Hello, everyone. Welcome to the second and final Blogger Spotlight column of the week! We thought about holding this piece until closer to Christmas, but after learning the full story behind the site in question we simply could not wait to share it. If you have a recommendation for a site or writer you feel would be a great addition to this series, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts.
It’s hard to turn on the news these days without seeing something about the city of Detroit flashing on the scrolling ticker. Between corrupt politicians and ever-mounting debt the place once known as Motor City USA has undoubtedly seen far better days. Still, amidst the abandoned buildings and empty lots resides a growing coalition of young minds dedicated to seeing their city thrive once more, and today we’re telling one like-minded group’s story.
A theme that runs throughout every single interview we have featured up to this point is a universal desire to share great music with the world. Each of the writers and professionals highlighted started their career with that goal in mind, and over time each has found success in their own way through pursuing that same dream. It’s as if the only way to make it in music is to be as selfless as possible, doing whatever you can to help the people around you to succeed. People notice when others act this way, and it doesn’t take six months of interviews to understand being liked can get you places in life. Today’s writer shares this same passion, but their efforts to give back goes beyond anything we have highlighted up to this point.
Motor City Ragers is a collective of writers from the greater Detroit area who know their beloved city is overdue for an evolution. They believe in Detroit’s power to rise to prominence once more, and each day they do their part to promote the area’s future by sharing the talent that thrives within the city limits with the rest of the world. From music news and reviews, to sports and beyond, the finest Detroit has to offer can be found on the pages of Motor City Ragers alongside the likes of every pop culture influencer you can name, and in the paragraphs below you’ll learn how it all came to be.
If you would like stay up to date with everything going on in the world of Motor City Ragers, make sure you bookmark and frequent their website. Additional questions and comments can added at the end of this post.
H: For the record, please tell us your name, job title, and the publication(s) you currently write for:
N: Hello Haulix readers! Before I get to the questions, I have to say thank you to Haulix and James for giving us this opportunity. We’ve spent a lot of time and effort building our brand from the ground-up over the last few years, and we truly appreciate and cherish every chance we get to share our story with new audiences.
With that being said, my name is Nick Camilleri, and I’m one of the founders of MCR (Motor City Ragers). I really can’t give you a more specific job title because MCR isn’t just a blog or publication. MCR is one brand with many different elements. Not only do we run a blog that focuses on the Detroit music scene, but we also have a CD duplication and screen printing business, we manage artists, we’re working on our own independent record label with in-house distribution and publishing, we’ll be launching a clothing line in the near future, and we also have our own nonprofit organization among many other things. As one of the founders, I’m responsible for bringing our overall vision to fruition.
H: When we first interacted you informed me that you’re just one of the site’s founders. Can you share with us the origin story behind Motor City Ragers?
N: MCR has been years in the making. It all started with a group of high school friends looking to escape the banality of the suburbs. After we got our driver’s licenses, Detroit became our escape. We would visit the city almost every weekend – whether to attend a sporting event, a show, to go out to eat, or simply to walk around and explore. We fell in love with a side of Detroit that was never portrayed in the news and media.
After high school, we all went our separate ways for college. Even though we attended different universities, we all stayed in-state so we could be close to home. During semester and holiday breaks, we would all get back together and go blow off steam in Detroit. A long and rough week of exams was always followed up by a couple of nights of extreme partying in the city, and it was perfect because one of our other founders was attending Wayne State at the time and lived right on campus so we always had a place to crash at.
