By: Mason Stoutamire
Fox Theater in Downtown Detroit
Rap music takes a funny form these days compared to other eras. In the 90's, New York created a bulletproof style of rap bridled with witty lyrics behind classic, slowed samples. I’m thinking of MF DOOM, Nas, Wu-Tang, Jay-Z – y’know, the rappers Funk Flex screams about on his radio show. Music was becoming an avenue that could take you from the city slums into the penthouse a few blocks over.
Through the 2000's, rap meshed with genres like R&B to create fusions like the Diddy-Keyshia Cole radio hit and the Pharrell-Snoop Dogg track that somehow makes the 90's West Coast bounce even bouncier. Rap pushed 90's boundaries with the growing possibilities afforded by the internet. Artists from Kanye to Lil Wayne took liberties to use the internet to connect with other musicians, learning that the accessible world is too vast to stay limited to the sounds of your area code.
The 2010's saw a subtraction of genre blends and a doubling down from rappers trying to represent their hometown and write the wittiest bars possible. Regional rivalries aside, the South led the rap game. Atlanta, specifically. You had Gucci Mane releasing crime-focused raps every year leading to his big arrest in 2014, Young Thug building an empire with Birdman (Rich Gang) as rap’s vocal jester, and Future slowly creeping near the throne for the best trap sound imaginable. Not to mention the Migos developing a whole new cadence that would inform a whole generation of aspiring rappers. Conveniently, a few of Atlanta's heaviest hitters made a song together as a victory lap for the competition.
Two years into the 2020's, there hasn’t been a clear domination of the rap game since Atlanta’s roster in 2010, but we’re witnessing a strong contestant in the Midwest. Detroit, Michigan has always reminded me of a bleak place for a number of reasons, the lack of consistent rap figures being one of them.
But this allows a whole new class of rappers to be the first to give the city its dominant style. In 2019, an 18 year-old kid named Teejayx6 started posting snare-heavy tracks about scamming to his SoundCloud. Yes, scamming. ‘The Swipe Lessons’ (2019) and ‘Black Air Forces Activity 1’ (2020) were the teen’s greatest contribution to the rap game and to listeners trying to “flex on n—as by the summer.” Teejayx6 unknowingly started a wave of pairing the freshest beats with your most confession-ridden raps to flex the fact that you’re willing to get rich at the cost of your neighbor’s social security number.
From Teejayx6’s foundation, critically-acclaimed BabyTron went especially hard in 2021, releasing two albums and putting a face to the esoteric scene. Scam rap’s public face is a fun one but the roots of each rap are real as ever. Whether you hear them over Harry Potter samples or chopped in 20 different flows, scam raps are constantly putting Detroit on the map.
Despite its origins dating back to 2017, Detroit’s hold on scam rap is natural enough to name the city its rightful home. Credit card fraud, identity theft, and extortion are mentioned enough to make you question if people can talk about so much illegal activity without getting arrested; scam rap is an exposé for how the digital age changes what crime can look like. Who else would teach you how to safely surf the dark web if Detroit scam rap didn't exist?
Pivoting to Detroit’s East side, you’ll find the latest star bringing Detroit’s strong roster into conversation, Babyface Ray. His latest release, ‘FACE’ is a clean presentation of someone who truly got his riches out of the mud. Unlike BabyTron, Babyface Ray has been releasing music since 2014 in Detroit’s underground scene.
‘FACE’ has caught national attention for its airtight mixing and noteworthy credit-list. Once a Yung Gud-Yung Lean fan listens to the album, they’ll find a rapper that’s secure in his steez – someone that’s been watching the rap game for so long that he can rap about the competition’s shady moves across 20 tracks (spoiler alert: he isn’t impressed). In a similar way to 42 Dugg, another Detroit heavyweight, Babyface Ray’s nuanced ears to the Detroit scene make him an exciting rapper to watch.
Last August, The Alchemist, a New York producer known for his work with Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, went on a production frenzy, boasting five new albums with the new generation of introspective poets, including Detroit-native, Boldy James. His album with The Alchemist, 'Bo Jackson' measures the 39 year-old to the same hometown reputation as multisport athlete, Bo Jackson. With sample-heavy beats and drug talk, Boldy creates a grainy caricature of a realist with a dry sense of humor.
Considering the other acts, ‘Bo Jackson’ underlines Detroit’s subtly dominant sound. Taking a backseat to epicenters like LA, New York, and Atlanta for decades, Detroit has always believed in its ability to musically contend with the others. Its knowledge of botched industry moves reminds me of Babyface Ray’s no-stop style on ‘FACE’. Its hunger for riches and adolescent mischief during the digital era informs Teejayx6’s humorous, conversational raps on navigating the dark web. Its high-chinned pride aligns with Boldy’s laser focus while rapping about the exact streets he frequents while making moves.
The more we hear from Detroit, the clearer its sonic personality becomes. At this point, it seems like every rapper that’s hot right now is coming out of Detroit. Aside from Eminem and Big Sean, which other rappers kept Detroit in music news throughout the years? The lack of names that come to mind don’t suggest a city without a sound, but a city that’s slowly taking over the game. Collecting a few of the popular names only serves to highlight some acts before new ones emerge. But for now, Detroit has the world’s full attention. And they have every necessary tool to keep it.
Mason Stoutamire can be reached at mstoutamire6@gmail.com
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