Cover Story
The book of Skilla Baby
Skilla Baby and his manager Nique are sitting on the fourth floor of Detroit’s Capitol Square Building relaxed and chill. Nique is scrolling on his phone while Skilla is on FaceTime with fellow emcee (and cousin) Tay-B talking about who can beat who on the basketball court. Skilla’s apparel is video-shoot ready — jeans, Timbs,…
Singer-songwriter Michigander bounces back from music video accident for biggest tour yet
Jason Singer endured a long journey before seeing the March 31 release date arrive for his latest EP, It Will Never Be The Same. Singer, who records under the name Michigander (a nod to his home state), was heading full steam toward an Oct. 7, 2022 release of the EP when the proverbial rug was…
‘Weird’ chain Pizza Cat is opening a Westland location
With a promise to “keep pizza weird,” the Pizza Cat chain has offbeat toppings like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Grippos potato chips — pies seemingly tailored for stoners with a serious case of the munchies. The company seems to be leaning into that demographic for the grand opening of its latest Detroit-area location. Pizza Cat…
House of Dank is One of Three Exclusive Retailers of 710 Labs
710 Labs Launches in Michigan with Takeover Party Hosted by House of Dank MICHIGAN, April 11 – 710 Labs, the award-winning cannabis brand known for producing high-quality concentrate products, has announced its official launch in Michigan with a takeover party hosted by House of Dank in Monroe. The takeover, set to take place on April…
Detroit’s Movement festival reveals 2023 stages and lineups
Detroit’s Movement music festival has revealed the stages and showcases for its 2023 edition, which returns to Hart Plaza during Memorial Day weekend. More than 115 acts are set to perform across six stages, plus pop-up performances and a first-ever festival showcase by British dance music label Defected Records. JARS returns as the festival’s cannabis…
Detroit finally begins offering benefits to overtaxed residents
The city of Detroit took the first steps toward partially compensating homeowners who were overtaxed by at least $600 million between 2010 and 2016. On Monday, the Detroit City Council unanimously approved a series of benefits for the overtaxed homeowners. Activists have called on the city to reimburse residents with cash payments, but Mayor Mike…
EPA proposal would reduce emissions from Michigan coal plants
The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules to limit emissions of mercury and other pollutants from coal-fired power plants. Experts say the move will bring major health improvements to Michigan and other Midwestern states. The rule change would lower emissions known to harm brain development in children and contribute to heart disease and respiratory problems…
Don’t sleep on the surprise drop by Detroit rapper Zelooperz
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it to music@metrotimes.com. Zelooperz drops surprise album: Bruiser Brigade affiliate Zelooperz has only ever been in his own lane, with a penchant for psychedelic production and seemingly off-the-dome rhymes. So, it comes as no surprise that he would drop a surprise album, with the release of Microphone Fiend a…
Final Fantasy symphony orchestra to return to the DSO this summer
The teenage otaku in us said “Woah, dude” when we received an email about the music from the Final Fantasy video games coming to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The official Final Fantasy symphony orchestra concert, Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, is embarking on a 2023 tour which stops at Detroit’s Orchestra Hall on June…
Motown Museum launches new residency program for young entrepreneurs
The Motown Museum is looking to incubate the next generation of Detroit music entrepreneurs with a new residency. On Monday, the museum announced its new Pop Shop Entrepreneur in Residence Program for youth ages 13-18 “to create a business tangentially connected to the music industry.” As part of its Hitsville NEXT programming, the residency will…
Detroiter charged with a felony for allegedly burying dog alive
A 20-year-old Detroit man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly burying a dog alive. Jacob Xavier Kasper faces up to seven years in prison on a felony count of second-degree killing/torturing of an animal and abandoning/cruelty of an animal. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office alleges Kasper buried the dog alive on the 1700…
Detroit’s Dutch Girl Donuts building is up for sale
It was early September 2021 when Detroit doughnut staple Dutch Girl Donuts announced it would be “temporarily” closing due to staffing. Later that month, Dutch Girl owner Gene Timmer died at age 75 due to complications from cancer. And now, in a social media post on Monday morning, Dutch Girl Donuts announced that the building…
