- [Will] Coming up on "One Detroit," we'll unpack the findings of a new report on the declining health of Michigan residents, plus this week marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop.

We'll look at Detroit's roots in the popular music genre.

Also ahead, drummer Gayelynn McKinney talks about succeeding in a male dominated field, and we'll give you some suggestions on fun things to do this weekend.

It's all coming up next on "One Detroit."

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(upbeat synth music) - [Will] Just ahead on this week's "One Detroit," happy 50th birthday to hip hop.

We'll examine Detroit's connection to the art form rooted in racial and social justice.

Plus we'll catch up with jazz drummer Gayelynn McKinney to hear about her latest musical projects.

And Cecilia Sharp of 90.9 WRCJ fills us in on some of the fun activities in metro Detroit this weekend and beyond.

But first up, a report on the health of Michigan's population.

The Research Council of Michigan and the nonprofit organization Altarum have partnered to produce a series of five reports titled "Michigan's Path to a Prosperous Future."

The latest research focuses on health trends in the state.

I sat down with the director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human, and Veteran Services, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, to get a breakdown of the data.

(bright percussion music) - Is it true to say that Michigan's health care outcomes have been sliding over the past couple decades?

- You know, Will, I really appreciate the question, because I think it allows us to think a little bit about some of the context.

We as a state are struggling to attract and keep people here, and it turns out that people want to go to places where they can live their healthiest and happiest lives.

And one of the challenges that we sometimes have in Michigan is that we haven't necessarily built a lot of the infrastructure that we need for people to be able to do that thing.

And, you know, that's not just hospitals.

I mean, I want you to think about when you go to a hospital, you don't go to a hospital or a clinic when you're feeling well.

You go there after you get sick in the first place.

And so it's not about just providing the means of people to get healthy after they've been sick.

It's about keeping them healthy in the first place.

Part of the challenge that we have in Michigan is unfortunately we have not necessarily built what we need to be able to do that, whether it's the kind of density of healthy foods or a walkable environment, or even clean air.

And I wanna be specific here.

For a lot of Michiganders, you know, those things are readily available, but for too many Michiganders, they're not.

And too often those things are patterned by race and by income, and so you end up having pockets of our state where too often people are breathing dirty air, they have questionable access to clean water, they can't necessarily get around.

You think about the brutal interplay between an unwalkable community and then the fact that insurance rates for cars are so high, and that puts you in a position where you have to ask, how do I even get to work?

- In Michigan, the CRC report highlights that the life expectancy variation from one neighborhood to another can be as much as 29 years.

That, to me, is a very staggering number.

How is that variation possible?

- That kind of thing, that injustice of having a longer access to a healthier life ought to be something that all of us step back and really, really ponder upon.

It is about all of the circumstances in a daily life that benefit health in one community and really can take it away in another.

It starts with the simple air we breathe.

I mean, one project we just kicked off here at Wayne County is about building an air monitoring network simply because we know that while all of us have had to think a little bit more about our air over the past several weeks given the Canadian wildfires, there are a lot of communities, particularly in southwest Detroit, places like River Rouge or South Dearborn, where they gotta think about air quality every single day.

And if the very air you breathe that you're extracting oxygen from also brings with it pollutants that are going to damage your lungs and damage your heart and damage your kidneys, not just for adults and seniors, but for children as they are building their body in the first place, you gotta imagine how that hobbles folks.

Then you think about the access to a walkable environment.

We know what we call NEAT, or non-exercise activity, is one of the most important predictors of overall physical health.

It's not just going for a run or exercising for half an hour, an hour every day, or every other day.

It's also just how much activity you get in your daily life as a function of the life that you live.

Now in Michigan, obviously we're a community that was built by the automotive industry, and so everything was funneled in that direction.

So rather than being able to, you know, walk to the bus stop, get on a bus, walk from the bus stop to work every day and do that sustainably, unfortunately our public transit systems just haven't been invested in the way needed to be able to allow for public transit and all the activity that comes with that.

- If we change our ways, if we start to address the issues that we need to address, what could our future look like?

- One of the most important things that really does benefit public health, considering the fact that right now one of the major killers is mental illness, whether that comes out in suicide or that comes out in substance use, one of the most important features of a daily life that matters to us is one another.

And the ability to look one another in the eye and have a real life conversation where we can read and feel one another's emotions.

And a healthier society, a place where we've invested in public spaces, for example, that make coming together easier and more enjoyable is a more joyful life.

And you know, health is joyful.

Being healthy and being able to live to the full extent of your capacities is a joyful thing.

And so the lived experience of being healthier collectively is that we have one another more, and that we have more of ourselves to be able to enjoy one another and to be able to enjoy the lives that we lead.

