Cover Story
Detroit breakout rap star Tee Grizzley keeps it real
It’s approximately three hours before the framed glass doors will swing open at the Fillmore Detroit on Saturday, Feb. 24, the 11th stop of the 31-city the Cold Summer Tour featuring rappers Tee Grizzley and Jeezy. The two are a perfect pairing; though they differ in age, both rap and rep for the streets. Jeezy;…
Watch Harlem rapper Smoke DZA make fire at the Pike Room
Harlem-based rapper Smoke DZA is not for sale — or so he professes on his latest record of the same name. Born Sean Pompey, Smoke DZA grew up on the sounds of fellow New Yorkers like Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G., and discovered his own clever aspirational aesthetic. “The director, a fly lecture/ The bullshit side…
Bidding adieu to the Old Miami’s annual Movement party
For non-raving locals, it may be hard to imagine a three-hour-long line wrapped around the Cass Corridor block on which the Old Miami sits. The veteran’s bar (Miami stands for “Missing in Action Michigan”) is known by Detroiters as a low-key, no-frills hangout where you can kick back on a broken-in couch in a setting…
Adopt don’t shop — Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo adoption event returns
Since 1993, the Michigan Humane Society has teamed up with the Detroit Zoo to play matchmaker with thousands of adoptable pets and their future besties. This semi-annual event, Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo, has paired more than 25,000 dogs, cats, and rabbits with their humans. This year, more than 40 local animal welfare…
Let Vance Joy work his sappy music magic on you at the Fox Theatre
Mending a broken heart? Falling in love? There’s a soundtrack for all of that, thanks to little cutie extraordinaire and crooner from Down Under, Vance Joy, known best for his endearing brand of indie, chart-topping sap. Proficient in foot-stomping, sing-along songs, it was Joy’s breakout hit “Riptide” that topped global charts in 2013 and became…
Singer-songwriter and MacArthur Fellowship ‘Genius’ Rhiannon Giddens to play Michigan Theater
Rhiannon Giddens has a heavy heart — and we are grateful that she wants to share the entirety of its contents with us. The singer-songwriter and banjo goddess is a recipient of theMacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and is also a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. In 2017 the North Carolina native released Freedom Highway,…
April showers bring all the May flowers at Flower Day at Eastern Market this Sunday
It’s true, this past winter was one of the worst in history, and it took us more than 200 days to feel the joy of a 70-degree day. But fear not, Michiganders, spring has arrived, and here to roll out the old welcome wagon is Flower Day at Eastern Market. Thanks to the Metro Detroit…
Schuette: Won’t somebody please think of the poor private schools?
You’ve got to hand it to Michigan’s Attorney General Bill Schuette: He’s consistent, if only in his inconsistency. Given a chance to cede a hopeless legal battle to keep gay marriage illegal in 2015, Schuette refused. The state could have been the 37th state to legalize gay marriage; instead, it was among the last, compelled…
A new craft cocktail bar and performance venue is in the works in Hamtramck
A new craft cocktail bar and performance venue focusing on music and theater is planned for a now-vacant Hamtramck building. Barter Detroit co-owners Cait Pluto, Jake Goodrich, and Jennifer Sandella say they’re set to begin construction on a former travel agency at 11601 Joseph Campau, and are targeting an October opening. Goodrich is a Michigan-native…
Art collective behind naked Trump statues to exhibit new work in Detroit showcase
A traveling showcase of films and installations that reflect on art as a form of dissent comes through Detroit tomorrow for a one-night-only presentation that will incorporate a group of subversive local artists. COLLECT CALL will be held at the K.O. Gallery in Hamtramck. The showcase is anchored by new work from the activist-art collective…
Survey finds Michigan teachers don’t want to be given guns to deter school shootings
The vast majority of Michigan school staff members do not want to see educators given guns to deter school shootings, a new poll released by the Michigan Education Association has found. The survey, which polled 1,005 public school employees who are MEA members, found 71 percent oppose allowing school employees to carry concealed guns in schools,…
Detroit’s Bike to Work Day offers a chance to cycle into springtime
This Friday is National Bike to Work Day, a day when veteran cyclists and bicycling advocates pull out all the stops trying to persuade people to ditch the car for a day and head to work via pedal power. Their inducements will work best for those who have a traditional commute — that is to say,…
Dan Gilbert is fighting Detroit’s request for tenant info in tax-evasion crackdown
