MI Best: An MLive Podcast

John Gonzales talks to Kevin Buist about the change with ArtPrize this year to Project 1. 

Adrian “AB” Butler has become an ambassador for the city of Grand Rapids and its unique breed of entrepreneurial creatives. As the frontman and founder of AB and Coconut Brown! (2007), the emcee helped craft a sound that delighted hip-hop heads and party people alike, earning the band numerous accolades including Grand Rapid's Best Band (GR Magazine 2011) and headlining The Local First Street Festival (2012). 

Cole Williams is the CEO and Founder of “Son To A Father” and “Cole Speaks”, which are programs that work to empower and restore relationships between teens and their parents. Cole has developed curricula and workshops that explore the emotional terrain of Parenting. On this episode, we talk about the universal concepts of connection and parenting. 

Skot Welch is recognized as a leader in utilizing the principles of global quality standards for the development and implementation of sustainable, systematic and measurable diversity initiatives. He has worked in the area of Diversity Management for nearly 20 years and his sought after in-depth knowledge of organizational diversity management systems development brings together and maximizes the perfect blend of people and process. We talk about culture, music, the etymology of words, and the importance of travel to understand other humans. 

On this episode, we speak to Julian Newman, pastor of Tribes Church, keynote speaker, a leader in race and culture, along with actor, writer, and director. He joins us to talk about Black History Month and the impact it has on his life. 

Eric Hultgren talks to Frederick Joseph who invented the Black Panther Challenge and all the amazing wins and the struggles that go along with trying to create something that takes on a life of its own. 

Brielle Lesley has a gift and it is one she shares with the world, she creates songs you can feel, relate to, and touch people. Songs that leave an impact on people's lives, and that draws on ones emotions. Love songs never die, and that's the kind of music that I love to create. She spends a couple of minutes talking to Eric Hultgren about the grind and how someone makes the decision to share their gifts with the world. 

Zeus Irons joins the podcast to talk about his work in the Detroit school system and how someone can figure out what their dreams are and create an environment that they can work to achieve them. 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Detroit native and classically trained musician J. Cobb about his schedule, his point of view, and how he gets motivated to push himself to bigger and better things.