Allen McCallie ‘26, Business and Ad Manager
Detroit stands out as a city with many amazing Black musicians. Artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye consistently topped the U.S. charts and dominated the music industry during their time. Today, Detroit continues to provide the music industry with exceptional black artists, so let us look at the young Black and gifted artists.
Jonathan Muir-Cotton:
The Detroit born electric and double bassist Jonathan Muir-Cotton is a musician that embodies Detroit’s jazz roots and evolving sound. He went to Michigan State where he got his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies. Muir-Cotton’s music is deeply rooted in jazz, a genre that has been historically dominated by black musicians and a form of Black expression. Growing up in Detroit, Muir-Cotton learned music through mentorship, collaboration, and live performances. In the Jonathan Muir-Cotton Biography, his mentors consisted of great Detroit Bassists, Bassists like Marion Hayden, Robert Hurst, Rick Robinson, Rodney Whitaker, and Ralph Armstrong, all of whom were extremely influential in the Detroit Jazz scene. Although Muir-Cotton’s music is rooted in jazz, fusion of many genres has become more and more popular in Detroit and in the music industry in general. You will often find that Muir-Cotton’s performances blend jazz, funk, gospel, R&B, and neo-soul, all of which are what he specializes in.
Muir-Cotton is always seeking live performance opportunities, with recurring rotations between Detroit, New York, Ann Arbor, and many venues across Michigan and the country. Muir-Cotton Leads and creates a lot of his music groups; his premier groups are the Jonathan Muir-Cotton Ensemble and Expression. His groups typically headline at prestigious venues like the Cliff Bells. Muir-Cotton’s performances are heavily improvisational jazz, which stems from his roots in jazz and gospel.
Recently, Muir-Cotton made his television scoring debut on Netflix’s second season of Mo. This marked a giant expansion of his music career beyond jazz and into scoring for visual media. As an emerging artist, Muir-Cotton stands out for his continued thirst for knowledge in many genres. As he stated at East Lansing’s Exploration of Music Festival, Muir-Cotton is a prominent figure in shaping the music scene in Detroit.
NASAAN:
NASAAN, or formally known as Nasaan Holton, is a Detroit based rapper and hip-hop artist. He is currently known for being the son of the late Deshaun “Big Proof” Holton, a close friend and collaborator of Eminem. Despite being known for his late father, Nasaan has emphasized building his own identity as an artist rather than leaning on his fathers legacy. Nasaan blends Detroit Rap traditions with today’s traditional productions. His biggest songs are “GOATED” (feat. Royce Da 5’9”), “Does It Again” (feat. Sada baby o Lil Yachty), and “20 BANDS 40 Bands” (feat. Babyfxce E).
Nassna’s career reflects the broader shift from independence in modern hip-hop, operating largely outside of major record labels. Nasann even directs his own music videos and takes many creative liberties that many artists can not under a record label. In his biggest song, “GOATED,” Nasaan reflects his independence with lyrics like “It’s written, you cannot control this,” and “Anytime I get, uh, beside myself, I remind myself I’m God.” By maintaining control over both sound and visuals, Nasann exemplifies the shift many young artists are making toward creating a culture of independence in the music industry.
Nasaan’s career shows that artists do not have to give up their creative freedom at big record labels to be successful. By taking ownership of his creative output and his public image, his work feels genuine and uncompromised. As his career develops, he creates a model for how artists can define success on their own terms and not comprise what makes their work theirs. In that way, Nasaan represents Detroit’s independence and authenticity.
Charity Ward:
Charity Ward is a singer who was born and raised in Detroit. She writes her own songs which mix many styles like R&B, soul, gospel, folk, and pop. Ward grew up playing the guitar, she started playing in church then quickly started playing in local talent shows. Ward is like a lot of musicians in Detroit, she values her background and follows the trend of combining multiple genres to create individualized art. Her music often combines melodic vocals with beautiful lyrics about her own personal experiences growing up in Detroit. Her most recognizable songs are “Millennials,” “More Cake,” and “Black Magic.”
Charity’s successful song, “Black Magic,” is a powerful piece on self worth and cultural pride. In the song, Ward uses music to celebrate her black identity by saying that being black is magical. She sings, “Crawled through forests on my belly and I freed three hundred slaves,” referring to Harriet Tubman and connecting her historical resilience with modern black identity.
Ward’s music stands out as having lyrics that are carefully and deliberately thought out and perfectly mixing genres that don’t commonly go together. Listening to Ward’s music makes it apparent that her music is not just meant to be something that’s heard but felt, which makes it special. Ward contributes to Detroit’s growing legacy by continuing its tradition of black musicians making music that has authenticity and expression that connects deeply with listeners.
Muir-Cotton, Colton, and Ward all bring something different and new to Detroit, whether it be genre blending or new ways to look at the industry; they all feel special. They are all different in their own way, which is what makes Detroit a unique powerhouse of music and explains why so many people love Detroit’s music scene. As they continue to grow in their music career, they stand as evidence that the city’s influence is not trapped in the past with old stars, but is instead being carried forward by the next generation of musicians.
Lyon Life 