Things are getting ugly in Detroit’s crackdown on suburban tax-evaders, pitting Mayor Mike Duggan against the unofficial mayor of Detroit, Dan Gilbert. Now, the city is suing Gilbert’s Bedrock Management Services to force it to provide information on its tenants to make sure they are paying city taxes. In recent months, the city has widened the scope…
Islamophobe’s coffee shop tirade at woman in niqab goes viral, prompts local reaction
Video of a snarling man-child insulting a Muslim woman at a California coffee shop has gone viral, becoming the latest hateful episode caught on a smart phone to capture the country’s attention. The woman behind the camera, who was reportedly wearing a niqab, begins recording after the man apparently asks her if it’s Halloween. She…
Hall and Oates will make dreams come true at Little Caesars Arena
That “name a more iconic duo” meme can be put to rest because the search was over long before it started. For nearly 50 years, Hall and Oates have been enchanting the masses as quite possibly the most iconic duo ever, and their songwriting sorcery cannot be rivaled by anyone. OK, so that’s a pretty…
Why you should tune into Video7’s ‘Cable Nite’ at El Club
Even if you haven’t heard of Video7 by now, it;s likely you’ve witnessed one of its 17 members captivate a late-night audience somewhere in the city. Dirty Dog? Motor City Wine? Saint Andrew’s? Cliff Bells? The Schvitz? Well, Video7’s Cable Nite is your one and only chance to witness the whole squad come together on…
Questlove to honor Prince with celebration at Fox Theatre
It’s been 9 hours and 754 days since Prince went away. In the two years since his passing, the world agrees, nothing compares to Prince. But if someone were to be tasked with honoring the fallen icon, who better than one of his biggest admirers. Enter, Questlove. The Roots drummer, co-frontman, and musical mastermind has…
Grand Prix’s Belle Isle construction period is longer than what Penske claims
As we’ve previously reported, the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix has one of the longest construction timelines for any street race in the world. We verified that by checking the construction period for all other IndyCar and Formula One races worldwide. Penske’s team used to spend nearly four months on the project, but it claims the…
Squirrel goes nuts, stores 50 lbs of pine cones in the engine of Michigan man’s car
Friday, May 11 was an average morning for Gaylord resident Kellen Moore. That is until he arrived to his opening shift at the Iron Pig Smokehouse and realized that there had to be an explanation as to why his vehicle’s air conditioning sounded funny. Moore’s friend, Gave Awrey, took to Facebook to share his findings,…
Margot Kidder dead at 69 — was to appear at Motor City Comic Con this weekend
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Margot Kidder, the female lead of 1978’s Superman — and several other ensuing sequels — has died. Kidder was to have been a guest at this weekend’s Motor City Comic Con. Kidder was by birth a Canadian, born in far-off Yellowknife, up in the Northwest Territories. Like a lot of Canadians,…
Gather your woes — Drake is coming to LCA with Migos this summer
Ever since he left the city, we’ve been waiting for Drake to call us on our cellphone — or at least come back to Detroit seeing that it’s been a two-year drought without our beloved Drizzy, and we are thirsty. On Monday, Drake announced the Aubrey & The Three Amigos tour and invited special guest…
Michigan minister believes he has captured image of angel over his truck
A Michigan parishioner believes his security camera captured an image of an angel flying over his pickup truck. Last week, Glen Thorman, the fire chief and a member of the congregation at Jordan Rivers Church in East Jordan, out in Charlevoix County, says his home security system, activated by motion, sent him a brief video clip…
The last word: The Hummer was created by mixologist Jerome Adams at Bayview
An interesting piece in the Detroit Free Press dredges up an old controversy that we’d long considered settled. The tempest in a pint glass is: Who invented the Hummer? And in case you didn’t know, the Hummer is a cocktail, a Detroit innovation that has long appealed to Detroit’s boating crowd. The article delves into…
Detroit aquarium idea floated, only to find upstream fight
An idea proposed just two weeks ago for an aquarium on the Detroit riverfront already seems to be facing critical discussion from Detroit leaders that may find it swimming upstream for a home. The topic first bubbled up May 1, when a Detroit Free Press article revealed that Detroit Zoo honchos had long been considering…
Noble Fish sushi owners are planning Japanese bakeries in Clawson, Novi
True World Group, the company that owns Clawson’s popular Noble Fish sushi restaurant and grocery store, is planning new Japanese Bakeries in Novi and Clawson. The New Jersey-based company hired formerly California-based chef Doran Brooks to open White Wolf Japanese Patisserie, Hometown Life reports. They’re looking at sites near Noble Fish’s 14 Mile Road and Main…
Detroit’s Pi-Sci Pizza is selling a Wu-Tang Clan-themed ‘Cashew Rules Everything Around Me’ pie
