Oct 3, 2023 - Music

The best Detroit music of 2023 — so far

Samuel Robinson

Rapper Tee Grizzley performs "Gorgeous," his hit with Skilla Baby outside Brunche Prep Academy at Council President Mary Sheffield's annual Occupy the Corner event. — Rapper Tee Grizzley performs "Gorgeous," his hit with Skilla Baby, outside Bunche Prep Academy at City Council President Mary Sheffield's annual Occupy the Corner event. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios

👋🏼 Sam here. We're in year three of having a national spotlight on the music being made by Detroiters and it's not too late to hop on the bandwagon if you're just now starting to listen.

Why it matters: The city's rap scene has cooled off from its red-hot run during the height of the pandemic, but artists from the mainstream to the underground are still being influenced by the city's sound.

Local acts are collaborating with A-list stars at a pace I've never seen.

What I'm listening to: Two standout albums this year are Veeze's "Ganger" and Babyface Ray's "Summer's Mine." Both are likely serving as introductions to Detroit rap for non-local fans as the visibility of both artists has skyrocketed this year.

Cash Kidd seems to be having a bit of a post-pandemic resurgence — he just released another freestyle, this time with On The Radar, after this hilarious From The Block freestyle with BFB Da Packman.
While I'm always listening to BandGang Lonnie Bands, his March and June releases felt less inspired.

Yes, but: I did laugh at Lonnie reappropriating the word "woke" to mean believer in ancient Egyptian conspiracies on "Woke Not Broke" — the intro song on his most recent project, "Laced With Wisdom".

"Politics as Usual," his single in which he admits "I ain't never vote, can't tell you one politician," is his best release this year.

Catch up quick: A ton has happened locally this summer. Here are a few notable moments you should know about:

City Council President Mary Sheffield rapped along to Skilla Baby and Tee Grizzley's "Gorgeous" at her annual Occupy the Corner event in June.

Florida newcomer Luh Tyler performed "I'm Him" at Big Pink with In The Field.
America's hottest rapper, Sexyy Redd, shot parts of her video for "Hellcats SRTs" in Detroit with a bunch of local talent.
Icewear Vezzo — who once claimed to have never met anyone who's met Eminem — finally met Slim Shady at Pine Knob backstage during 50 Cent's tour.

Meanwhile, Skilla Baby recently had to change venues after he alleged DPD presented false concerns over "gang banging" and gun violence to get the Masonic Temple to shut his show down, Metro Times reports.

The rapper, who was invited to several high schools across the city last year for gym assembly-style performances, told his Instagram followers, "This a kid-friendly venue, kid-friendly concert. We're just trying to have fun."

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The best Detroit music of 2023 — so far

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