You didn’t listen to Sly Stone. You survived him.

Before Prince threw on heels and eyeliner. Before George Clinton landed the mothership. Before hip-hop dug through crates of the past to build the future, there was Sylvester Stewart, Sly Stone, turning soul, rock and R&B into something kinetic, kaleidoscopic and irreversibly Black. And in the process, he changed music — full stop.

Now, with his passing today, we’re left to honor a man whose name belongs not just in the pantheon of funk pioneers alongside James Brown and George Clinton, but at the summit of American musical revolutionaries, period.

Before the revolution was televised, it was amplified

Born in Denton, Texas and raised in the Bay Area, Sly Stone’s musical genius was evident from a young age. A prodigy who could master piano, guitar, bass and drums with equal fluency, Stewart cut his teeth as a DJ at KSOL in San Francisco, blasting gospel, jazz, soul and psychedelic rock across the airwaves like a mad scientist of sound. He did more than play records; he deconstructed them. And then he rebuilt something new.

That vision took full form in 1966 with the creation of Sly and the Family Stone, a band that shattered every mold in the industry. Integrated by race and gender, Black and white, men and women, it was a radical concept in a time still boiling with civil unrest. The Family Stone transcended being a band. They were a living manifesto of civil rights fulfilled.

With hits like “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” and the eternal “If You Want Me to Stay,” Sly Stone made the world think while it danced.

The Family Stone’s sound was fusion before fusion was a genre. A seamless marriage of gospel’s urgency, soul’s tenderness, rock’s power and funk’s irrepressible groove. This was music that punched you in the chest and then hugged you before you hit the floor.

And don’t get it twisted: there is no Earth, Wind & Fire without Sly. No Prince. No D’Angelo. No Kendrick. He made it okay to be vulnerable, angry, spiritual, political and funky, all at once. As Questlove once said, “Sly Stone is the DNA of modern Black music.”

Brilliance meets the breakdown

But genius often walks hand-in-hand with agony. By the mid-1970s, Sly was unraveling. The man who once led an interracial, utopian funk army became a recluse, shackled by drug addiction and paranoia. His live shows became erratic. Bandmates left. Rumors mounted. Albums suffered. And eventually, Sly Stone disappeared from the spotlight like a ghost escaping his own legend.

Still, even in retreat, his influence never waned.

Artists sampled him religiously. Hip-hop producers flipped “Sing a Simple Song” and “You Can Make It If You Try” into sonic gold. D’Angelo’s entire Voodoo era is steeped in Sly’s textured minimalism. Bruno Mars owes a whole lane of his stagecraft to the man. The sonic, spiritual and social blueprint Sly drafted in the ’60s and ’70s still breathes through modern soundwaves.

Legacy in technicolor

Sly’s genius wasn’t just in the notes, the grooves, or even the attitude. It was in the refusal to conform. Sly tore through all of the stereotypical racial, musical and political boxes, and danced in the debris. He was bold. He was beautiful. He was broken. But above all, he was real.

And in that realness, he gave Black America, and the world, a new language for freedom.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized him. The Grammys finally honored him. And even though the industry did its best to forget him at times, the people never did. Because you can’t erase a prophet. You can only misunderstand him in his time and rediscover him in your own.

So here’s the truth: Sly Stone didn’t lose his way. He just chose a path too dense with stars and shadows for most to follow. He spoke in frequencies, translated pain into rhythm and turned joy into rebellion.

And now, he is an ancestor. We don’t mourn him. We ride the groove he gave us.

So as we honor Sly’s transition, let’s remember the full spectrum. The brilliance and the brokenness. The harmony and the dissonance. Because that’s the truth of Black genius, it lives in tension, it dances in contradiction, and when it speaks, it sounds like Sly.

Forever funky. Forever revolutionary. Forever Sly.

This is Chris Campbell from The Progressive Underground with your Pick of the Week.

This week, we dive into the sonic brilliance of Headnodic & Jazz Mafia, a West Coast collective of musicians and vocalists who craft rich, layered textures around the forward-thinking productions of Headnodic. Known for his seamless fusion of hip-hop and jazz, Headnodic leads this outfit through a self-titled debut that redefines the genre’s possibilities.

