Untytled: The John Conyers III Interview

The John Conyers Interview — Volume 05.

This interview was released in August 2023.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Growing up as a child with two powerful parents in politics, when did you first grasp the gravity of your childhood being anything but normal?

It was the fact that my mother came of age when crack was ravaging the streets whereas my father was a Great Depression baby. He literally came from the Silent Generation. I got to experience these two worlds and very different perspectives of Detroit in one household. Given that my mother was the first person in her family to go to college, much of my family on my mother’s side was still living in the conditions that my mother grew up in.

A lot of people think of pictures of me as a young boy and Bill Clinton on Air Force One, then at the North American International Auto Show, but I subsequently was right back on West Chicago and Wyoming later that day. To me, there was a stark contrast. These are the type of things I think about more than anything.

You were in the music industry in the mid-2010s and worked on songs that ended up becoming hit records. What got you into the entertainment business?

As a young kid, I was a writer. Me and my cousin used to make music together, so I’ve been rapping since I was like 12.

I was a part of Finally Famous. Finally Famous was a group of friends that all went to the most popular high schools in Michigan including Mumford High School, Cass Technical High School, Renaissance High School, and Southfield High School. We were all sneakerheads and I clicked up with them through an apparel store called Burn Rubber.

We all had the same tastes in music, and we used to make similar types of music. We weren’t trying to be tough guys. We rapped about the things we liked and cared about. I was able to co-write, “IDFWU” and “Play No Games,” by Big Sean, “Face Down,” by DJ Mustard, and “Maps (Remix)” by Maroon 5, featuring Big Sean. I did a lot in the industry, and it was a good time. I even put out my own project.

Unfortunately, as time moves on people grow in different directions, and I’m no longer friends with some of the people I was once cool with. From there, I moved into the management space within the music industry and built my foundation from there.

If you’d like, can you share some of the life lessons your late father John Conyers Sr. taught you about the community and being a steward of the people?

At a very early age, my father let me know that I couldn’t be him. With this advice, the only thing that was left was for me to be myself. To this day, I think that there’s a perception of me that makes it seems as if I’m arrogant, but, I’ve never been uncertain of myself. There have been times in my life when I’ve been uncertain about how things would come about, but in terms of my personal life, I’ve never doubted myself.

This is because of my father’s teachings.

Another thing I learned from my father is that I should empower others to tell their own stories.

These days, I’m in the process of writing a memoir. I received a book deal from Amistead Books and HarperCollins back in January. It’s called, My Father’s House and it’s about my father John Conyers Jr., and his history, the City of Detroit, our time together, and what I’m currently doing now.

What were some of the takeaways that you garnered from running for Congress in 2022?

The thing I will say about my run is, I don’t believe in paying dues. If someone has the talent, you shouldn’t hold them back because the lessons are going to come. A person should have the opportunity to receive all the tools they need to become successful.

We have to get away from comfort and examine who’s really representing us.

Can you talk about the radio show you co-host with fellow community organizer Chantel Watkins?

That’s like my sister. I’ve known her for a long time. She’s very polished, covers the facts, and she’s also for no games. I don’t like to talk a lot. I’m a doer. Some people have a lot to say, but the answers are in the work. This is why I chose Chantel. She is the one that’s going to speak on it and be there, while I just simply need someone next to me that can speak to everything just as fluid as I can.

She is the driving force for our show because she will trigger things in my mind to respond to. If she didn’t do the radio show with me, I wasn’t going to do it. She’s the G.O.A.T.

You’ve been very candid about your bouts with depression and anxiety. What are some things you do to keep your mental health in a fruitful space?

The most important thing I ever did was get my own space. I lived at home for a very long time, and I’d still like to live at home, but I think having my own space and coming home to what I want to come home to has been the biggest help.

Another thing that has helped me was my circle. I try as much as I can to be around people who have shared goals and values as me and are working towards the same thing.

I also play a lot of basketball.

If you had an unlimited budget to create any infrastructure in Detroit, what would it be and why?

If I had an unlimited budget, I would create mass transit. It’s ridiculous to continue having conversations about young people leaving and people aren’t hearing us out about the things we need to stay. Mobility tends to take precedence but people’s ability to be mobile takes a back seat.

What we should be focusing on is infrastructure on how to connect Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne — more importantly, we should be connecting all of Wayne. We should have a subway system or invest in our bus infrastructure. The cost of gas is steadily rising. What if I could hop on a bus or subway to get to work? How much money would that save? These are the things we need to be thinking about.