From the height of his power as a late 80s Detroit Techno icon until his career was stalled by nearly two dozen allegations of rape and sex assault in 2020, Derrick May was always a bully. Here, he says he hated Detroit so much he wanted to "ass-f#@k" it.
Sitting in the heart of Detroit in Hart Plaza during one of the early Movement electronic music festivals which he helped create, May described his feelings for the city in vulgar and graphic terms - those used by a man who would be accused publicly in 2020 of having raped and sexually assaulted as many as two dozen women worldwide over a 30 year span.
I'll let Derrick May, in his own words, tell you. Submitted here for your consideration is his exact quote:
"We had a demented passion for Detroit and for all that it stood for. Because we decided that 'We hate you so much, we're gonna change you. We're gonna turn you out. We're gonna freak you. We're gonna fuck you in your ass.'"
After a pause, the stunned interviewer asks, "Well, did you?"
To which a cocky and arrogant May states: "Naw, we decided to lay her over and fuck her proper."
With a sly chuckle, he says of Detroit, "We're making love to her right now."
So, even when learning of May's views 20-plus years after the fact, why would reputable companies (The Belleville Three float carries a placard of iconic Michigan furniture company Gardner White, which also sponsors the parade) promote a person like this as an honored guest on a float in Detroit's nationally-televised 2022 Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24?
Among Derrick May's documented transgressions along the road to musical fame and fortune:
1. A mid-80s arrest by the United States Secret Service Department of Treasury for he and The Belleville Three's role in a widespread credit card fraud scheme where they stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from innocent Detroit citizens to procure musical equipment used to kickstart their careers.
2. During that same time period May stole credits and royalties from other artists for two of the biggest tracks he is credited with: Nude Photo and Strings of life.
3. Over the course of his career, he is accused of stealing tracks from artists such as Cisco "The Advent" Ferreria, Dr. Motte, Blake Baxter and others, as well as putting out tracks he did not create under his various labels without permission and claiming credit for their creation.
4. In the mid-80s, May is also accused by fellow Detroit Techno artist Blake Baxter of sexually assaulting a female acquaintance in Toronto while Baxter was in an adjacent room.
5. Within the past two years, Detroit Techno artist Eddie Fowlkes publicly stated that he had been told personally by two female employees of R&S Records that May exposed his genitalia to them without their consent.
6. Following two published investigative reports in DJ Mag and Resident Advisor in September of 2020, a French Ballet dancer produced photos May sent to her of his penis and sexually suggestive texts wherein he tried to lure her to Detroit under the pretense of procuring work for her through his connections at the Michigan Opera Theater.
7. Although known as a musician, Derrick May has never actually been able to play keyboards - and has been revealed to fake performing with orchestras worldwide - including during an alleged homecoming show with The Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater in 2015. This ruse was confirmed by Macedonian Philharmonic conductor Dzijan Emin in an apologetic message to an outraged fan.
8. Early in his career, May was found to have recorded other artists' performances without their knowledge to use for work own. One such example is a track called, Winter on the Blvd, which May released on his own imprint. What May did not realize, however, was the performer he recorded was actually playing a version of Fragile - by Sting, of the supergroup The Police.
9. While May boasts of never having been arrested, convicted or deposed over the sex assault allegations, he is remiss to admit he dropped a frivolous defamation case he filed in Detroit Third Circuit court in 2021 - to avoid opposing counsel's requests to begin taking unavoidable depositions.
10. In 2021, May was sued for $6 million dollars in Canada for an alleged rape committed in Toronto in 2004. The victim was represented by famed women's advocate, Gloria Allred - but somehow, not even this news was reported by Detroit media.
The fact is this: Detroit deserves better than having an accused rapist and abuser of women being touted as a positive ambassador for the city.
If anything, Derrick May and his two Belleville Three cohorts who have remained silent on the allegations, though steadfast in their support of him - Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson - owe Detroit and its citizens a heartfelt and contrite apology.
Read published sex assault allegations on Derrick May here:
bit.ly/3GqfLfp