NBA team Detroit Pistons books Belleville Three for half-time show · News ⟋ RAThe franchise also launched a Belleville Three merch range featuring Derrick May, who has previously faced multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
NBA team the Detroit Pistons hosted a half-time performance yesterday, February 1st, that included Derrick May, who has previously faced multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
The performance, which took place at the halfway point of the game with the Brooklyn Nets, was a celebration of May and fellow techno pioneers Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins, AKA the Belleville Three. The three DJs soundtracked a performance from the Pistons Jit Team.
The NBA franchise also launched a Belleville Three merchandise collaboration. Unveiled last week, the capsule includes a baseball cap, hoodie and T-shirt designed with Motor City artist Sheefy McFly.
According to the Pistons, a franchise valued at around $3.65 billion, the project aims to educate fans on Detroit techno’s worldwide influence. Marissa Garland, the team’s senior director of brand and marketing strategy, said that it “highlights the innovators who helped shape Detroit’s sound,” while continuing with its commitment to “authentically celebrating the city’s creative community.” (RA has reached out to the Detroit Pistons for comment.)
May’s inclusion marks one of his most visible recent bookings. In 2020, Resident Advisor published an investigation in which multiple women made allegations of sexual assault, coercion and harassment against him. He has denied the allegations. A subsequent follow-up piece detailed further accounts and the wider impact on Detroit’s music community.
Watch a footage of the half-time show, and an accompanying promotional video on the Belleville Three’s influence on the formation of techno.