Detroit born and raised singer/songwriter Niko Noir lives and breathes music. 

As a graduate of Detroit School of Arts, Niko builds on those technical vocal skills to create her own sound. She released her first EP “Blame Niko” in 2021. In 2025, she released her first full album “Who Can Blame Niko.” In 2026, Niko has taken a leap of faith and has dived right into her career. She quit her full-time job to pursue her goals. 

Niko blends traditional R&B with hip hop and soul, as her vocals flow over the track with words she’s written from the heart. 

CONTAINER On The Metro is a WDET produced storytelling series that brings Detroit’s creative heartbeat to the airwaves. 

CONTAINER is a program created by The Love Building to showcase Detroit’s most promising creative talent across music, fashion, fine arts and food. Done in collaboration with WDET Public Radio with major support from the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music… we’ve got a lot of new music to catch up on after two weeks of special shows! New Detroit stuff from Apropos and Lilly Macphee, plus Kelela, Phoebe Bridgers and Alabama Shakes.

Also, we’ll spin some classic tunes from July albums celebrating anniversaries, including Parliament, R.E.M., Cameo and more!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for July 11, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “There’s Nobody There” – Jack White
• “nosedive” – Aubory Bugg
• “Maggie’s Farm” – Margo Price
• “Carolina Rain” – Rhiannon Giddens
• “10th Floor” – Apropos
• “New Shoes” – Paolo Nutini (released July 2006)
• “Itzsoweezee” – De La Soul (released July 1996)
• “Reason To Believe” – Tim Hardin (released July 1966)
• “If I Were A Carpenter” – Bob Seger
• “Knock Knock” – Swamp Dogg
• “Better” – Baby Rose
• “Hit Me In The Head” – The Rolling Stones
• “Street Of Dreams” – U2
• “Word Up” – Cameo (released July 1986)

HOUR TWO:

• “Point Nemo” – Melanie Charles
• “The Bridge” – Kelela
• “I Feel Hope Coming” – Alabama Shakes
• “This Sun Has Set” – Beabadoobee
• “When It’s Right” – Lilly Macphee
• “Eight Miles High” – The Byrds
• “Do That Stuff” – Parliament (released July 1976)
• “Fall On Me” – R.E.M. (released July 1986)
• “Lost Boys” – Phoebe Bridgers
• “Beyond The Brilliant Haze” – Everything Is Recorded
• “Javelin” – Kevin Morby (Acoustic Cafe preview)
• “Cool Cat” – Us3
• “Let Me Speak To Bobby” – Low Cut Connie
• “Super Bon Bon” – Soul Coughing (released July 1996)

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org

On this week’s show, I revealed the lineup for the 2026 Sounds Like Detroit Showcase, as voted on by WDET listeners!

This is WDET’s version of NPR’s annual Tiny Desk Contest, where we present 10 local artists who submitted to the national program and let YOU decide which ones you’d like to see perform live at our showcase happening at Batch Brewing on Aug. 13. Tickets are available NOW. 

On the show, I sampled songs from each of the winning artists, including modern jazz from KTCHEN, a blend of jazz and neo-soul from Aisha Ellis, passionate and poetic hip-hop, R&B and soul from Jubilee Jackson, and then the special MI Local pick, the storytelling folk ballads from singer-songwriter Michelle Held! 

This is the fourth annual Sounds Like Detroit Showcase, and my third time serving as your official emcee, so take my word for it when I tell you: you don’t wanna miss this! It’s a special night with incredible vibes where YOU can discover your new favorite local artist! Or, if you cast a vote, then join us to cheer on your favorite! It’s a celebration of local music, brought to you by WDET! Stay tuned for more featurettes on MI Local in the weeks ahead, and make sure you get your tickets now! 

Meanwhile, we also had a ton of premieres this week on the show, including a new single from Hamtramck-based singer-songwriter John Salvage, who has a new album out in July, along with Ricochet The Kid, The Quitters, Ani Mari, and more!

My in-studio guests were organizers of a special film screening event happening at the Outer Limits Lounge this weekend, where they’ll be showing a rarely-seen music documentary that captures the scene around Detroit in 1979, titled Face The 80s. We talked about the legacy of bands from that era, including The Romantics and Destroy All Monsters, and sampled songs by bands featured in the film, like Algebra Mothers, Sonics Rendezvous Band, and more.

Listen to the full show above for up to two weeks after it airs.