Up next is their bold and beautiful reimagining of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage”— a modern tribute that honors the classic while sailing new creative waters.

That was Headnodic & The Jazz Mafia with “Maiden Voyage,” from their brand-new self-titled release.

If this brand of hip-hop jazz fusion hits your soul, join us every Saturday night at 6 p.m. on The Progressive Underground — where we explore future soul, nu-jazz, jazz-rap, rare grooves, and b-sides from across the spectrum.

For The Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell. See you next time. Peace.

What’s happening Detroit! Chris Campbell from The Progressive Underground and it’s time for our Pick of the Week. This week’s pick comes from eclectic South London British Nigerian artist Obongjayar, who has built a reputation of fusing afrobeat and electronica to great effect.

He has been working on an album set to drop this month titled “Paradise Now,” which will feature cameos and collaborations with UK rapper Little Simz and artist/producer Kwes. We’ll check out the leadoff single, which is a laid-back musical ride packed with swagger and energy called “Sweet Danger,” and its my Pick of the Week.

That was Obongjayar with “Sweet Danger,” the lead-off single from his upcoming album “Paradise Now.” If you dig elevated vibes like this, tune into the Progressive Underground every Saturday evening at 6 on 101.9 WDET where we drop an eclectic weekly mix of future soul, afrobeat, electronica, b-sides and rare grooves, curated just for you. For the Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell and we’ll see you next time.

Love poured out onto the corner of 7 Mile and Revere Street on Friday, May 16, as the city of Detroit honored one of its most gifted, generous and influential musical sons: Joseph “Amp” Fiddler.

In a ceremony filled with rhythm, reverence and raw emotion, the city officially unveiled Amp Fiddler Avenue, permanently inscribing his name on the very block where so much of his magic was made.

It was the centerpiece of the second annual Amp Fiddler Day, a now-official recognition established by the Detroit City Council to commemorate a life lived in the service of music, community and connection.

I stood there on that familiar street, not just as the event’s host, but also as someone deeply connected to the man we honored. Amp was my friend. We were both raised in Conant Gardens, a neighborhood that has quietly birthed giants.

“To be part of this day wasn’t just professional. It was personal. It was a full-circle moment.”

–Chris Campbell, host, The Progressive Underground

He appeared on The Progressive Underground more than any other guest I’ve hosted in the show’s 13-year history — his spirit, warmth and fearless creativity made him not just a friend of the show, but by extension, a friend of WDET. To be part of this day wasn’t just professional. It was personal. It was a full-circle moment.

Amp was more than a master musician. He was a musical architect and a connector of generations. His fingerprints are on the sounds of Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Maxwell, Seal and Tony Allen. He infused Detroit soul into every synth line and groove he touched, creating an unmistakable sonic signature that made him a legend’s legend. But his true genius may have been the space he created for others.

It was in his modest home studio on Revere Street where countless artists gathered — where conversations turned into collaborations, and where a young James Yancey, better known as J Dilla, was handed his first MPC and a passport to change the future of hip-hop and neo-soul.

On this day, dignitaries, artists, family members, community elders and students came together to lift up Amp’s name and legacy. Councilmember Scott Benson opened the ceremony by reading the formal city resolution that first established Amp Fiddler Day and affirmed the renaming of Revere Street to Amp Fiddler Avenue.

He was joined by Councilmember Coleman A. Young II, who offered personal reflections, and Detroit Entertainment Commission Chair John Collins, who honored Amp’s influence on the city’s creative economy.

Poetic tributes came from internationally-renowned poet/activist/actor Mike-E (Mike Ellison), while Michigan State University faculty members Julian Chambliss, Mark Sullivan, Terra Goforth, Natasha T. Miller and John Collins offered insight into Amp’s cultural legacy.

Written words were shared from T3 of Slum Village, Ma Dukes, the mother of J Dilla and RJ Rice of RJ’s Latest Arrival, acknowledging Amp’s impact on their personal and professional journeys, and how he helped nurture a global movement through music.

