R&B artist Ronnie “Detroit Zeus” Irons has performed internationally, but he’s stamping his biggest mark back home in Detroit.

Between making new music and touring, the singer – who grew up at Evergreen and Plymouth on the city’s west side and still lives in Detroit – spends his time giving back to the city that made him through his volunteer work and participation in charitable causes. 

In June, he paused from promoting the two EPs he released this year to play in a celebrity softball game at The Corner Ballpark, an event organized by the nonprofit Safeway Community Services and Outreach Program to highlight the importance of men’s mental health.

During back-to-school season, Zeus, 31, has been a popular face at backpack giveaways. During the holidays, he’s giving away turkeys at food drives. However, Zeus is perhaps most popular in the Detroit Public Community School District, where he visits classrooms to offer students career and life advice.

“The city watched me grow up,” said Zeus, noting his connection with the city formed when he was a teenager playing basketball across Detroit and dancing at teen parties.

When visiting schools, Zeus encourages students to be authentic and to pursue their true passions despite pressure and outside influences to do otherwise.

“College isn’t for everybody,” Zeus said. “And I tell them that. I tell them, ‘Do what you want to do.’”

Authenticity over everything

Christina Jordan, co-founder and executive director of Safeway Community Services and Outreach Program, said Zeus is a “great person” and visible in the community. She said that Zeus was recommended to her for the June event, but she’d also interacted with him before personally, and when she connected with him about the event, he was eager to come out and support it.

“He’s a great person, and I definitely see him consistently active in the community, giving back,” said Jordan, whose nonprofit supports disabled and underserved residents and provides scholarships and resources to bolster access to school athletics. “One thing I really appreciated was when we asked him to do it, he didn’t hesitate, he was willing to step up. He even had a show that same day and still came out for the kids. What I know about him just from the couple of times that we’ve met, he’s definitely someone who is dedicated to the community.”

Zeus promotes authenticity to kids because he prides himself on being authentic. He describes his artistic style as street R&B, which reflects a true representation of himself and the world he grew up in. For example, in the song “Show That” from his 2023 EP “Street R&B,” Zeus sings about the 2023 drive-by shooting at his house that killed his 16-year-old niece.  

However, early in his career, Zeus says mainstream music executives told him that his street R&B style was too rough and unmarketable.

“I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to talking to mainstream labels, and I was told, ‘You don’t remind us of the typical R&B singer,” Zeus said. “During that time, they wanted the boy band [image and sound]. This was during the ‘Mindless Behavior’ era. But that wasn’t me.” 

Zeus chose authenticity over mainstream acceptance. He has since carved his own way as an independent artist, taking charge of his own artistic image and expression. 

“Everybody wants street R&B now,” Zeus said. “I was kind of ahead of my time.”

Putting in the work

Zeus made a national name for himself after performing at the BET Experience and landing a commercial with PUMA. 

Even with the growth of the genre and the added recognition, Zeus isn’t looking for a record deal. He enjoys the freedom of calling his own shots. His goal is to tour and sell out shows on his own.

Making a career as an independent artist requires hard work and dedication. Just this year, Zeus released two EPs. On New Year’s, he released “Text Me When You Get Home,” and he followed that up with last month’s release of “Heart of the City.”

Zeus is hands-on with his projects every step of the way. He spends many late hours helping mix and master each of his songs, creating treatments for his music videos, and co-editing the final product. He creates his own budget and runs his own social media pages; the DetroitZeus Instagram page is approaching 100k followers. 

 It is this work ethic and commitment to self that he laments to the students when he visits the classrooms.

“I tell them that whatever they want to do in life, they have to put in the work,” Zeus said. “I give them the real, and I think that’s why I think they like me and [the schools] keep asking me to come back to talk to them.”

For his community service work, Zeus was honored last December at an annual Celebrity Charity Basketball Game and Toy Drive, which was hosted by state Rep. Donovan McKinney, D-Detroit, at Lincoln High School. Zeus received a special certificate of appreciation from the state of Michigan from McKinney, who organizes many of the charity events Zeus has been involved in.

Zeus and McKinney have been working together for a decade, since McKinney co-founded “Young Minds in Transition,” a nonprofit that books young professionals on school tours to speak to students. McKinney says Zeus is popular with school districts and has visited over 60 schools in southwest Michigan over the past decade. 

“Zeus always shows up for us, and he never charges us a penny,” McKinney said. “All the sacrifices he made, and to always bring that positive energy, is why the decision was made to honor him. We wanted to honor him while he’s still here to smell the roses and show everybody that commitment and dedication should be admired and strived for.”