It wasn’t until my senior year at the University of Michigan that I truly became inspired to get involved in the city’s revitalization efforts. During my last semester in Ann Arbor, I took a course on Detroit that was taught by professor Scott Kurashige. Not only did this class give me a better and more complete understanding of the city’s history and all of the different factors and variables that lead to its downfall, but it also exposed me to the various groups and organizations that were spearheading the city’s modern grassroots revival, such as the Heidelberg Project and Detroit Summer to name a few. Before I enrolled in this class, my only focus was getting my degree and applying to law school. After I completed the course, the only thing on my mind was getting involved on the ground. But how would be determined in the months following graduation.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2010, I reached out to my friends from high school to see if they were interested in getting involved at the grassroots with me. After everyone was on board, we embarked on an extensive brainstorming mission to figure out what exactly we were going to do. At the same time, we were still going out a lot in the city and meeting and networking with people who were already active on the scene. This was all going on in the months following the release of Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon II album. Kid Cudi was a huge inspiration for us and his music was always on the playlist for our brainstorming sessions. In fact, it was his usage of the word “rager” that inspired our name. After a night of heavy drinking in Detroit, we looked each other in the eyes and said “we’re the Motor City Ragers.”
Even though we all had different ideas to start, we all came together over our shared passion for music and its power to unite people of all races and creeds. We just didn’t have a plug into the local music scene. That all changed when we met Detroit artist CrackKillz at a house party in Midtown. After talking for a bit about each other’s visions, we exchanged numbers, and a couple of weeks later, CrackKillz called me and asked if MCR would be interested in sponsoring his next mixtape. Even though we didn’t have a business plan or structure in place at the time, I told him yes without any hesitation.
It was through our involvement with CrackKillz that we became aware of all of the musical and artistic talent in the city. I felt like we needed to help bring attention and exposure to these talented and starving artists, so we started the MCR blog. Then a couple of months after we launched the blog, we realized that there was a high demand for CD duplication and screen printing, so we purchased the necessary equipment to be able to offer those services as well. The rest is history.
H: What initially attracted you to the idea of blogging? Was MCR your first ‘professional’ writing effort?
N: MCR was indeed my first professional writing effort. I really had no intentions of blogging until I became exposed to all of the good music getting overlooked in Detroit. At first I was hesitant because I didn’t have any previous experience running a blog, but with time and patience, I was able to teach myself.
H: Let’s talk a bit about your history. When you think about your earliest memories with music, what comes to mind?
N: Oh man so many of my earliest memories are music-related. One of my most vivid memories is when I went to a night club in Greece for the first time at the age of 12 and everyone inside was jumping up and down in a trance to “6th Gate” by D-Devils as if they were possessed. That definitely left a lasting impression on me. Another memorable experience that comes to mind is when I tried to buy Jay Z’s Hard Knock Life album on my own when I was 10. The cashier at FYE asked for my ID and I immediately dropped the CD and ran out of the store like a fool. Or how about when I went to a System of a Down concert at Joe Louis in 10th grade and got trampled in the mosh pit. It hurts just to think about that experience.
H: Detroit has produced some legendary artists and groups over the years. Were you involved in your local music scene growing up?
N: I really didn’t get involved in the Detroit music scene until after I finished college and met CrackKillz. Since then, I have been able to build relationships with a number of local artists, including Adam Reverie, Sheefy McFly, Maz Michigan, and Jae Retch to name a few.
H: You cover a variety of content on Motor City Ragers. How would you describe the type of artists and music people can find on your site?
N: Even though we cover the Detroit hip hop scene extensively, our blog is open to all genres of music, especially if the artists/bands are from Detroit.
H: You talk about a lot of things other than music as well. Can you tell our readers a bit about those efforts?
N: Aside from music, we like to bring attention to anything that sheds a positive light on the city, such as volunteer outings and various fundraising efforts.
H: Your site has been gaining quite a bit of notoriety. At this point, what goals are you hoping to accomplish through your efforts with MCR?
N: MCR is an arts-based movement dedicated to making change a reality in Detroit. Through our efforts, we want Detroit to become known throughout the world as the Arsenal of Creativity, which is a twist on the Arsenal of Democracy motto of the city’s historic past. At a time in history when the arts are being taken for granted, we want to show the world why the arts matter. Here, they are revitalizing an entire city.
H: You’re probably the first site we’ve spoken with that has its own scholarship. What can you tell us about the ‘Motor City Pride’ scholarship program?