But it was Amp’s wife and creative partner, Tombi Stewart Fiddler, who delivered the day’s most powerful remarks. Through tears and deep composure, she spoke of Amp not only as a world-renowned musician, but as a man who led with love, whose humility and compassion uplifted everyone he encountered. She announced the continuation of his legacy through the Camp Amp Foundation and stewardship of his estate, ensuring his work and vision will continue to nurture the next generation.

The program ended with nationally-renowned songstress Monica Blaire leading the crowd in a joyful countdown as the veil was lifted from the new street sign, officially renaming Revere as Amp Fiddler Avenue. Cheers erupted, and Amp’s music floated through the air as a soundtrack to a moment long overdue.

In a city known for birthing genius and too often letting that genius go uncelebrated, Friday’s ceremony stood as a righteous act of recognition.

Amp Fiddler was more than a sound. He was a force. A neighbor. A mentor. A beacon. Detroit showed up to say: We see you. We remember you. We honor you.

And now, every time someone turns onto Amp Fiddler Avenue, they’ll be reminded that love, art and community live on, in the city Amp helped shape, and in all the souls he helped set free.

Hey whatupdoe Detroit. Chris Campbell from the Progressive Underground here for my Pick of the Week. This week’s pick is a celebration, a meditation, and a tribute all in one — honoring the late and legendary Amp Fiddler as Detroit prepares to rename a street in his honor on May 16 in Conant Gardens, the neighborhood that raised him.

We’re spotlighting a soulful, soaring track from his 2003 album, “Waltz of a Ghetto Fly” — a record that blurred lines between soul, funk, electronica and cosmic jazz — and proved Amp was never just one thing. He was all things: keyboardist, composer, vocalist, visionary.

The track is “Possibilities,” and is exactly what it sounds like — a sonic reminder of what can happen when you let the groove lead and the spirit follow. Anchored by Amp’s signature Fender Rhodes textures, the song pulses with hope, elasticity, and Detroit soul grit. It’s aspirational without being naive. Funky without forcing it.

On this cut, Amp sings like a man channeling the future. His vocal phrasing is breezy but assertive, gliding over a broken-beat rhythm and elastic bassline that recall his time with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and his collaborations with Moodymann and Theo Parrish. The track manages to feel vintage and futuristic all at once — just like the city that made him. 

Amp Fiddler didn’t just play keys. He opened doors. For artists. For neighborhoods. For young talent like the late J Dilla, whom he mentored. And “Possibilities” is an anthem for that mission: to stretch boundaries, amplify joy, and believe in what comes next. 

Let’s dive in — here’s “Possibilities” from the late Amp Fiddler, and its my Pick of the Week. 

Once again, that’s “Possibilities” by the late, great Amp Fiddler, from his 2003 album “Waltz of a Ghetto Fly” — our Pick of the Week here on The Progressive Underground. 

May 16 is Amp Fiddler Day in the city of Detroit, which this year comes with a street renaming in his honor. So from now on, when you turn onto Revere in Conant Gardens, just know the possibilities are still endless. Rest in rhythm, Amp.

“Flower Moon” – Durand Jones & The Indications

What’s good family — Chris Campbell here with The Progressive Underground, and it’s time for our Pick of the Week.

This week, we’re giving flowers to Durand Jones & The Indications — a group that’s been steadily defining the sound of modern soul for over a decade.

Their new single “Flower Moon” is a soulful, slow-burning cut off their upcoming album “Flowers,” which drops June 27.

Now if you’ve been following these cats — Durand, Aaron Frazer and Blake Rhein — you already know the vibe. They came up digging into Southern soul and gritty funk in a Bloomington, Indiana basement, and now they’re selling out shows worldwide — from Japan to the West Coast lowrider scene.

This new track pulls from everything they’ve built — solo projects, vintage grooves, modern polish — and delivers a mellow groove full of harmony, maturity, and deep-feeling soul.

Let’s get into it. Here’s “Flower Moon” by Durand Jones & The Indications — this week’s Progressive Underground Pick of the Week.

That was “Flower Moon” from Durand Jones & The Indications. If you dig deeply soulful tracks like this one, tune into The Progressive Underground — Saturday nights at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET. We serve up soulful cuts and choice selects hand-curated just for you. For The Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell and until next time, stay soulful and stay tuned.