In the Washtenaw community, Dr. Rod Wallace is an unequivocal important figurehead for mentoring, inspiring, and teaching the community’s youth. As the former Program Director for Eastern Michigan University TRiO Upward Bound, and co-founder of The Amplify Project, a non-profit that advocates for helping Black artists create musical projects, Dr. Wallace has made a lasting impact within the county’s next generation. With the release of his latest album, “Regalia,” he created an album that tackles his personal journey of success and regret, while laying an educational blueprint for the youth.
Musically, Wallace has maintained a significant level of importance by crafting multiple albums, including executive producing for popular local artists such as Project 734, a Ypsilanti intergenerational hip-hop group focused on providing mentorship for local youth, and producing for hip-hop collective Dirty Ol Men in 2024.
Wallace’s latest album, “Regalia,” highlights the trials and tribulations the former community anchor has faced since his last project in 2024. Between facing divorce, the daily strains of adulthood, earning his PhD, and finding his way back into embracing his community, “Regalia,” for lack of better words, is a detailed movie covering life after both success and tragedy.
RELATED: Mr. B Peddles Boogie-Woogie Music
While on the surface, traditional rap albums often feature braggadocious slick talk, emotional vulnerability through storytelling, and self-promotion through clever metaphors, Wallace said this album is a community piece, an educational lecture, and a personal obligation to tell the truth.
“The reason this album is for educational purposes is that I believe it offers a snapshot into middle-aged African American men and what they encounter while dealing with family and education. I wanted to give an honest perspective of what it is like to be a 40-something.”
While subject-wise, the aforementioned daily struggles have their fair share of moments, such as the album’s title track, which highlights Wallace at his most personal and brutally honest, speaking with his children and exploring his vulnerabilities and shortcomings despite earning the title of doctor. However, despite these constant themes, Dr. Wallace, now a principal at River Rouge High School, says this album serves as a template to help the youth by shifting their perception and showing them what is possible in their lifetime.
“I’m anxious to get back to operating at the nexus of music and education. By going back to Rouge, I saw firmly what K–12 is encountering and what is possible too,” Wallace said. “Based on my experiences and the insights I’ve gained from being in various educational settings, how can I apply them to help schools? Just lifting the ability to have a dialogue is very valuable.”
Educationally, this album offers a full-circle experience, encompassing learning from grief, understanding forgiveness, and reaching perhaps the album’s climax with the song “Faith,” featuring Mama Sol, which explains that faith is a process that guides personal development. The educational aspect of this album lies in the personal journeys and overcoming difficult times.
Regarding the influence of Washtenaw County, Wallace said that, as a longtime resident, the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area gave him the freedom to craft the project and allowed him the emotional space and artistic influence to remain creative.
“Ann Arbor and Ypsi will be a part of everything that I do creatively. There’s a freedom that exists out here. This album was born of that energy.”
For those interested in hearing the album, Wallace said that, if nothing else, people will hear his art, vulnerability and personal freedoms.
“Never let anything restrict you from expressing yourself. You will hear very poignant songwriting, lyrics and my passion,” Wallace said. “This album is a puzzle, and I want to give people reasons to come back to it. There are intricacies in it that are under the surface, so I hope that people will come to this album, listen to it, and talk about it.”
You can listen to “Regalia” on all streaming services.
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
