As a freelance music journalist, I often cover different areas and their respective musical cultures. The industry moves in waves, with a couple of artists popping off from a particular city with the rest of the city following soon after. It’s what’s been happening in Atlanta for the past couple of years, with the spotlight from Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan providing the springboard for a whole city of musicians to achieve national prominence. Over time, the city comes to be the center of everything, with new housing developments and gentrification making it the pinnacle of millennial existence. Everything starts with an inkling of snow but eventually turns into an avalanche of new artists and attention.

Detroit’s been bubbling for a long time now. Eminem and D12 are only two of the tremendous number of talented artists to come from The Motor City. Recently, Big Sean’s success was the first snowflake to fall on the city. His frequent rep of the D-Town made people take notice of the city, even more than the fading light initially allowed. Dej Loaf’s success also placed a spotlight on the city, providing another snowflake to fall.

Now, it seems as if the snowflakes have been falling for the last couple of years. Allstar JR, Kash Doll. Rocky Badd, and a number of other artists have been the talk of the town, with their music frequently going viral. Molly Brazy may have gone viral for reasons outside of music, but the focus was on the town. Eastside Peezy, Payroll Giovanni, Lil Blade, Jeno Cashh, and a score of others achieved brilliance through music alone; altering traditional trap rap in new, exciting ways.

With the flurry of snowflakes now falling steadily, another chapter in the world’s turning pages comes to a close. 2018 is nearly here. What will this mean for the growing lucrative scene in Detroit?

In one word: dominance.

America has begun to look to  Detroit for some of its favorite artists and emerging talent. “So Good,” by Big Sean and Kash Doll – a bridge between the established and the emerging that has been a gut punch for expectations – is much more than a song about sex. It’s an indicator of the sounds and soul of Detroit and the camaraderie that exists when two artists of high caliber hop on wax. It’s been called one of the year’s most catchy songs. There’s much more where that came from.

Snap Dogg’s never referred to himself as a rock star. He’s simply “The Problem Child of Detroit,” a moniker he bestowed upon himself. But the frantic nature of his music videos shows that he’s destined for stardom in a way that Lil Uzi Vert currently is, but Snap’s movements are more fluid and authentic.

Another aspect of the city’s growing movement is the unflinching honesty that artists use on wax. Eastside Peezy’s catalog – from this year alone – include some of the most honest records of his to date, touching on things that most rappers glamourize instead of speaking truthfully about. This truth shows the maturity that translates to more trusting listeners in the future.

As the days of 2017 come to an end, we have a new age on our hands. Detroit music is opening up in exciting ways and will continue to push the culture forward as the year begin’s a new. I introduce to the world, the Age of Detroit.