Detroit cannabis consumption festival with live music set for April
The third annual 420 Cannabis Music Festival will be held in Detroit in April — and it’s unlike any event ever held in the city. The festival on April 29 in Corktown will include food and marijuana vendors, live music, DJs, giveaways, special guests, and designated cannabis consumption areas. Unlike previous cannabis events in the…
New ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ flick is a mess — and worst of all, not funny
Twenty-three years ago, there was a Dungeons & Dragons movie that wasn’t intended as a comedy but was so bad it was absolutely hilarious. I didn’t review it. I don’t even remember much about it except the experience: I have vivid memories of sitting in that multiplex guffawing nonstop — nonstop, I tell you —…
In Michigan, DeSantis describes his enemies: The ‘legacy’ media and the ‘woke’ left
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a long list of people, groups, and ideas he took issue with during a visit to Hillsdale College in southern Michigan Thursday night. The Republican went after the “woke” left; the concept of “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” which he liked to deem “division, exclusion, and indoctrination”; a public education system…
Lapointe: Sign of the times in Mount Clemens
On the gritty western edge of Mount Clemens there sits a squat, gleaming, fortified building called JARS Cannabis, a branch of a marijuana dispensary chain. Coincidentally, the site once boasted a florist and the smokable form of the weed is often marketed as “flower.” JARS is one of the busiest retail venues on this patch…
Ex-state Rep. Cynthia Johnson goes on transphobic rant
Former state Rep. Cynthia A. Johnson, a Democrat from Detroit, launched into a transphobic rant on social media on Thursday, drawing criticism from her followers. Johnson, who unsuccessfully ran for chair of the Michigan Democratic Party this year, called it “bullshit” for people to use pronouns that don’t match the sex they were assigned at…
Michigan Senate bill would improve transparency, accountability for utility companies
A Republican state senator plans to introduce legislation intended to increase transparency and accountability for Michigan’s major utility companies. The bill by Sen. Jim Runestad, of White Lake, would change how members of the powerful Michigan Public Service Commission are chosen and establish lobbying requirements for utility providers. The governor currently appoints members to the…
Mieyoshi Ragernoir radiates joy in first solo show
This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com. Artist of the week: Mieyoshi Ragernoir When Mieyoshi Ragernoir moved to Michigan in 2020 for graduate school, she had no idea a healing journey awaited her. Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she…
Detroit City Council OKs $12.69M opioid settlement
The Detroit city council approved a $12.69 million opioid settlement on Tuesday against four companies they say contributed to the opioid epidemic. Detroit was one of about 4,000 local governments that sued opioid manufacturers and distributors. The funds will flow to local governments and the state. Detroit sued several groups including Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.,…
Allen Park Starbucks workers unanimously vote to unionize
Workers at a Downriver Starbucks store unanimously voted to form a union, 12-0. The vote from workers at the store at 23005 Outer Dr., Allen Park occurred Wednesday, making it the 13th Michigan store to join the Starbucks Workers United campaign. “We at Starbucks Allen Park, store 9435, are proud to announce our unanimous YES…
Ex-House Speaker Rick Johnson, 3 others charged in cannabis bribery scandal
Former Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson and three others were charged Thursday in connection with a bribery scandal involving the state’s medical marijuana industry. Johnson, a 70-year-old Republican from Leroy, was charged alongside registered lobbyists Vincent Brown and Brian Pierce, and cannabis business owner John Dawood Dalaly. The former lawmaker, who served as speaker of…
J Dilla catalog released to Stem Player
Tracks by the late Detroit producer J Dilla have been released to the Stem Player, a puck-shaped device that allows fans to remix music and is famous for hosting the only official release of Kanye West’s 2022 album Donda 2. Under the 10-year deal, approved by Dilla’s mother Maureen Yancey, aka Ma Dukes, the late…
Ann Arbor’s Bao Boys food truck serves up some of the best buns in Michigan