And I think that's what's at stake.

And so I just want folks to appreciate that, you know, when we talk about health statistics, it's easy to just think about a bunch of numbers.

You know, people don't really quite care what the number of life expectancy is, but they do care about what the experience of living in a society where more of us are healthy ought to be.

And I think that just becomes a more joyful, more collectively oriented and engaged society where we spend more time with one another and the people that we love and we're able to take advantage of those 29 years of life that some people don't get to lead right now leading that together.

And I think that's what life is about, is spending meaningful time with the people that you love.

And when some people lose 29 of their years, right, and you think about the pockets where that's concentrated, we are literally robbing ourselves not just of health, but the joy that living can offer.

And that is a question of public policy.

And I know a lot of folks think, well, health is about what I choose to do.

It's about the food that I eat or the exercise that I choose to do.

Yeah, those are all true.

And you know, no doctor's ever gonna tell you don't eat healthy and don't exercise, right?

But the choice to do those things doesn't actually exist evenly for everybody.

- [Will] Let's turn now to a major anniversary in the music industry.

The hip hop genre officially turns 50 years old on August 11th.

It was on that date in 1973 that the art form was born at a party in the Bronx, New York.

Today it has evolved into the fastest growing genre in the world.

One Detroit contributor and self-proclaimed hip hop nerd, Bryce Huffman, reports on Detroit's connection to the hip hop culture and movement.

(inquisitive synth music) (upbeat rap music) - You look at a Motown, right?

Which is where I would say Detroit hiphop starts, okay?

- [Will] This is Piper Carter, a Detroit artist and culture curator.

She co-founded We Found Hiphop, an organization that empowers women in the performing and visual arts.

Carter says to understand Detroit hiphop, you've gotta first understand the impact of Barry Gordy in Motown records.

- He looked at all these very talented people who came from historic black bottom and the historic north end of Detroit and was like, "hey, we can figure out a way to organize this so that we are, you know, creating these avenues for people," right?

This then becomes a successful formula.

- The formula was so successful that Gordy took Motown out west of California in 1972.

But by the early eighties, a new culture was emerging, one that Detroiters were more than ready for.

- Take me back to the beginning of your experience with Detroit rap music.

What was the first song or first artist you can remember hearing?

- Well, the thing is, before it was actually a rap artist, the dance actually led in the eighties.

Because hip hop or hip hop culture at that time was actually a mixture of like, the music of the times, which, you know, could be classified as like R&B, you know, or like funk and soul and then like rap kind of like, it came in, you know what I mean?

But it was like an amalgamation, right?

I think what hip hop culture kind of provided folks is I would dare say, maybe more like a safer space to be an artist, to be creative, to be innovative.

That was something that was very important in hip hop in general, but definitely in Detroit it was very important.

There's also techno emerging, right?

Which is a very, I'd say it's a close kin in Detroit to Detroit hip hop, because the same people who were going to all the hip hop things were also going to techno.

So you'll notice in Detroit, people are very techno and hip hop, hip hop and techno.

'cause those things grew both out of the underground, the lack of music and arts education in schools, you know, the whole post-urban renewal, you know, the destruction of neighborhoods and things like that where, you know, independent arts culture emerge through the young people, through the youth.

- In the nineties, a Detroit fashion designer named Maurice Malone opened a clothing store that became more famous for the open mic it held at nights.

This was a space where artists could invent themselves on the mic, The Hip Hop Shop.

- You've probably heard a lot of the stories about The Hip Hop Shop, which is where, yeah, a lot of the, what we know of as Detroit hip hop culture, your Jade Dilla, your Eminem, your Proof, all that comes out of that.

- [Will] Through the nineties and two thousands, Detroit established its own signature sound for rap music, uptempo drums, dark and simple piano chords, these are the building blocks of producer Helluva in rap groups like the Street Lords and the Eastside Chedda Boyz.

(upbeat R&B music) At Capital Studio in Oak Park, just half a mile north of Detroit is Travis Pittman.

He's a Detroit producer who goes by the name 4AMJUNO.

He's working on a song with Detroit rapper Lelo.

He says the Detroit production style fits perfectly with what the city is all about.

- It's a city where people want to get money and hustle, so I think that fast paceness kind of just is in the culture, like moving fast, and just trying to get to what's next, like whatever next level or what's next in the day.

Like just get some money and do what's next, have fun.

Even having fun is still fast paced, like really turnt up and stuff like that.

- [Will] This sound, however, was confined to Detroit and a few other cities in the Midwest for decades.

But recently, rappers like 42 Dug, T Grizzly, Baby Face Ray, Sodda Baby, and Ice Word Bezzo have been getting praise from folks beyond Detroit's borders, all while keeping the Detroit sound alive.

