313 Legends

A member of the Funk Brothers, Dennis Coffey brought rock, funk, and electronic experimentation into soul music, most famously on hits like The Temptations’ “Cloud Nine” and his own “Scorpio” – one of those rare musicians whose name is written all over American popular music but not always heard by listeners.

He turned Motown into funk and gave Detroit an entirely new sound.

Moodymann is more than a DJ.

He’s a living, breathing myth.

Since his rise in the late 90s, the man formerly known as Kenny Dixon Jr. has pushed Detroit’s house music scene out of basements and warehouses into concert halls all over the world – all without ever losing the authenticity forged in the city that made him.

His music is smoky, soulful, and unpredictable – much like Detroit itself.

A man who rarely allows interviews and exists mostly behind masks and shadows, Moodymann’s signature can be found everywhere – from sweaty late-night sets to samples that sound like Motown’s ghosts come alive.

In short, loving Detroit’s music culture means knowing Moodymann in some way – even if you’ve never seen his face or know any of his tracks by name.

Years ago, Babyface Ray was a complete local underdog – his music sounded loud when it was drifting out of Detroit cars but barely touched the radio outside the city.

However, things have changed.

Backed by multiple mixtapes, features, and a style that sounds more like a conversation than a performance, Ray is now one of the main players bringing Detroit hip-hop into the mainstream in the new age.

Born in Detroit to legendary Temptations frontman David Ruffin, David Ruffin Jr. has carried his father’s iconic Motown heritage forward all while forging his own path in modern R&B, hip-hop, and performance spaces.
Known for blending his soulful roots with a contemporary edge, David Ruffin Jr. has made a career out of embodying both lineage and innovation, an accomplishment that was only made possible thanks to his upbringing in his father’s University District home.
There, the younger Ruffin caught the Motown vibe early, but it was always his mission to carve out his own unique artistic voice and identity.

Renowned trumpeter, band leader, director of Motown’s brass section, and co-founder of the Michigan Jazz Festival, it’s safe to say Johnny Trudell was one of the main innovators behind the soul and swing of Motown as well as the heartbeat of Detroit’s jazz community.

Trudell attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit, the alma mater of some of Detroit’s greatest musicians and the place Trudell would further develop his natural talent for the trumpet with rigorous training, discipline, and exposure to both classical and jazz.

By his early teens, he was leading his own band as well as showing precocious command of arrangement and leadership.

Standing just 5 feet tall yet packing a larger-than-life voice, 42 Dugg has become one of the most recognizable figures in the Metro’s new school rap scene.

Known for his whistle tag, clipped delivery, and ability to move between raw street storytelling and mainstream anthems, Dugg embodies the duality of Detroit rap: street-rooted yet industry-ready.

Aaliyah Haughton will be forever immortalized as “the Princess of R&B,” a visionary artist who redefined the entire sound and aesthetic of 1990s music.

With her whispery voice, future-forward style, and cool self-possession, she gave the genre a sleek new language unlike anything it had ever encountered before.

Though her life was cut short at 22, her influence is found everywhere—from fashion runways to the sound of modern R&B and hip-hop.

Baby Smoove is one of the most distinct voices to emerge from Detroit’s crowded rap wave.

Where others bark or brag, he barely raises his voice.

Instead, his raps drift out slow, calm, and unbothered—like someone narrating the chaos of the streets with a smirk instead of a shout.

It’s the kind of cool detachment that has made him a cult favorite – the kind of rapper whose style divides listeners yet never gets mistaken for anyone else’s.

Baby Money is one of the freshest names to break out of Detroit’s rap scene in recent years, carrying the city’s signature street DNA into a new era.

With sharp wit, slick delivery, and the ability to blend hard truths with humor, he’s become a core part of the newer generation pushing Detroit rap to national visibility – all while keeping it rooted in the east and west side hustle that raised him.

BabyTron isn’t just another rising rapper out of Detroit…

He’s one of the sharpest punchline artists working today.

Known for his endless stream of clever one-liners, oddball beat choices, and a deadpan delivery that turns jokes into daggers, BabyTron has become a cult star in the national rap scene while keeping his roots firmly tied to Detroit’s east side sound.

Cash Kidd is one of Detroit’s most colorful new school rappers, a man known for turning punchlines into a sport.

His music is funny, wild, and sometimes reckless, but underneath all that chaos is a sharp writer who has carved out a lasting spot for himself in the city’s rap scene, representing Detroit’s ability to flip humor, pain, and hustle into one unfiltered sound.

Known for his melodic inventiveness and unmatched versatility, Nathan Watts is one of the most influential electric bass players in popular music.

From the 1970s through to today, his work has shaped the sound of R&B, funk, and pop on a global scale.

Born in Detroit to legendary Temptations front man David Ruffin, David Ruffin Jr. has carried his father’s iconic Motown heritage forward while forging his own path in modern R&B and hip-hop.

Known for blending his soulful roots with a contemporary edge, David Ruffin Jr. has made a career out of embodying both lineage and innovation, an accomplishment that has a lot to do with his upbringing and his father’s music filled University District home.

There, the younger Ruffin caught the Motown vibe early, but it was always his mission to carve out his own unique artistic voice and identity.

Legendary jazz violinist Regina Carter was raised in a Motown, gospel, classical, and jazz loving household in Detroit.

She studied the Suzuki violin in early childhood, as well as classical training and improvisation.

By high school, she was playing jazz-inspired sets in Detroit’s burgeoning music scene and taking full advantage of its mentorship culture, where established players were known to encourage local young musicians and take them under their wing.

At the highly acclaimed Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Carter further honed in on her craft, becoming known as a rising star with a bright future on the horizon.

From there, she went on to study classical violin at the New England Conservatory before moving back home to Michigan to study jazz with local masters at Oakland University.

Ralphe Eames has always had a voice that’s impossible to miss.

His playing is expressive, full of character, and rooted in both Detroit’s strong jazz lineage and a fusion of various eclectic genres.

As far as his early years, Armstrong’s father, Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, was a fiddler and storyteller, and his uncle Lee “L.C.” Crockett played bass, which taught Ralphe how to follow in their footsteps by the age of 10.

Ralphe then went on to pursue more formal classical training, studying upright and electric bass at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan at a time when Detroit was most known for its booming music culture.

Motown, R&B, jazz – Armstrong soaked it all up with plenty of discipline and a desire to improvise wherever he saw fit.