While bao buns function as a slightly sweet but mostly plain flavor backdrop for whichever meats and vegetables they’re stuffed with, it’s the steamed buns’ soft, pillowy texture that really enhances the small packages, which are effectively sandwiches. For that reason, bao buns are one of the universe’s best vessels for pork belly, or chashu,…
This animated short on MTV was made by a Dearborn illustrator
Huda Fahmy wasn’t allowed to watch MTV when she was growing up in Dearborn. Now the Egyptian-American illustrator and writer’s work is being shown across the network. An animated short by Fahmy premiered across MTV Entertainment Group platforms at the start of April for Arab American Heritage Month. It’s a humorous take on her family’s…
Kevin Smith and ‘Clerks’ cast to appear at ‘Astronomicon 6.5’
Director Kevin Smith and other members of his “View Askew” extended universe are slated to appear at Astronomicon 6.5, the pop culture convention set for Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 at Livonia’s Burton Manor. Smith was supposed to appear at last month’s Astronomicon 6, but was forced to cancel his travel plans due…
The Megabus now goes from Detroit to Toronto
For the first time, the Megabus bus service is now selling tickets for rides connecting Detroit and Toronto. The new service includes two trips daily between the two cities with a number of stops in Ontario in Windsor, Chatham, London, and Paris. The expanded service is made possible through a partnership with Trailways of New…
Gov. Whitmer repeals Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban
abortion rights, Planned Parenthood, miscarriage, women’s health, politics, Michigan GOP, Roe v. Wade, women’s rights, civil rights, Detroit, Lansing
Songwriter Shane Firek says farewell to the Ferdy Mayne
In a way, the Ferdy Mayne never went away. And in a way, it never will… Nevertheless, this weekend is your last chance to see the Ferdy Mayne. Sort of, at least. Shane Firek is the talented singer-songwriter and guitarist who emerged from the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor music scene back in 2009 using the actual name…
Macomb County man whacks clerk with frozen fish
Warren police reeled in a suspect accused of whacking a grocery store employee across the head with a four-pound frozen fish. MD Jobul Hussain, of Warren, was charged Monday with one count of aggravated assault. Macomb County prosecutors say Hussain was angry that a clerk at Desi Fruit Market on Nine Mile Road wouldn’t sell…
Jet’s Pizza brings back BLT topping following outcry
Due to popular demand, Jet’s Pizza says it’s bringing back its BLT Pizza. The item was first introduced in June 2002 and removed nearly 20 years later in February 2021, leading to outcry among customers. In a press release sent Wednesday, CEO John Jetts said the menu item is back for good. “I guess it’s…
Grand Rapids cannabis operators chafe under city’s social equity rules
When Grand Rapids enacted a social equity program for recreational cannabis, the goal was to create “equitable policies and opportunities that address the historical systemic and institutional injustices often connected to cannabis.” But some cannabis operators say the rules are nearly impossible to follow as business grows. The Grand Rapids City Commission amended its cannabis…
Metro Detroit under tornado watch, National Weather Service reports
A nasty line of thunderstorms is headed toward metro Detroit on Wednesday and could spawn tornadoes, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned. NWS issued a tornado watch for Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, as well as areas north of metro Detroit, until 4 p.m. The low-pressure system is sending a strong cold front through southeast…
Detroit plans $45 million for digital equity
The city of Detroit plans to spend $45 million of one-time money to bridge the digital divide in the Motor City while employing more residents in technology work through training, internship, and certification. Within her first 45 days at work, Christine Burkette, Detroit’s new digital equity director, plans to use data-driven numbers and community engagement…
J Dilla’s legacy shines in new Hulu documentary
When James Yancey aka J Dilla died on February 10, 2006, at age 32 following a battle with a rare blood disease, the hip-hop community was stunned as many peers and fans weren’t aware of the severity of the Detroit beatmaker and Slum Village member’s health. As the years have gone by his reputation has…
Free Will Astrology (April 5-11)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries-born René Descartes (1596–1650) was instrumental in developing modern science and philosophy. His famous motto, “I think, therefore I am” is an assertion that the analytical component of intelligence is primary and foremost. And yet, few history books mention the supernatural intervention that was pivotal in his evolution as a supreme…