Just in time for hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan’s big 25th anniversary performance at Detroit’s Movement Electronic Music Festival, organizers have teamed up with Detroit’s Pi-Sci Pizza for a special themed pie. The “Cashew Rules Everything Around Me” is available now through May 20. The recipe includes chimichurri sauce (Argentinian pesto with parsley, shallot, jalapeño), lemon asparagus, mushrooms, cashew…
Neil Young loves Detroit and is headed to the Fox Theatre for intimate solo show
The incomparable Neil Young is hitting the road for a short string of intimate solo shows and Detroit has been chosen as one of the tour’s six destinations. The tour includes stops in St. Louis and back-to-back shows in Chicago and Boston. Young will perform at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on Tuesday, July 3 In a…
Young man dead in second officer-involved shooting in Royal Oak in two months
A 20-year-old was shot and killed by a Royal Oak police officer early this morning, marking the second deadly shooting by a police officer in the low-crime city within a two-month stretch. Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue says the young man, Cody Reynolds, had stabbed his mother and hit his father over the head with a…
Immigration advocates begin 9-day walk to Lansing to fight deportation of Albanian man
Michigan immigrant rights advocates are embarking on a more than week-long journey from Detroit to Lansing in an effort to get a court to stay the deportation of Albanian immigrant Ded Rranxburgaj. Rranxburgaj, an Albanian immigrant whose home is Southgate, has been living with his family in a Detroit church since he was targeted for…
Michigan Medicaid work rules would apply mostly to black people, new analysis finds
As we reported earlier this week, a Republican-sponsored bill that would require many Michiganders receiving Medicaid to work 29 hours a week to keep their benefits includes a seemingly discriminatory provision. People who live in counties with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or more are exempt from the work rules, but people in high-unemployment cities…
Canadian official gets apology after being asked to remove turban at Detroit airport
Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development is speaking out about a possibly discriminatory incident he says took place at Detroit Metro Airport in 2017. Navdeep Bains tell Canadian outlet La Presse that he was asked last year to remove his turban while traveling through the airport, despite having passed all necessary security procedures. “I went…
This Detroit girl nailed Cardi B’s Met Gala look
Werk, girl! A 5-year-old Detroiter named Aili Adalia has gone viral after recreating rapper Cardi B’s look from this year’s big star-studded Met Gala, which featured a (somewhat baffling yet visually interesting) Catholic church theme. We all know the #metgala was yesterday evening! And each and every year, @aili_in_town picks her favorite from the red carpet!! Can…
Dita Von Teese stopped by Detroit’s Willis Show Bar
Burlesque star Dita Von Teese explored Detroit after her Thursday performance at the Fillmore, stopping by the recently reopened Willis Show Bar for a low-key, late-night unofficial afterparty. The Michigan native and current Los Angeles resident showed up at the bar with an entourage of her fellow “Copper Coupe Burlesque Revue” co-stars. And while the bar does…
Someone please buy this midcentury fixer-upper in Detroit so we can eat fondue with you
Key parties, fondue, and the fear of nuclear fallout — ahh, simpler times. For $55,000 you could turn this midcentury fixer-upper nestled in a wooded neighborhood of Detroit and begin the process of fulfilling all of your wildest Mad Men-inspired dreams. You know, save the rampant infidelity and casual alcoholism. Located just a few blocks north…
Nestlé to send more than 1 million bottles of water to Flint this summer
Sources say that international food giant Nestlé will send 100,000 bottles of water per week to Flint. A local paper reported that Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that Nestlé Waters North America would be sending truckloads of free water to three distribution centers in the city. The water will come from the company’s bottling plant in…
The QLine is one year old — here’s the grade its CEO gives it
The QLine, Detroit’s 3.3-mile long streetcar system, opened to much fanfare exactly a year ago tomorrow. But in its first 365 days, the line has been beset by problems, including low ridership and regular stoppages due to parked cars along the track. For QLine CEO Matt Cullen, however, the street car’s performance merits a solid…
Northwest Detroit’s Jamaican Pot is opening a New Center location
Jamaican Pot is planning a new location for the New Center One building in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. Co-owner Mama Rose tells Metro Times that the restaurant will likely open the first week of July in the building’s food court. The menu will be similar to that at its small carryout spot on Eight Mile…
