Detroit’s musical legacy has left an undeniable mark on the industry. The city gave the world Motown and icons like Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin — artists who reshaped modern music. And we can’t forget Detroit’s role in the rise of techno, born from the basements of Belleville and stretched across the globe.

But no one flipped the game quite like producer and artist James Dewitt Yancey — best known as J Dilla.

Dilla wasn’t just a producer, he was a visionary whose beat-making style redefined hip-hop and R&B. With his MPC3000, he crafted soulful, off-kilter rhythms that broke the rules — and built new ones. 

His touch can be felt in the music of Common, The Roots, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, and Detroit’s own Slum Village, the group he helped form. Tracks like “The Light” by Common and “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde showcase his genius. And even now, nearly two decades after his passing, artists and producers still study his sound.

J Dilla died from lupus in 2006 at just 32 years old. Still, his sound lives on. From Detroit to Tokyo, Dilla’s music continues to inspire. 

Feb. 7 — Yancey's birthday — was recently designated "Dilla Day" by the city of Detroit. The city also renamed a street in his honor at the corner of Nevada and Charest. And this Thursday, Pershing High School — his alma mater — is hosting an event to celebrate his life and raise awareness about lupus.

Dilla is survived by his two daughters, Ja’Mya Yancey and Ty-Monae Whitlow.

Joylette Hunter, Ja'Mya's mother and public relations developer for the James Dewitt Yancey Estate, and hip-hop educator Quan Neloms joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the event and reflect on Dilla's legacy.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke at a Detroit Economic Club event on Monday.

Whitmer also met with President Donald Trump last week in Washington D.C., trying to ensure that Michigan receives federal help to restore power in northern Michigan after severe ice storms in late March. 

But tariffs, and how Michigan is navigating economic uncertainty, were also a focus at the White House and the DEC event. 

Auto suppliers are concerned that Trump’s tariffs will devastate their businesses, driving up the cost of cars and reducing sales. And this is important in Michigan where the auto industry makes up about 20% of our economy. 

WDET reporter Bre’Anna Tinsley attend the DEC event, held at MotorCity Casino's Sound Board Theater. She joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss Whitmer’s remarks. 

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Crowds at Detroit Metro Airport recently cheered and sang as four children from Gaza arrived in wheelchairs. The children are amputees and are among thousands in Gaza who have lost limbs from Israeli bombardments. 

Now, they face severe, life-altering injuries. 

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has made that tiny part of the world — which is roughly the same geographical size as Detroit — home to the highest number of amputee children per capita. 

The World Health Organization says this crisis of child amputees is especially dire because these kids have little access to medical care. Israeli air strikes have decimated what was an already fragile medical system. Many children who have lost their limbs must have surgery without anesthesia, according to the United Nations. 

Steve Sosebee is trying to do something about that. He orchestrates complex plans to evacuate and treat Gazan kids through his organization HEAL Palestine — including the four children who arrived at Detroit Metro Airport on April 13. 

He joined The Metro on Tuesday along with HEAL Palestine volunteer Yasmeen Hamed, a Dearborn Heights mother who has opened her home to multiple young Palestinians who have arrived in the U.S. for treatment after experiencing intense pain and trauma.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

WDET will celebrate the life of one of its musical pioneers this Saturday at the Garden Theater. 

Adams, a former program director and host at WDET for more than 30 years, died in December of 2024. During her time at the station, Adams pushed the boundaries of music programming on the radio in Detroit. Her shows Morphogenisis and The Judy Adams Show were known for mixing genres and blending musical styles, curating an eclectic listening experience for her many fans. 

As the station’s program director, she encouraged the music hosts to experiment and many of the music programs on WDET that followed have adopted the “Judy Adams style.” 

Metro Producer Cary Junior II spoke with Adams’ son, Anthony Minnie, and Essential Music host Ann Delisi about Adams’ work and how her legacy will continue at WDET.

Saturday’s event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. and feature music inspired by Adams’ radio shows, DJed by Ismael Ahmed — host of WDET’s This Island Earth.  “Sean Blackman and Friends” will also perform music honoring Adams’ love of global music and rhythms, and artist Jon Strand will share an visual art set to original music composed and performed by Adams.