- Like you were saying, it's been really regional.

So I think that the fact that everyone's hearing it now is like something new.

Something new and exciting.

- Juno has been recording music in Detroit for the past seven years.

- There's been a whole conversation about other rappers from other cities kind of taking Detroit sound and style.

What kind of pride does that give you as a Detroit artist?

You know, someone who's really from here and is really in the scene.

- I think it means that we're doing something right.

If other people wanna emulate it or make stuff similar to it, or they must be somewhat a fan of it, or they're influenced by it.

- [Will] The more recent Detroit rappers are able to get their music to bigger audiences than never before thanks to the internet.

Lilo, whose real name is Khalil Jewell, believes Detroit style is the new standard for what's hot in hip hop.

- We have like different artists embracing Detroiters and the Detroit style and it's kind of allowed it to breach places that it didn't breach before.

It's hand in hand with the art scene, it's hand in hand with the sports scene.

Everything is touched by the rap scene.

Everything is touched by, every part, every aspect of Detroit is kind of this conglomerate and you just gotta look deep enough to see it.

So I feel like being passionate about any part of Detroit's art world is gonna lead you to the music.

- [Will] Lelo says he wants his music to bring awareness to the everyday struggles of Detroiters.

Those struggles, he says, include crime and poverty.

- So instead of me providing ways of necessarily being able to stop these problems, instead I am a voice that people can empathize with and maybe see themselves in, or if they have no clue about what's going on in my city.

- [Will] Lelo is still in the infancy of his career, but he knows he has a lot of opportunities ahead of him.

He says seeing some of the biggest Detroit rappers finally getting shine after years of grinding gives him all the confidence he needs.

- With those kind of success stories in front of me, it's kind of like how can you fail?

- [Will] With more eyes on the scene than ever before, Detroiters like Carter, 4AMJUNO, and Lelo are proud to be a part of the city's deep hip hop scene.

Like Lelo, 4AMJUNO is looking forward to what comes next in his career, especially bringing in artists from other cities who are fans of the Detroit sound.

- I want to eventually get some of those people in New York that I like their music on some songs with people from Detroit and just bring people together for real.

- [Will] And for more on the history of hip hop, watch "Fight The Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World" on demand on DPTV Passport.

Turning now to another form of music, jazz.

Detroit musician Gayelynn McKinney sat down with One Detroit contributor Cecilia Sharp of 90.9 WRCJ to talk about breaking down barriers as a female drummer working with the all female jazz band "Straight Ahead" and launching a Women Who Drum festival.

(energetic percussion music) - My guest today is one of Detroit's finest drummers, Mrs. Gayelynn McKinney, welcome to the show.

- Thank you, thank you.

Thank you for having me, Cee.

- Absolutely.

Now, Gayelynn, you come from a musical family.

Your father's the legendary Harold McKinney, your mother was a well-noted singer, your siblings are musicians, trumpeters, singers, you name it, so, you had no choice.

- I had no choice.

- But to become a musician.

You started playing drums at the age of two.

- I got my first official lesson at nine from Mike Daney.

Guy Cecil, he is not here either anymore, but he also started teaching me officially like rudiments and things like that at nine.

- So what made you, because you were playing the clarinet and saxophone, you were great, you already beat out the first chair, you challenged the first chair saxophonist within your first month of playing and won, what made you stick with the drums?

- Nobody knew I played drums until one particular day.

The drums were out and I said, "oh!"

I went over there and I started playing on the snare and doing some stuff.

Everybody in the class went (gasps) and they was looking at me like, "oh my God, she's playing the drums!"

And clearly I obviously knew what I was doing.

So that was very surprising to everyone.

And so after that day, I was standing at the bus stop on my way home from school and this little girl was looking at me like.

And I was like, "what's wrong with you?"

And she said, "you were playing the drums."

And I said, "mm hmm, yeah."

And she said, "well, you a girl."

I said, "yeah, I know that."

And she said, "but you were playing the drums?"

I said, "yeah."

She said, "well, you're not supposed to be playing the drums.

The drums are for boys."

- Wow!

And she really, that really hurt my feelings.

I was like, "well, I'm a girl.

I like to play the drums."

Well, my father came home from New York one day, he had been doing some music there and he didn't know how I was feeling.

He just knew, he never knew I was thinking about quitting.

And so he just came in all excited.

"Guess what?"

I said, "what?"

"I saw another little girl playing the drums."

I said, "really?"

He said, "yeah, yeah, yeah!

She was playing with Clark Terry and she's about eight years old."

So I'm 10 and she's eight.

And that drummer was Terri Lyne Carrington.

And so that was all I needed.