N: Even before MCR started, we were committed to giving back. We understood how the future of Detroit depends on the youth of today. The city needs a larger and more solid tax base to be able to provide its citizens with the municipal services they need. It is much easier to attract the younger generation to Detroit than the older generation that, for the most part, is stuck in the past. Through the Motor City Pride Scholarship, we’re trying to encourage high school seniors to pursue higher education in Detroit. In other words, to give Detroit a chance. By attending college in the city, students will be able to observe firsthand all of the positive changes that are occurring on the ground, which could then inspire them to get involved, start their own business/organization, and even purchase property in the city after they finish their education. Detroit certainly inspired us, so we know it can have the same effect on others. You just have to see it for yourself.
The Motor City Pride Scholarship is given out every year to two students at the start of the fall semester. The scholarship covers the recipients’ cost of books for their first semester of studies at an institution of higher education in Detroit.
H: Is it safe to say promoting and improving the future Detroit is always a focus of MCR?
N: Honestly, that’s the main focus of MCR.
H: I noticed there is very little, if any, real advertising on the site. Have you taken any steps to monetize your content? If not, do you plan to?
N: We’ve definitely thought about monetizing our content in the past, but truthfully, it’s not a major priority of ours at the moment. Maybe one day we’ll add advertisements to the site, but we’re pleased with the way it is right now.
H: When it comes to discovering new music for the site, where do you turn?
N: Most of the music we post on the site comes from direct email submissions. However, there have been instances in which we used Twitter to discover new music.
H: What advice would you offer to an artist hoping to appear on MCR in the future?
N: Just send us an email with a brief description and a link to your music. We may not get to it right away, but I can promise you that we’ll listen to it and post it on the site when we have a chance.
H: There is a growing number of sites offering content similar to what can be found on MCR. What do you think it is about your approach to writing and content creation that sets your efforts apart from the competition?
N: I don’t think our approach to writing and content creation is what separates us from the competition. It’s our responsiveness to email submissions, and more importantly, our efforts on the ground that distinguishes us from the rest.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
N: Wow I have so many gripes with the music industry. From bloggers who don’t check all of their emails, to mainstream radio stations that ruin good songs by playing them 20 times a day, while making terrible songs lots of money by again, overplaying them as if no other music exists. In addition, I’m getting really tired of the “fake it until you make it” demeanor that is prevalent in so many aspiring hip hop artists today. Just be honest and give the people something that they can actually relate to. However, if I had to choose one, it would have to deal with the artists who are in this industry solely for monetary gain. Music is an art. If money is the main reason you become an artist, and not your passion and love for the art itself, then you’re in the wrong industry, and the quality of your work tends to prove that.
H: What is your ultimate career goal?
N: To make a difference. This may not sound like a career goal, but my life and career goals are one and the same.
H: I think we’ve covered just about everything. Do you have anything else you’d like to share with our readers before we let you go?
N: Definitely! First, our close friends at the Heidelberg Project have been under a barrage of arson attacks over the past year. In just 6 months, the world-renowned outdoor art exhibit has been targeted eight times, losing five of its most prominent art installations to arson. To combat the senseless threats, the Heidelberg Project has launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes of raising enough money to implement a security system on the premises. With a small donation today, you can help secure this Detroit legacy from future perils. Help make a difference and keep this cultural icon safe. For you. For the community. For history.
Also, if you’re a hip hop fan in the Detroit area, we’d like to invite you to the 10th edition of Maz Michigan’s Motor Club showcase, which will be held on December 23rd at the 4731 Gallery (4731 Grand River). The event will feature live performances by some of the state’s hottest emcees, including Chavis Chandler, FowL, Jay John Henry, Sigidy, Manny Diesel, Gino The Ghost, and many more.
Lastly, I’d like to bring attention to our brother Adam Reverie’s latest project, Father Son Brother Friend. If you like honest rhymes and dope beats, then he’s your guy. You’ll get hooked as soon as you hit the play button. I promise.
Thank you Haulix and James for the great interview!