WDET is also creating the Judy Adams’ Music Internship, helping foster the education and career development of students with a passion for music, education, community service and radio. 

For more information about Saturday’s event or to RSVP, visit wdet.org/events. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the U.S. are under threat. 

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating more than 50 universities with DEI programs and has threatened to cut funding for those that don’t remove them.  

The University of Michigan is among many schools that scrapped its DEI initiatives in response to the political pressure.

But not everyone is caving. Harvard University announced Monday it has rejected the Trump administration’s demands to eliminate its DEI programs. The Trump administration responded swiftly, freezing over $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts from the Ivy League school.

But there are also complaints about DEI from good-faith reformers — people who believe that such initiatives fail to help colleges retain low-income and non-white students. They argue that in the workplace, DEI training makes it less likely that people of different backgrounds work together. 

Stony Brook University Professor Musa al-Gharbi and author of “We Have Never Been Woke” spoke with Metro Producer Sam Corey about why he believes DEI initiatives fall short and need reforming.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

There are not enough affordable housing units in Detroit, but the city and community members are working to change that. 

The Campbell Street Apartments is a new $18 million affordable housing development in Southwest Detroit’s East Chadsey-Condon neighborhood.

Leading the charge of the project is MiSide Community Impact Network. The nonprofit works to provide resources for entire communities to create stability for people. 

MiSide and Detroit officials broke ground late 2023 to bring the housing complex to the community. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new development is taking place with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and community partners on Thursday. 

President and CEO of MiSide Community Impact Network Sean De Four joined The Metro to discuss how the organization is working to create affordable housing in Detroit. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Last school year, the number of Michigan students who missed more than 10% of school days was among the highest in the nation, at nearly 30%. And the rate among Detroit students was more than double that. 

Wayne State University researchers Jeremy Singer and Sarah Lenhoff study educational equity. They believe the first step is to think of the problem differently. 

In their new book, “Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: Why Schools Can’t Solve It Alone,” Singer and Lenhoff urge school and government leaders to focus less on what happens in schools, and more on the systemic factors that make getting to class tough for students and their families. 

Singer, a professor of teaching at Wayne State University and associate director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity and Research, joined The Metro to discuss the new book.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The Detroit Documenters play a crucial role in improving our access to public information. They’re at Detroit’s public meetings, taking thorough notes on what local officials and community members are saying. 

But their coverage also includes Highland Park, the small city surrounded by Detroit. Water has been an ongoing problem for Highland Park and it’s in the early stages of replacing its 115-year-old water system. 

Residents faced two boil water advisories in the last month, but still remain hopeful that system updates can lead to a more reliable system and cheaper water bills. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt talked to Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade and Michigan Public Data Reporter Adam Rayes to learn more about Highland Park’s system updates and water history. 

Rayes is also a Highland Park resident. Out of the many places he’s lived, he says the water bill has been the highest in Highland Park.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Conversations about being respected, seen and heard can be difficult for parents to have with their kids — discussions about understanding when, and if a situation is safe.

But having these talks is so important. Too often kids suffer abuse in various forms and don’t know how to speak about it. And parents may not know the signs to look for. 

Every nine minutes a child is sexually assaulted in the United States, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. Children face sexual abuse that often goes undocumented and no one is held accountable. 

Linda Little, CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization — a Detroit-based integrated health and human service agency — joined The Metro to talk about a new campaign the organization is leading that aims to protect children and families. The #DontTouchMe movement is demanding accountability and systemic change for survivors of child abuse. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Detroit’s Police Athletic League (Detroit PAL) has been around since 1969. The organization's goal is to make sure kids and families are supported with the tools to take with them through life. 

The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities Leagues (National PAL) recently announced the appointment of native Detroiter Dr. Galen Duncan to lead its mental health and wellness program. 

Duncan joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the legacy of Detroit PAL and how the national chapter will help reinvigorate the local affiliate. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.