Five Detroiters, from a civil rights pioneer and Pistons legend to two musicians, will be honored with secondary street signs in Detroit to recognize their contributions to the city, after a vote Tuesday by the Detroit City Council.
The Detroiters — Vincent Chin, Earl Cureton, Joseph Anthony “Amp” Fiddler, James Dewitt “J Dilla” Yancey and Horace Sheffield Jr. — were selected by the council from a pool of 13 honorees submitted by petitioners and reviewed by the Historic Designation Advisory Board. Local law allows the city council to honor and recognize people by assigning secondary street signs.
Fiddler’s mentee Yancey, otherwise known as J Dilla, will get his own honorary street sign at the intersection of Nevada and Charest Streets near his family’s home where he recorded in a basement studio.
Widely considered to be one of the most influential hip-hop and popular music producers, Yancey advanced the use of drum machines and digital sampling, according to the Historic Designation Advisory Board. Yancey, who died in 2006 at the age of 32, recorded music as a solo artist and with the Detroit group Slum Village.
“Everyone here that was recommended is notable, is honorable, has done great things for our city, and we appreciate that this is very difficult for us to only select five,” said City Council President Mary Sheffield.
Tuesday’s meeting was filled with notable leaders from across Metro advocating for specific Detroiters to be chosen. Others wrote letters and called in. S: Detroit News
Individual Contributions:
Joseph Anthony “Amp” Fiddler was a world-renowned musician. Known for being a multi-genre (jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul) musician, music producer, writer, dancer and mentor, he collaborated with many artist including George Clinton in Parliament Funkadelic, Prince, Maxwell, Raphael Saadiq, Sly & Robbie, Carl Craig, Moodyman and Will Sessions. He notably mentored Detroit star J Dilla. Fiddler is credited with nurturing the talents of the young aspiring artists, teaching production skills and making impactful industry introductions. Fiddle went out of his way to arrange for pianos and other instruments to be delivered to people who would not be able to afford it. Fiddler began his solo career in 1991 with this his first solo album With Respect as Mr. Fiddler. In 2004, he released his next album, Waltz of a Ghettofly, under the name Amp Fiddler, which became his most commercially successful album. On this album, he was able to collaborate as creative partners with this mentee J Dilla. His album Basementality was released in 2021 two years before his untimely death in 2023 after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was a lifelong Detroiter and ambassador for the city’s rich musical heritage. The honorary street sign will reside at 7 Mile Road & Revere Avenue in the Conant Gardens neighborhood where Fiddler was raised.
“HDAB staff have reviewed the petition for Joseph Anthony “Amp” Fiddler for the establishment of a Secondary Street Sign. Upon review of the documentation submitted by the petitioner, staff have determined that this petition meets the eligibility requirements per the Secondary Street Sign Ordinance.”
