Jasahn and Krystal Larsosa are best friends, parents, community activists, and now candidates for public office in Detroit. The couple joined Detroit is Different and open up about their childhood, love for community, background in family, and more. Jasahn is currently running for Mayor of Detroit and Krystal is running for the office of city-wide city council member. Their traditional love and vision for the community are steeped in a modern understanding of ways people find, embrace, and connect with one another. Jasahn and Krystal open up about why their love for community and people is part of the love shared in the family in this interview.
Khary Frazier the Founder of Detroit is Different is in the chair being interviewed by Sharea Ayers and Gigi Guida. The discussion explores the roots of Detroit is Different, a Lot of Studio, and love for Detroit. This is a creative discussion of what’s next for Detroit is Different and a great introduction to Sharea and Gigi content.
‘a Lot of Studio’ inaugural year will provide a mix of live podcasting and performance that will capture hearts and minds. The podcasts and performances are categorized from the premise of the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles of Kwanzaa). The themes of each show and performance are the ways Detroit is Different creators welcome you!
Thursday Evenings 5PM – 9PM
Thursday, June 10 – Thursday, August 26, 2021
* (Rain Delay dates are Thursday, September 3 and Thursday, September 10)
June 10 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) hosted by Khary Frazier
Podcast: Gardening in Detroit featuring Feedom Freedom Gardens Monique & Mama Myrtle, Malik Yakini & Sherrie Smith
Performance: Mollywop (Reggae, Funk, Hip-hop)
June 17 Nia (Purpose for Detroiters) hosted by Khary Frazier
Podcast: Detroiters Bill of Rights featuring Councilmember Raquel Castaneda-Lopez, Tawana Honeycomb Petty, & John Sloan
Performance: Luther ‘Bad Man’ Keith (Blues)
June 24 Umoja (Unity of Black Men & Women) hosted by LaDonna Sims
Podcast: Black Men’s Natural Hair featuring Bryce Detroit & Jason Jamerson
Performance: Alex Way (R & B)
July 1 Kuumba (Creativity of Detroit Culture) hosted by Josh Adams
Podcast: Detroit Movies Tristin Fazekas & Mic Larry hosted
Performance: Josh Adams (Urban Comedy)
July 8 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) hosted by Piper Carter
Podcast: Detroit Content Creators Orlando Bailey & Marnese Jackson
Performance: Alex White Experience (Instrumental Soul)
July 15 Nia (Purpose for Black Women) hosted by Piper Carter
Podcast: Detroit Artists featuring Escada, Halima Afi Cassells, & Sterling Toles
Performance: Maraj Vistuoso (Modern Classical)
July 22 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) hosted by Josh Adams
Podcast: Detroit Food Vicki of Big Ma’s Coney Cart & Quiana of Cooking with Que
Performance: Sowande Keita (African Drumming)
July 29 Nia (Purpose for Black People) hosted by Josh Adams
Podcast: Detroit Beauty with the Queen of Body Sculpting
Performance: Terri Shu (Neo Soul & Rock)
August 5 Kuumba (Creativity of Detroit Culture) hosted by Piper Carter
Podcast: Detroit Fashion featuring Ashley Nicole of Melt Fit & Kool Ade of AYV
Performance: Gayelynn McKiney (Jazz)
August 12 Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility of Community)hosted by Audra Carson
Podcast: Detroit Community with Audra Carson
Performance: Ayana Love (Alternative Hip-hop)
August 19 Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics in the Black Community)hosted by Khary Frazier
Podcast: Growing a Black Business featuring Ken Haris & Jennyfer Crawford
Performance: J Bell & PEACE (Comedy & Poetry)
August 26 Imani (Faith & Spirit of Black Voices)hosted by Khary Frazier & Piper Carter
Podcast: Black Media featuring Coco & JoAnn Watson
Performance: Coco (Urban Comedy)
Today is the start of the ‘a Lot of Studio Podcast & Performance’ event series. Thank you all for your support for the Ca$h App Crowdfund Campaign. Thus far we have collectively raised $6,290 of the goal for $7,500. We are so humbled by the giving from 72 different people that have pitched into the effort.
Today everything kicks off with a podcast discussion about Urban Gardening featuring Feedom Freedom Gardens (Mama Myrtle & Monique); Sherrie Smith; and Malik Yakini. The performance will be from the signature brand of Reggae, Funk, Hip-hop and Soul of MollyWop! Food will be sold by Soul on Roll. This will be a great experience to enjoy a Detroit neighborhood. Join us at ‘a Lot of Studio’ at 1634 Clements Detroit MI (park on the John C Lodge Service Drive).