Consuming CBD if you’re not a medical marijuana patient is illegal, Michigan regulators say
CBD — or cannabidiol, the cannabis compound that can relieve your pain without making you feel high — comes from the marijuana plant and will be regulated in accordance with the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, state officials say in a just-issued notice. The clarification from the state’s marijuana regulatory body comes in response to confusion…
Detroit No. 1 in pedestrians killed by automobiles
If you’re walking down the street in Detroit, you have a stronger chance of being killed by an automobile than in any other big American city. A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration bore the bad news: Nearly a quarter of the 118 people who died in car crashes in 2016 were pedestrians. That is…
Detroit filmmaker pegged for Lifetime docu-series on R. Kelly
The floor is falling out from beneath R&B star and accused sexual predator R. Kelly. Though his alleged transgressions have been in the public eye for quite some time, he has maintained a semi-successful career and continues to sell-out concerts, as he did last summer in Detroit. As more allegations come to light, Kelly’s alleged victims…
Detroit dad charged with child abuse after 3-year-old shoots self in stomach
The latest small child shot in Detroit was not hit by a stray bullet like a pair of kids who were shot in the city last month. Instead, prosecutors say the little boy found his dad’s loaded gun in the living room and shot himself in the stomach while his parents were wrapped up in…
Brome Modern eatery opens a new downtown Detroit location on Saturday
Brome Modern Eatery will celebrate the grand opening of its new downtown Detroit location in the 607 Building on Saturday. The Dearborn-based restaurant is a fast-casual burger concept that focuses on healthier ingredients. Its entire menu is made from scratch, buns are baked each morning in a nearby bakery, and Brome only uses organic, grass-fed, non-GMO…
Nine Inch Nails is coming to Detroit, tickets are only available to purchase in person
People who like wearing all black, rejoice: Trent Reznor is bringing his merry band of misfits Nine Inch Nails back to Detroit, with two back-to-back shows at the Fox Theatre on Monday, Oct. 22 and Tuesday, Oct. 23. The Jesus and Mary Chain will open both nights. This is the part of the blog post…
State says El-Sayed is eligible for Michigan’s governor race
Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed is still in the race, with the challenge to his eligibility for the state’s upcoming election officially dismissed by the state’s Bureau of Elections on Wednesday. El-Sayed’s eligibility was called into question earlier this year after Bridge magazine ran a story suggesting he was ineligible because he had registered to vote…
Tee Grizzley is doing a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Thursday
Do you have a question for rapper Tee Grizzley that perhaps wasn’t answered in this week’s Metro Times cover story? Well, now’s your chance to ask him yourself. The “First Day Out” rapper will host a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” at noon on Thursday, May 10 on the r/hiphopheads board. Tee posted the announcement on…
Shinola employee sentenced to prison for stealing more than 500 watches
A former Shinola employee was sentenced to a year in federal prison on Wednesday for stealing more than 500 watches from the luxury watch company and selling them on the black market. The former employee, Judith Walker, worked as a quality inspector at the company’s Detroit factory from 2012 to 2017, and began stealing watches returned to the…
These are the 88 miles of Detroit roads that will be repaved this year
Detroiters who drive can let out a collective sigh of relief: 88 miles of roads throughout the city are about to be repaved as part of a $58 million dollar program. Two-thirds of the roadway miles to be resurfaced will be residential, according to the city’s Department of Public Works. Thoroughfares set to get a…
A liberated Christina Aguilera is headed to the Fox Theatre and we are not worthy
Christina Aguilera hasn’t toured since 2008 and it’s been a rough six years since the release of her last record, Lotus. Funny how she drops from the scene (save a coaching stint on NBC’s The Voice) and the world conveniently goes to shit. Don’t go making your doomsday plans just yet, the bitch is back…
Michigan’s Medicaid work requirements bill could have racist effects
A bill that would require many of the state’s Medicaid recipients to show they work at least 30 hours a week in order to keep their coverage comes with an exemption ostensibly designed for people who live in places devoid of employment opportunities. If you reside in a county with an unemployment rate of more…
Some drone footage of Detroit’s Old Wayne County Building, and a cautionary tale
