Is it getting hot out here or is it just your summer plans heating up? Slather on some SPF and fire up the group chat because Detroit is the place to be for scene setters, beat makers, and party people of all persuasions.
OK — so we realize there are only 24 hours in a day and let’s not even go into how few days of summer there actually are. Your summer plans are precious, which is why Red Bull is here to help you rediscover your social self. Head to RedBull.com/DetroitSummer to take the Red Bull Summer Quiz to reveal your Party Profile. Once your profile is revealed, kick your summer into high gear and enter for your chance to win a unique 21+ VIP Red Bull Experience for you and five of your closest friends where you'll experience some of the city’s hottest hot spots and most happening happenings all under one roof, along with a frosty can of Red Bull to fuel your fun because, yeah, you’ll need it.
If you’re the “Life of the Arty” like Detroit entrepreneur, DJ, designer, and all around community activator Roland Coit, aka Ro Spit, then you know that life imitates art and for you, that’s doubly true. The Pontiac native, formerly of storied 90s underground hip-hop crew OcTaNe and ILLiTe and co-owner of iconic Royal Oak sneaker shop Burn Rubber and its internationally recognized Detroit sister store, Two18, Ro says the key to creativity is saying yes to the ideas that come to him.
“If I think it, I do it,” Ro says.
One of Ro’s most notable creations, and one that put Two18 on the map, was one that combined a few of the things he is most passionate about: sneakers, metro Detroit, the culture, and collaboration. Prior to opening Two18 in 2022 in Detroit’s Eastern Market district, Ro and brand manager Mario Butterfield were approached to design a shoe by their Jordan Brand rep.
The Two18 x Air Jordan 2 collab features a map of Detroit across both insoles, shouting out cities like Detroit, Pontiac, Flint, and Inkester. The outsole, which transitions from clear to brown, is a nod to the ongoing struggle Flint has faced during its water crisis. Ro wanted the earth-toned low-top sneaker to go beyond a flashy pair of kicks meant to sit untouched on a collectors shelf. As Ro says, these shoes are meant to be worn. The phrase, “THROUGH IT ALL” is embroidered on the tongue as a reminder of both Ro’s and Detroit’s resilience.
“Our Jordan collaboration has opened up so many doors with other brands,” Ro says. “It proved that a store in Detroit can sell 5,000 pairs of shoes and that there’s a story that needs to be told and it can be told on a worldwide platform,” Ro says, citing the success of his Jordan collab. “There are people in Russia and Australia and Africa that are getting our shoe or are seeing the shoe in their local store and the shoe happens to be telling a Detroit story,” he continues, “and people are latching on to it. Whatever story we push is being told to the world and there’s a responsibility that comes from that because that's gonna make people look to this area, you know, and who knows what can come from that.”
While the sneaker culture continues to grow and diversify, so does Ro’s insatiable enthusiasm for creating art and connecting to people through sights and sounds. While he spends most of his creative time DJing, last year, Ro teamed up with friend and collaborator Nick Speed for what they call a “love letter to Detroit” via their album Coney Island. The record takes the listener on a tour of metro Detroit as two friends drive from one end to Woodward Avenue to the other while stopping at a Coney Island. In true Motor City fashion, delightful chaos ensues.
In addition to saying yes to the ideas that fill his head on a daily basis, Ro is also one to say yes to art in any way that it comes. Ro suggests that Detroit’s DIY spirit may have been born from the cities once lack of infrastructure but is now supported by Detroit’s evolution both culturally and structurally, making the city a true “playground for self-expression.”
“The art scene used to be more segmented, but now everyone is mixing and mingling and going out of their way to support each other,” he says. “There’s room for everybody. Like, I just went to an art show and it was in somebody's apartment. But it was amazing. They had installations setup and moved all the furniture into the bed rooms. And it was super cool,” he says. “That’s Detroit.”