Please support by giving to $DetroitisDifferent and joining us today.
The full series of ‘a Lot of Studio will include:
Today is the start of the ‘a Lot of Studio Podcast & Performance’ event series. Thank you all for your support for the Ca$h App Crowdfund Campaign. Thus far we have collectively raised $6,290 of the goal for $7,500. We are so humbled by the giving from 72 different people that have pitched into the effort.
Today everything kicks off with a podcast discussion about Urban Gardening featuring Feedom Freedom Gardens (Mama Myrtle & Monique); Sherrie Smith; and Malik Yakini. The performance will be from the signature brand of Reggae, Funk, Hip-hop and Soul of MollyWop! Food will be sold by Soul on Roll. This will be a great experience to enjoy a Detroit neighborhood. Join us at ‘a Lot of Studio’ at 1634 Clements Detroit MI (park on the John C Lodge Service Drive).
Please support by giving to $DetroitisDifferent and joining us today.
The full series of ‘a Lot of Studio will include:
Today is the start of the ‘a Lot of Studio Podcast & Performance’ event series. Thank you all for your support for the Ca$h App Crowdfund Campaign. Thus far we have collectively raised $6,290 of the goal for $7,500. We are so humbled by the giving from 72 different people that have pitched into the effort.
Today everything kicks off with a podcast discussion about Urban Gardening featuring Feedom Freedom Gardens (Mama Myrtle & Monique); Sherrie Smith; and Malik Yakini. The performance will be from the signature brand of Reggae, Funk, Hip-hop and Soul of MollyWop! Food will be sold by Soul on Roll. This will be a great experience to enjoy a Detroit neighborhood. Join us at ‘a Lot of Studio’ at 1634 Clements Detroit MI (park on the John C Lodge Service Drive).
Please support by giving to $DetroitisDifferent and joining us today.
The full series of ‘a Lot of Studio will include:
June 10 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) hosted by Khary Frazier
Podcast: Gardening in Detroit featuring Feedom Freedom Gardens Monique & Mama Myrtle, Malik Yakini & Sherrie Smith
Performance: Mollywop (Reggae, Funk, Hip-hop)
June 17 Nia (Purpose for Detroiters) hosted by Khary Frazier
Podcast: Detroiters Bill of Rights featuring Councilmember Raquel Castaneda-Lopez, Tawana Honeycomb Petty, & John Sloan
Performance: Luther ‘Bad Man’ Keith (Blues)
June 24 Umoja (Unity of Black Men & Women) hosted by LaDonna Sims
Podcast: Black Men’s Natural Hair featuring Bryce Detroit & Jason Jamerson
Performance: Alex Way (R & B)
July 1 Kuumba (Creativity of Detroit Culture) hosted by Josh Adams
Podcast: Detroit Movies Tristin Fazekas & Mic Larry hosted
Performance: Josh Adams (Urban Comedy)
July 8 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) hosted by Piper Carter
Podcast: Detroit Content Creators Orlando Bailey & Marnese Jackson
Performance: Alex White Experience (Instrumental Soul)
July 15 Nia (Purpose for Black Women) hosted by Piper Carter
Podcast: Detroit Artists featuring Escada, Halima Afi Cassells, & Sterling Toles
Performance: Maraj Vistuoso (Modern Classical)
July 22 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) hosted by Josh Adams
Podcast: Detroit Food Vicki of Big Ma’s Coney Cart & Quiana of Cooking with Que
Performance: Sowande Keita (African Drumming)
July 29 Nia (Purpose for Black People) hosted by Josh Adams
Podcast: Detroit Beauty with the Queen of Body Sculpting
Performance: Terri Shu (Neo Soul & Rock)
August 5 Kuumba (Creativity of Detroit Culture) hosted by Piper Carter
Podcast: Detroit Fashion featuring Ashley Nicole of Melt Fit & Kool Ade of AYV
Performance: Gayelynn McKiney (Jazz)
August 12 Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility of Community)
hosted by Audra Carson
Podcast: Detroit Community with Audra Carson
Performance: Ayana Love (Alternative Hip-hop)
August 19 Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics in the Black Community)
hosted by Khary Frazier
Podcast: Growing a Black Business featuring Ken Haris & Jennyfer Crawford
Performance: J Bell & PEACE (Comedy & Poetry)
August 26 Imani (Faith & Spirit of Black Voices)
hosted by Khary Frazier & Piper Carter
Podcast: Black Media featuring Coco & JoAnn Watson
Performance: Coco (Urban Comedy)
“We need to do something outside.” This is what Detroit is Different founder Khary Frazier will tell you when you ask about his big plans for the summer. Khary’s got a point — it’s the summer of 2021, and we’ve spent the past 14 months living, loving, struggling, recovering, fighting, healing, learning, grieving through a pandemic, and many of us may have spent a lot of that time indoors.
