“Dear Summer, I know you gone miss me/ For we been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees” Jay – Z Dear Summer
Thank you all for the response and love. Detroit is Different thus far is being encouraged by you all. I’ve gathered more support and appreciate it.
The July 2014 theme is ‘Summer.’ I’m going to share more music, stories, and places that have captured a Detroit Summer (shout out to Jenny Lee and the students at Detroit Summer!).
Also in July I begin my artistic campaign “43 in 67.” “43 in 67” is an artistic venture in which I will perform a series of 43 presentations in 67 days. The title of the campaign is inspired by the Detroit uprisings of 1943 and 1967.
The ’43 in 67’ campaign will start Wednesday, July 23, and close Saturday, September 27.The starting event is still to be determined. The closing event will be my theatrical-style Detroit narrative ‘If Detroit were Heaven.’ This will be held at the 5e Hip-hop Art Gallery in the First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit located at 4605 Cass Ave. in Detroit’s Wayne State University district. The gallery is an alternative multidisciplinary arts organization that presents and supports contemporary artists and their work.
My goal is to appear at a diverse collective of events to reach an expansive, intergenerational audience. Strategically, I will develop a social media campaign gathering email addresses, Facebook friendships, and Instagram, and Twitter followers. This social media campaign will share a collective of pictures and messages telling the story of the ’43 in 67’ campaign, including its historical framing.
I’ve selected three songs to perform throughout the ’43 in 67’ campaign:
- “If Detroit were Heaven,” an imaginative take on the people, places, and things that I feel would create the setting for Detroit if it were Heaven. This song makes reference to many of Detroit’s strong Black Power political and social figures prominent throughout the 1970s to 1990s.
- “It’s So Fresh,” is about my relationship with my maternal grandmother, women of my family, and older cousins. The song is told from my childhood perspective.
- “This is it What!” is about a hip-hop, word play-based song regarding my beliefs on metaphysical philosophy.
Detroit is Different July 2014 “Summer”
COMING ATTRACTIONS (Tuesday’s & Thursday’s):
TUES JULY 1, 2014/ ARTICLE: COMING ATTRACTIONS
THUR JULY 3, 2014/ MY DETROIT STORY: Growing up on Clements
TUES JULY 8, 2014/ WAE MUSIC: “Hot Summer Nights”
THUR JULY 10, 2014/ BACKGROUND & BREAKDOWN: “Hot Summer Nights”
TUES JULY 15, 2014/ AROUND DETROIT: Eastern Market
THUR JULY 17, 2014/ AROUND DETROIT: Deloris Bennett Park
TUES JULY 22, 2014/ WHAT IF: What if Boblo Expanded
THUR JULY 24, 2014/ 7 O’CLOCK SATURDAY STORIES PREVIEW: TBA
SAT JULY 26, 2014/ 7 O’CLOCK SATURDAY STORIES: TBA
TUES JULY 29, 2014/ DETROIT IS DIFFERENT PODCAST: TBA
THUR JULY 31, 2014/ DETROIT LOOK: If Detroit were Heaven Photography