I just needed to know that there was some other girl playing this instrument, 'cause I never saw any other girl playing the instrument when I was coming up playing the drums.

- I didn't think that you would face flack, for lack of a better word, but catching the heat from girls from playing drums.

So did you find that you were more welcomed by the guys or?

- It was just that the one little girl really that said something about it.

The boys just would, you know, they would be, I think they were in shock.

(laughs) They were too shock to even say anything.

So as I got in my older years though, that's when I really started to see from guys that they weren't quite that happy that I was playing the drums, especially during like jam sessions.

- Please help me welcome "Straight Ahead."

(jazz band plays) - Right after college you joined a group called "Straight Ahead," an all female jazz ensemble.

How did that band come about?

- That band came about thanks to a woman named Miche Braden, who was trying to find some musicians to perform at this club called Burt's Place.

And it used to be on Jefferson right across from Heart Plaza and she couldn't find anybody.

Everybody was busy.

So she called me and she said, "Hey Gayelynn, I'm trying to put a band together for Burt's PLace for a Monday night gig."

And, you know, Monday is not a good night, but I guess words started circulating that there was an all female jazz group playing.

And like I said, we weren't tiptoeing through the tulips.

We was hitting.

So by the next couple of weeks, a couple weeks later, we had like 20 people come in the club.

By the end of the second month, there was a line going outside of Burt's PLace.

- On a Monday.

- On a Monday, from people wanting to see this all female group.

(jazz group playing) - Last year in 2022 you launched a festival, Women Who Drum.

Tell us about that festival and the mission and purpose of Women Who Drum.

- So I started this thing because I play at Baker's Keyboard Lounge on Fridays and Saturdays with the great Ralph Armstrong and Gerard Gibbs.

And I've been doing this now for, since February of '21.

And do you know that almost every weekend, one night out of that weekend, sometimes two nights out that weekend somebody says, "wow, you are the first woman drummer I've ever seen!"

That's when the idea came to me.

I said, "well, I'm gonna start this festival, 'cause people here need to to see and know that there's more than just me out here doing this.

For one thing, I love performing, but I love playing for people, especially who appreciate it.

And so I feel obligated to give them a show.

If you come to see me, I feel obligated to give you a show.

(Gayelynn drumming) You came to see me perform, so I'm gonna give you something back so that you're gonna leave happy 'cause you're gonna know I put my all into it, you know.

(audience claps) - [Will] And you can check out (jazz band playing) this year's Women Who Drum Festival on August 16th at the Dequindre Cut.

There are several other events happening around town in the coming days.

Here's Cecilia Sharp of 90.9 WRCJ with today's "One Detroit" weekend.

- Hi, I'm Cecilia Sharp with 90.9 WRCJ.

The weekend is so close!

We are in the dog days of summer and there is still a ton of great things to take part in around metro Detroit.

So let's get to it.

As many know, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop.

And tomorrow 7:00 PM, the Detroit Institute of Arts is celebrating it with a presentation in its lecture hall, focusing on the contributions of women in hip hop.

And this weekend, Blake's Orchard and Cider Mill will be having its annual Sunflower Festival where you can gallivant your way through the sunflowers, take part in DIY classes where you can make and take crafts made with sunflowers, shop from over 100 artisans, and so much more.

Also on August 11th and 12th is the Dexter Daze Festival where people can enjoy food, art, music, and more.

Dexter Daze really has something for everyone in the family.

Another city celebrating its annual festival this weekend is Milford with their Milford Memories.

The weekend will be filled with kids activities, live music, a beer tent, and something a little different.

There are sports tournaments throughout the three days, including basketball, volleyball, and cornhole.

But if you're looking to see some action in the sky, you can head over to Willow Run Airport for the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show.

You'll be able to look at aircraft on the ground and see the planes take off and put on a spectacular performance in the morning and afternoon.

And of course, there's so much more going on in and around Detroit, so here are more events to check out.

Have a great weekend.

(ambient synth music) - [Will] That will do it for this week's "One Detroit."

Thanks for watching.

Head to the "One Detroit" website for all the stories we're working on.

Follow us on social media, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

- [Commercial Narrator] From Delta Faucets to Behr Paint, Masco Corporation is proud to deliver products that enhance the way consumers all over the world experience and enjoy their living spaces.

Masco.

Serving Michigan communities since 1929.

Support for this program is provided by the Cynthia and Edsel Ford Fund for Journalism at Detroit Public TV.

- [Second Commercial Narrator] The DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit Public TV.

Among the state's largest foundations committed to Michigan focused giving.

We support organizations that are doing exceptional work in our state.

Visit dtefoundation.com to learn more.

- [Commercial Narrator] Nissan Foundation and viewers like you.

(upbeat synth music)