For you, maybe that’s meant looking into a computer screen, driving around in a car, lying in bed, sitting at a desk. For parents: homeschooling your kids through the online school. For kids: trying to be virtual students and classmates. For essential workers: going into work at risk. For creatives: being cut off from in-person collaborations. For caregivers of all kinds: providing for your loved ones while providing for yourself and your own wellness. For all of us: being separated from friends and family, and isolated from people and places that we love was difficult for many of us all …
At Detroit is Different, we’re emerging from this claustrophobic, isolating time with an eagerness to laugh, an urgency to do and create, and most of all, with a lot to say.
Here’s where Khary’s big summer plans come in. Starting on June 10th and running through the end of August, Detroit is Different will launch its first annual summer event series: a Lot of Studio. Located in the grassy lot just a few steps away from Detroit is Different incubator space, a Lot of Studio will give a new outdoor and in-person occasion for members of the community to enjoy each other’s company and creativity, breathe in the summer breeze, and of course, say what they want to say.
Structured like a live podcast and led by influential Detroiters as podcast hosts and featuring performances by Detroit-based artists, each event will be an oasis of creative expression and discussion. Of course, just as Detroit is Different is an incubator for Black culture and creativity, each a Lot of Studio itself will be a communal creation by and for Black Detroiters.
Each event will be what Khary calls a group podcast — hosts, guests, and audience will share in the podcast and performance experience together. Audience members are encouraged to contribute to what will be an open, fluid, and spontaneous conversation — so spontaneous that Khary doesn’t really know what each show will look like, and that’s what’s so exciting.
“It’ll be shocking,” he says. “We’ll be surprised where we end up. It’ll be about going with the flow and vibe of where people are and seeing what happens.” Every show will be different from the next, and probably different from what it was at the beginning.
Come to laugh, to speak, to eat, to listen, to learn, to teach. Come to take home vegetables from the Detroit is Different garden, maybe even catch the beginnings of summer sunsets behind the stage, and celebrate Detroit as the Black mecca that it is.
Thursday evenings, from June till August. Free and open to all. We’ll see you there!
Anthony Adams experienced the height of Black excellence in Detroit. The politics, culture, arts, sports, business, law, and style making Detroit an international hub for Black Genius. Adams moved here in 1981 leaving Georgetown Law and soon worked under the Coleman Young administration. Hear all about the planning and development for commercial flights for City Airport, his work with the Mayor Kilpatrick Administration, and Urban Development in private practice. Also learn the catalyst and platform he wants for Detroit. Why Adams thinks race is always an American issue to be addressed head-on and Detroit’s value.
As a bonus in this interview, Anthony Adams describes the brilliance of Coleman Young’s negotiation skills for taxing Non-Resident Detroiters. He also gives the basic linear connection of how the agreed-upon lowering of the tax for more State revenue sharing was a dishonored deal by the State of Michigan. This is how the State of Michigan was in wrong for the Detroit bankruptcy because the State of Michigan owed Detroit MILLIONS of dollars from an unhonored deal of which Kevyn Orr (Jones Day) and Jennifer Granholm never explored. Learn why in this interview from Anthony Adams.
The Story of the album that took a decade to create featuring Jazz, Hip-hop, Soul, Gospel, and Detroit. Boldy James and Sterling Toles masterpiece Manger on McNichols is told in these in-depth interviews. Producer Sterling Toles shares the story of meeting Boldy James and crafting an orchestra arrangement around the heartfelt story of what led him into street life. The Manger on McNichols album is already acknowledged as one of the most dynamic and creative works of 2020. Introduce yourself to the collaborative brotherhood that created this expression of Detroit Life.
Amale Knox assists with getting people much needed Social Security benefits. There are many people unable to work facing disabilities physically and mentally. Attorney Knox is a resource for these people. She shares her journey into this work and why she stays dedicated to the work. She also opens up about attending Cass Tech and U of M. A lifetime learner and listener Attorney Knox opens up about her motivations. Listen to her path from the Eastside of Detroit through her career today.
