“I started taking piano lessons when I was four… and by twelve I had swapped classical sheet music for jazz improv—I was playing from my head, not the page,”—Ian Fink dives deep into the layered roots of Legacy Black Detroit, bridging generational migration, jazz lineage, and the raw ingenuity of Detroit’s music scene. In this rich, in-depth episode of Detroit is Different, host Khary Frazier sits down with Ian Fink—a pianist, producer, and conduit of Detroit’s legacy Black culture—to unpack how jazz camp with Rodney Whitaker and Marcus Belgrave set the tone for his artistry, how early classical training at age four paved the way for profound improvisation, and how his classical-jazz foundations seamlessly birthed a sonic switch into house and techno influenced by Detroit icons like Theo Parrish and Scott Grooves. They dig into family history—from Dexter/Linwood’s Jewish-Black narratives to movement between Detroit and West Bloomfield—bringing light to how personal origin stories shape cultural creation. Ian chronicles his transition from working through Video Seven—an artist collective of critical thinkers turned performers—to independently launching Freak Press, producing annual showcases during Movement Festival, and crafting a forthcoming solo piano album under his label. Along the way, he reflects on the significance of reading Black liberation texts, embracing intergenerational Black resistance, and returning to musical performance with ‘a revitalized sense of purpose.’ By threading together stories of legacy, creativity, and reinvention, this episode shows how Detroit’s past and future collide in the sound and vision of a modern-day local legend.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
“I didn’t think if I stayed, I’d be alive’—that electrifying moment, when Konstance Patton revealed how everything changed the moment she stepped out of Detroit, sets the tone for this compelling episode. In a deeply resonant conversation with Khary Frazier, Patton weaves together the threads of her Black Detroit legacy—from ancestral roots in the Carolinas, Virginia, and New Orleans to intergenerational artistry that stretches back to her grandmother’s kiln in Brightmoor and massive bead‑worked Last Supper in a Petoskey museum. She reflects on formative childhood memories riding a bike past seven‑mile gravesites, the comfort of her grandmother’s quilts and pottery, and how early encounters with classical violin and swimming taught discipline and collaboration. Through her travels—from a shocking culinary awakening in London to soulful inspirations in Egypt, India, Italy—Patton found her voice in visual storytelling. Now, drenched in paint at her annual ‘potluck’ gatherings at Detroit’s Talking Doll Studios, her immersive events bring together healing, yoga, music, food, and multi‑generational Black creatives. She tears back the curtain on how grief, burnout, and pandemic‑era protests catalyzed her bold new goddess sculptures—resin and bronze Venus figures cast with beads and needles from her lineage—and how her guerrilla‑style Imani portrait in NYC still stops strangers in their tracks. With upcoming shows at the DIA and deep ties to Detroit institutions like Bird’s bar and Talking Doll Studios, this episode captures a living legacy—rooted in the past, dynamically shaping the future of Legacy Black Detroit.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
“It’s not about me—it’s about my community waking up and taking back our future!” In this electrifying episode of Detroit is Different we welcome Michigan State Representative and 13th District U.S. Congress candidate Donovan McKinney for a powerful conversation that spans from the struggles of his childhood—“we lived in cars, we lived in shelters, we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from”—to his bold legislative victories like statewide community violence intervention funding. McKinney shines a light on Detroit’s legacy of resilience and the responsibility of service: “My life no longer belongs to me… When I meet my Maker, I want Him to say, ‘well done.’” This candid discussion is packed with personal milestones, critical truth-telling on gun violence, budget battles in Lansing, and the vision for a future rooted in legacy Black Detroit—a future he’s running to represent on Capitol Hill.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
“This is a movement, not a campaign—from the North End to the future of Legacy Black Detroit.” In this powerful, deeply personal episode of Detroit is Different, host Khary Frazier sits down with Todd Russell Perkins—attorney, community leader, and mayoral candidate whose roots run as deep as his passion for Detroit. Todd opens up about the intergenerational legacies that shaped him—from his father’s resume‑building work during GM layoffs to the entrepreneurial and educational values instilled by his parents. He traces Detroit’s historical pillars—its innovation, Motown legacy, and the foresight embedded in municipal law—and weaves them into a bold vision for the city’s future. With candid reflections on family, law, city governance, and mobilizing Detroit’s Black political power, Todd challenges listeners to see Detroit’s next chapter not as another election but as a movement rooted in purpose, unity, and generational uplift. Tune in to hear why this conversation matters—for the past, present, and future of Legacy Black Detroit.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