Downtown Detroit’s Old Wayne County Building is currently undergoing a $2.6 million renovation. In the meantime, a photographer decided to take a closer look, flying a drone around the building to capture a stunning view of the construction crew’s progress. The footage, however, came at a cost. The photographer posted the video and a cautionary tale…
New Movement billboard proclaims we are ‘Detroit Techno City’
Forget Detroit Rock City — at least for this month. Production company Paxahau, the masterminds behind Detroit’s annual Movement Electronic Music Festival, have updated the billboard that stands outside the Russell Industrial Center along I-75. The new design is a simple yet bold riff on Michigan’s blue and white license plates, with the message: “Detroit…
Here’s how to support imprisoned activist Siwatu-Salama Ra
Supporters of imprisoned Detroit activist Siwatu-Salama Ra are holding an information session on Saturday to update the community on her case. As we previously reported, Ra was sentenced in February for up to two years in prison. Her supporters say the case highlights the problems with mandatory sentences, flawed investigative policy at the Detroit Police Department,…
Former vice president Joe Biden refers to Detroit women as being from the ‘hood’
It is still unclear if the former Vice President Joe Biden is actually bidding for the 2020 presidential ballot, but that hasn’t stopped him from acting presidential — at least in the current meaning of the word. During a speech on Tuesday at the Brookings Institution in the nation’s capital, Biden took to the podium to…
Thieves steal cash, electronics from the Shimmy Shack vegan food truck
Misfortune has struck the Shimmy Shack vegan food truck for a second time in under a year. Owner Debra Levantrosser says someone broke into the truck while it was parked in the South Lyon VFW Hall parking lot and stole over $500 worth of cash and electronics. The incident comes just nine months after someone poured…
Checking in on Detroit’s Livernois-McNichols neighborhood
The way Ajara Alghali sees it, Detroit’s Livernois-McNichols neighborhood just wants what any other community has. “[It could be] a restaurant, Simply Breakfast, it could be a coffee shop, it could be a community meeting place,” she says. “The needs of this community are not any different from the needs and wants of any other…
Scott Hocking digs into the past for debut David Klein Gallery show
Artist Scott Hocking developed his style in Detroit when he was an undergrad at the then-Center for Creative Studies in the late ’90s, creating installations in the city’s abandoned spaces out of materials found there. But that doesn’t mean Hocking is strictly a Detroit artist. “What I call myself now is a site-specific artist,” he…
How Michigan destroyed faith in democracy
Worried about our democracy? Think state government no longer works for most of us or cares about people like you? Well, there’s a good reason for that… which is that it is mostly true. Today I am going to tell you a potential horror story: Imagine that a group of citizens finally figured out a…
Royal Oak’s Edo Ramen House offers a souped-up take on Asian noodles
Asian noodle houses are taking up more and more of the culinary bandwidth these days, bringing a smile to the lips of slurpers. One of the new ones, Edo Ramen House, covers a lot of bases under the concept of “modern Asian fusion,” with ramen, sushi, poke, “Asian bowls,” fried rice, stir fries, udon soups…
How Danielle Bregoli, aka Bhad Bhabie, escaped ‘cash me ousside’ memedom
Danielle Bregoli doesn’t want to talk about Dr. Phil and to be completely honest, neither do I. But as I devise a strategy for how to talk to a teenage girl whose claim to fame as a “car-stealing, knife-wielding, twerking 13-year-old” opposite the mustachioed syndicated shrink has been eclipsed by a seemingly legitimate career as…
Savage Love: Pedestrian AF
First let me say that I think you give excellent advice, even if it is a bit pedestrian at times. I have a small problem: Last fall, my penis bent up and to the left at an almost 90 degree angle. I know from Google that this is not an unusual problem. And at 59,…
Horoscopes (May 9-15)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 This is no time to drop the ball. Those of you who think you’ve had enough, or who’ve decided that your ship has sailed, need to question the idea that it’s best to give up on yourself. Before you let all of this go, try to summon up the…
‘Tully’ and a radical view of motherhood
I have no children. I am not a mother. I am perfectly happy with this decision. So when I tell you that Tully moved me profoundly — to laughter and to tears — it has nothing to do with any firsthand experience in that arena, or with any regrets for not having had that experience.…
An interview with gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar
Ahead of Michigan’s 2018 gubernatorial election, the Metro Times editorial staff will interview the race’s top contenders. First up is businessman Shri Thanedar. Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar has suffered privation and knows scarcity from his childhood in India. He has stories to tell of not having enough to eat as a kid, of…
