The art of the hip hop mixtape is to bring together new artists and new sounds for listeners to experience. Detroit-based artist DJ LaJedi has released a new mixtape on the Internet that has gained worldwide attention. Bringing together women hip hop artists from around the globe, “World Hip Hop Women: From The Sound Up” is helping change the perception of how women can participate in hip hop. ...

I have to wake up in the morning and find 10 minutes to meditate with God before I do anything. I believe he should be my first conversation of the day. ...

Awesome Dre is one of Detroit hip hop’s original pioneers, an artist who was the first from the city to receive a major record deal and break into the national scene with the 1989 Priority Records release of the album “You Can’t Hold Me Back.” His recent tour with the legendary group Public Enemy has brought him back into the national spotlight, giving the famed rapper a re-energized focus on creating new m ...

Tamara Brown took a leap of faith to begin her own photography business, Preeminent Photography Studio, on the city’s east side. “I was a customer service representative at Blue Cross Blue Shield for nine years and my friend said to me, ‘Try photography.’ I was reluctant but I fell in love,” said Brown. ...

What’s for dinner? If Semaj Brown is cooking, expect vegetables. Broadside Press poet Semaj Brown performed her one-woman show, “Onion Revolt,” Feb. 17 at University of Detroit Mercy. The 45-minute play about vegetables is adapted from her new story cookbook and CD, “Feast and Fables from the Planted Kingdom.” “I’m a prodigy of Broadside Press, I am the next Broadside Press,” Brown told the Michigan Citizen ...

So you’ve worked hard to accomplish your goal. But for every one step you take, it feels like you’re pushed back two; for every three wins you have, you feel the hardest blow from the one loss. As soon as you feel like you’re over the hump, there stands a mountain. But know this: With every successful story, there was a hardship; for every Olympic winner, they experienced a loss; for every woman that says s ...

Detroit Poet Joel “Fluent” Greene (above) is host of “A Man Can Change #10: A Family Affair.” The event is Feb. 22, 7 p.m. at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Greene says the positive response over the years made him move to the larger venue. Other poets performing include Khari Kimono Turner, LaShaun Phoenix Moore, Tawana Honeycomb Petty, Chantay Legacy Leonard and M.L. Liebler. Fo ...

Sheefy McFly has become one of Detroit’s most recognizable artists. He is part of the new generation of hip hop talent rising throughout the city. His music is both irreverent and soulful, born out of the experiences of his generation with a sense of humor and plenty of bass to spare. Perhaps you could criticize McFly for his raw lyrics, but he has become a master at reaching listeners on their level and hi ...

“I didn’t have a business plan, I didn’t write it out, I didn’t have a dream — I used an opportunity and I just followed the work,” says Janet Jones of Source Booksellers. The 75-year-old entrepreneur started her business 24 years ago and recently moved to a new location. Jones, who was one of the first business owners in the popular West Willis business strip, was encouraged by students at her church to be ...

Joel Fluent Greene, poet, emcee, and mentor will host “A Man Can Change #10: A Family Affair,” Feb. 22 at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, starting promptly at 7 p.m. “The past few shows have been filled to capacity and people are responding in such a positive manner,” Fluent told the Michigan Citizen. “I had to have a bigger venue and that is why I chose the Charles H. Wright Museu ...