Yo, I used to F I E N D at the glimpse of the window full of one sheets as we drove by "Dearborn Music" as a kid.

I worked for my Uncle back in those days (early to mid 80's), too young to drive...

I would make my way up to the store two/three times a month.

Back then cassettes cost 4.99, so I would flip through the vinyl and eventually buy two tapes.

I later was the first Black employee at Dearborn Music (a whole 35 yrs into their existence).

They changed the layout from high ceilings and rows and rows of vinyl to lowered ceilings and rows of CD's...by the late 90's they were selling incense and stickers and schitt (knick knacks), the store had lost it's sheen as a digging spot...but on my visits home, they were and still are fam.

I think they've hired 2 other Af-Am's since I left in 1989.

I hope they can maintain.

Also...used to hit Peaches with Pops back in the day, Car City back in the day, Desirable Discs (on Michigan Ave), I forgot the name of the store that was bootleg heaven...but I bought HELLA Prince bootlegs up in that bitch, as well as boots by everybody else and their mama.

I used to hit Aspen (across the street from my grandfathers house), remember waiting for Vanity out there (when her solo album dropped) with my cousin. She was F I N E!!!!.

I forget the name of the spot on Livernois (by U of D) me and my cousin used to walk up to
and get out cassette on. I remember me buying the Family and him buying Mazerati on cassette and then dubbing copies for each other (the Family smoked Mazerati all day...and the tape smelled like bubble gum...lol).

Detroit has always had a diverse and pretty educated music culture.

It's a shame to see the radio and the record store culture there get SO LAME and dry up so hard, but man...when The Chronic came out...it was like throwing Gremlins in the deep end of the pool after midnight, twas literally the day the niggas took over. Niggas seemed like they didn't want to hear schitt unless it was harder than the hardest hard can get.

I got the fuck out of dodge a few years after the Chronic dropped, and I still see The Chronic as the official end of the last gasp of "Black Is Beautiful" in Detroit. Niggas celebrated being "Ghetto" from the east side to Southfield to SouthWest to the NW side like it was the return of Jesus.

s.blak
spin the black circle