We were lucky to catch up with Detroit YB recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Detroit thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Well, since 5th grade I have always been into “art” or creating. I used to draw people in my school and make funny memes of them before memes was even a thing lol. So it was mainly which exact path would I be pursuing professionally. Nonetheless I chose rapping oppose to what i been doing since 5th grade which was sketching. Rapping came a little later in my life but I was always tied into music creatively as my (step)father at the time was a very good drummer. So beatboxing while my friends freestyled or even creating amateur beats on this machine my (step)father had, I was always creating or recreating art in its purest form. I started rapping when my (step)father ended up passing away and after pausing everything I was into creatively for a couple of years I started making raps in my notepad to vent to myself and it was my form of therapy. The reason I chose to do it professionally because of the feedback I was getting from my peers and it made me feel good whenever I put my thoughts on a piece of paper. Its therapy that I would do for free any day of the week!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

First things first, I was born on the westside but raised on the eastside of Detroit, MI. I was into many things as a young man, first was being an artist in sketching, playing basketball, making beats and also running track-n-field for a couple of years. I went to Michigan State University and majored in “Landscape Architecture” where I did 2-3 years until i planned out what I really wanted to do with my life. During this time in college I perfected my craft as far as writing and recording music, which led to me and 3 of my friends forming a group called “Lyrical Militia.” As we were making our rounds around the city of Detroit and the internet, my cousin was plugged into this independent label owned by Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony called “Detroit Mo’ Thugs” and thats where we became an official group. Before trying to sign us to the label and because I had a little pull from my cousin being plugged in with them, they provided us studio time and a platform to curate a 5 song EP. We did radio and live performances during this time which built up our confidence and repertoire. After releasing the 5 song EP we decided to take matters into our own hands and not sign with the label due to personal reasoning and obligations. After a while of us recording and putting out a few tracks I became tired of being the only one really promoting the group and decided to put more of that energy into myself, which after releasing a whole mixtape and a couple of singles I got the attention of RocNation (Jay-Z Label) and from there I was introduced to what the business side of the industry kinda looks and feel like. I was more into creating and had no knowledge at all of how the music “business” worked. So after flying out to New York to meet with Lenny S. (Who was A&R of Rocnation at the time) I had to sit back and reevaluate my position and where I wanted to really take this music. So basically I did hard research on the business, contracts, becoming a writer for a PRO (BMI, Ascap, etc) and everything I could learn regarding the business side of the industry. From this point and forward I own all the copyrights and masters to my music and thats really rare even in todays climate. Artists are still signing to labels that are legally raping them out their deal when its soooo many resources and information to put yourself on, it may take a little more time but its worth it. Today I own my on independent label called “Hustle By Any Means Records” where i will officially sign myself when i get the capital & notoriety to. I have 1 album, 3 EPs and about 12 singles out now on all digital platforms where music is played, and my 2nd album “Living Sacrifice” set to release September 2022. So check out the catalog! Fast forward to my clothing business called DYOR “Do Your Own Research,” I just started this business August 2021 but prior to that I was sitting on the name tryna figure how it would look and/or be represented. I finally created a dope logo and started my pressing/apparel business which is elevating month by month. Theres many things that I would like to accomplish with this brand, one being able to help and teach people how to properly do their own research. Another thing I have in line for this brand is curating an app on your phone giving you thorough information on ingredients, foods and etc that will tell you how it effects, helps and hurt the body. The products I sell are just apparel for now but we will be dipping into providing health items as far as sea moss, black seed oil, alkaline water etc. We have an instagram (@doyourownresearchllc) and our own website (shopdyor.com) so check us out when you get a chance. What I feel like sets me apart from others overall as just a person not just an entrepreneur is that no matter who in my corner or who helping/supporting me or not Im going to always find a way to succeed and do what I feel is right for me, no matter how many resources and information i may lack, I go equip my mental, go out and display it from my vision. A lot of people need that shoulder to lean on or extra help on the side to pursue their mission or they may just like going through the middle man, not me, I will run a business all on my own. The thing Im most proud of is “the process.” Without the process theres no room to grow, theres no mistakes to learn from, theres no accountability. All those things provided me the tools I have now to become a better me and to capitalize on my discipline and become a “Living Sacrifice.” What I want people to take from me and my brand and my work is to never quit. If you have a vision set your eyes on that vision and work hard at it until its your reality because thats what I did and “doing.” I pride myself in being the perfect example of getting it out the mud and independency.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is moving people spiritually, and/or emotionally in a positive matter, whether through music or clothes its so satisfying. My last album “Beauty in the Struggle” released October 12th, 2020, changed alot of my homeboys lives and helped alot of ppl through trials because of the relation to my story and the frequencies that was combined with it. Its more so success for me, I dont need all the money in the world or reputation, changing a life, adds structure and more life to mines.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was what success really meant. Success in most eyes are monetary gain and the amount of assets you may obtain. Success may mean being on TV or being recognized by a celebrity or public figure. Not for me. Success for me is overcoming anything here to bring you down, success to me is changing somebody’s perception for the better (changing lives), success to me is to be able to bring others to the level that you at and making everybody successful. I had to change my view of success to really tap into my sole purpose. I was chasing somebody else’s opinion which led me to do things out of my character and that set me back a lot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopdyor.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/detroitybhustle
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/DetroitYB
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DetroitYB
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/DetroitYB
• Other: https://detroityb.com

Image Credits
HELLZShotIt Halle Brandon Tucker films/Blu Productions