where the music scene is more widely accepted, yet some still miss the old era, the hunger that came with the grind, and having to be creative to be heard. This tape gives us a moment to relive that, to hear the freedom of just creating without a cause, exploring time and sound.
Upon first listen, it gave that energy, which was refreshing. Similar to DJ Drama, you’d hear Scootie narrating the songs, providing an outline for what’s to come. This took me back to a time when music was music, creativity reigned supreme, and things were just fun. To hear that in 2026, from a Detroit-based artist, feels nostalgic but new.
To give the project some extra significance, Scootie decided to release it on “Detroit Day,” or March 13 — a nod to the city’s area code and a celebration of its culture.
“Now, it’s a time capsule being unearthed in 2026, so why not let the world hear what I had put together,” was his thought process, he says.
“It was important that I preserved a bit of our culture before the industry took notice,” he says. “As far as the artist that I reached out to, I knew that they would be successful.” From his perspective, what changed things was Big Sean signing to GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. “It was like a microscope was put on Detroit for new artists,” he says. “We got this gradual explosion of people coming out of the city like Danny Brown, Doughboyz Cashout, Dusty McFly, Boldy James, Kash Doll, Tee Grizzley, the list is insane now when you look back at it — from getting signed to major labels, tours, independent labels, selling merchandise, and new opportunities to grow.”
Despite the purity of his creation, this was still very personal. A creative by nature, Scootie says he’s ready to really clarify who he is and his talents, and let the people know who Scootie McB is. Life happened when he initially planned to release it. He became a father and focused more on her upbringing and a new project, screenprinting for his brand SERCH/DSTROY. The tape, steady on his mind, was never the right time to release — that is, until now.
“It was a box that I needed to check off on my huge list of ‘Things Scootie McB Has Done,’” he says. “I have other projects in mind for the future and would love to contribute more consistently. People know me, but they don’t know how creative I am.”
You can catch the energy at the album release party from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, March 13 at Dwell Studio, 2000 Brooklyn St., Detroit. More information is available at eventbrite.com.