“Aaliyah Life & Legacy”

WDIV’s Karen Drew provides an investigative look at the life & legacy of Aaliyah by those that knew Aaliyah best from the likes of Rell, Pastor Winans, Dame Dash and many others. These series of interviews were shot at various locations in the month of July 2021 on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the untimely accidental death of Detroit’s shinning star Aaliyah!

Grand Master Flash - “How We Hip Hop”

“How We Hip Hop” is a journey through hip-hop. It highlights the invention of break beats utilizing the “Quick Mix Theory” that would allow the deejay to emcee thus birthing rap music. “How We Hip” is comprised of archival footage of the inception of break dancing and emceeing used as a teaching message to those that view.

Narrated by Grand Master Flash, complete with award show footage and testimonies rounding this out be a poignant moving tribute to one of the first innovators of the deejays from one of the most important groups of all time, Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five.

The “Tribute To John “Ecstacy” Fletcher”

The “Tribute To John “Ecstacy” Fletcher” is comprised of behind the scenes rehearsal and concert footage of Whodini narrated by Ecstacy, complete with award show footage and testimonies rounding this out be a poignant moving tribute to one of the greatest rap groups of all time, Whodini’s Jalil Hutchinson & John “Ecstacy” Fletcher!"

“#soulofdetroit featuring Aretha Franklin”

On April 3, 2020, the first shot of #soulofdetroit was filmed during the the early morning hours at Osborn High school, (former high school of filmmaker “Rell Derrell”) at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic as it plagued the world. The motivation was to capture a slice of life showing the city of Detroit aesthetically, filmed at various locations in the Metropolitan Detroit area and reshot throughout the month April, edited at uploaded on May 5, 2020.

#soulofdetroit is a tribute to the men and women workers that risked their lives to provide essential necessitated services for everyday families that was affected by the deaths and those laid off during the pandemic, utilizing the soulful sounds of the legendary “Queen of Soul”, Mrs. Aretha Franklin.

#soulofdetroit is poignant 80 sec edit, shot in 60 fps; edited in slow motion using pink fonts (Mrs. Aretha’s favorite color) to capture the pure essence of the “Queen of Soul” as she takes us to church serenading the city that she loved the most.

Points of interest would be the new Aretha Franklin Amphitheater, New Bethel Baptist Church (home of Rev. C.L Franklin), the Motown Museum and the Fox Theater concluding at the marquee of the TF Center (formally Cobo Hall) with the inscription “Detroit, we’re in this Together” coined and phrased by Michigan Governor Whitmer to view for social media viewing purposes only.

"Chuck D. speaks to the Youth during J Dilla Weekend!" 

At at the start of Black History Weekend 2020, on a cold snowy day, Chuck D. stopped by the Avalon Village in Highland Park, Michigan to speak to the youth and provide a bit of hip hop history and insight in support of the annual J Dilla Weekend.

This is filmed documentary style with Chuck’s new music followed by commentary from Chuck D. and Mama Shu (Founder & CEO of The Avalon Village). This video is 3 minutes and 22 secs in length, edited with precision with animation used for inspirational purposes only formatted for web usage.

"The Kid N'Play Kick Step" 

"The Kid 'N' Play Kick Step" is a 55 sec edit with Christopher (Play) Martin narrating the history of how the dance craze began featuring a series of archival footage of Kid "N' Play dance videos and tv appearances edited into a dance sequence, ending with them doing the dance in full filmed in Lansing, Michigan as a part of the "I Love The 90's Tour" (2019). 

"Training with Hoops"

"Training with Hoopz" was filmed with Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander at "Let's Get It Fitness"gym in Dearborn Heights, Michigan in preparation for her exhibition bout with Nat D at the "Boom Cups Celebrity Boxing Showdown" to raise awareness for Anti-Bullying at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, on November 10, 2018.

"The D.O.C & N.W.A - "Behind The Mic, Knowledge and The Rhythm"

The D.O.C & N.W.A - "Behind The Mic, Knowledge and The Rhythm" is a near 18-minute documentary featuring The D.O.C during his second concert appearance since the infamous car wreck in 1989 that severely damaged his vocal cords. It begins with narratives of news reports from actual events of the day of the shoot with the skyline of the city of Detroit and landmarks beginning with an elaborate intro using music from his "No One Can Do It Better" album. 

This documentary consists mainly of backstage conversations with Ice Cube, MC Ren & DJ Yella reminiscing on the N.W.A days also includes DJ Quik, MC Eiht and uploaded to The D.O.C's twitter for social media viewing purposes.

*The shoot was filmed on-the-fly, reality show style using original music and archived video clips of the groups history of Dr. Dre & the late Eric (Eazy-E) Wright.