“Most folks that came north from the South weren't migrants—they were refugees,” Jen Ingram declares, setting the tone for this powerfully layered conversation. In this Detroit is Different episode, we trace coins and culture with Numismatics Noir founder Jen Ingram, whose passion for Black coin collecting merges family legacy, precious metals, and African American storytelling. “I’m building this bridge for them,” she recalls from a poem her great-grandmother recited, honoring the journey of her fourth-generation Detroit family from Mississippi to a duplex on Whitney. Jen shares her Detroit roots, her professional climb through healthcare and philanthropy, and the entrepreneurial leap into calibrating cultural pride through currency. From Harriet Tubman’s golden likeness to the hidden Black faces of U.S. money, Jen reveals how coins hold both historical weight and future economic promise. This episode is a masterclass in legacy, wealth, and Detroit soul.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
"Solar power is just sunlight hitting your skin, because your skin is a semiconductor too." That quote from Ali Dirul of Ryter Cooperative Industries launches a Detroit is Different conversation that electrifies history and reimagines the future. In this powerful episode, Ali breaks down energy democracy, off-grid engineering, and building a sustainable Detroit from D-Town Farms to Highland Park's streetlights. "We’re not just placing panels—we’re placing power back in the hands of the people," he says. With stories tracing back to his grandfather’s Ford Model T factory job, African-centered schooling at Aisha Shule, and a capstone project at Oakland University, Ali ties Black legacy to Black futures. This is innovation rooted in community, fueled by melanin, and structured with purpose. It's a conversation that honors how Detroit built the world—and now might just rewire it.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
"People don’t care about policy—they want to know if you care about them." Detroit is Different is back in studio with District 1 Detroit City Councilmember James Tate, and we’re getting deep. Tate returns to the mic not just as a policymaker but as a Black man opening up about what it truly means to protect your crown—mentally, spiritually, and politically. In one of the most personal Detroit is Different interviews ever, Tate unpacks his own mental health journey, revealing how heartbreak and betrayal spiraled into alcohol dependency, and how that pain sparked a long road toward healing. “I was a functioning alcoholic, self-medicating while trying to keep a public face,” he admits, sharing the raw truth of how anxiety manifests in his life and why he's no longer hiding from it. From behind the wheel of his car, sweating through moments of panic, to behind the podium of city council meetings, Tate discusses how mental health impacts leadership, legacy, and being a Black man in a society that expects stoic strength.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
"If you don’t impact your environment, your environment’s going to impact you." That’s how Glenn Wilson, President and CEO of Communities First Inc., sets the tone in this powerful Detroit is Different episode. What started as a casual connection in New Orleans blossoms into a deeply honest conversation about housing, healing, and hope. Glenn shares the raw journey from surviving a childhood house fire in Flint to leading a multi-state nonprofit developing thousands of affordable housing units. From reflections on faith—"Statistically, I shouldn’t be here"—to breaking down what “capital stack” really means in community development, this interview is a must-listen. With tales of hot plates on broken stoves, bird nests in rooftops, and turning trauma into mission, Glenn reminds us: “The very things we take for granted are the very things people pray for.” This is about more than real estate—this is about legacy, trust, and doing the work. "It’s not about being a gatekeeper. It’s about being a gate opener.”
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
"Hip hop wasn’t just music—it was a mirror, a movement, and a megaphone for the unheard. We weren’t just playing records; we were broadcasting revolution."Detroit is Different episode featuring Brother Sayeed Sanders, executive producer of the legendary 1990s Detroit/Windsor-based hip-hop TV show Kicking Knowledge. From Mississippi roots and snowy first days on Linwood to being recruited into engineering at MSU with Black Power speeches featuring Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, Sayeed breaks down a layered life of Black resilience, radical education, and revolutionary media-making. "People thought rap was noise, but I saw poetry and power." Sayeed shares behind-the-scenes stories from his time interviewing Public Enemy, Outkast, LL Cool J, and launching Flavor TV across the border. "We didn’t just shoot shows—we preserved culture." He also speaks on Detroit’s failing sewer infrastructure, cultural censorship, and the politics of Black image in media. A blend of engineering mind, cultural vision, and community-centered storytelling—this episode is for every Detroiter who remembers what came before YouTube, and why it still matters.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]
"Man, I felt taller, lighter — like I lost a burden I didn’t even know I was carrying.” That’s how Ray Stone describes the moment everything changed. In this powerful and provocative Detroit is Different interview, Stone breaks down the realness behind his health journey, the legacy of Detroit’s Black neighborhoods, and the deeper meanings of healing and ownership. With quotes like “All problems begin within” and “The body is your mind, too,” Ray dives into the colon cleanse that transformed him, the firehouse culture that shaped him, and the books he wrote to make holistic health accessible to Black Detroiters. From South Carolina State to South Beach, and back to the 6 Mile and Hubble block of his roots, Ray shares how healing, family, and purpose intersect. This is more than a talk about food — it’s about freedom, manhood, and finding your way back home. Don’t miss this episode packed with truth, grit, and inspiration.
Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different.
Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher.
Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing [email protected]