Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.

Hooper grew up reading the Sunday paper with his dad. That’s where he learned the basics of writing while dreaming of one day writing the stories himself. At 16, he knocked on the door of his hometown paper and asked for a job as a reporter. Since then, he's written extensively for the Detroit Free Press -- the same paper he grew up reading.

Since joining WDET in 2017, Hooper has expanded the station’s arts and culture coverage and received numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasting along the way. Nationally, Hooper was awarded a 2020 RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting for his story “Would You Rent a Stray Dog From the City of Detroit?“ In 2018, Hooper was named the Associated Press Michigan Editors Broadcast Rising Star in broadcast journalism. He received the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business “20 In Their 20s” award in 2014. His commitment to volunteerism was recognized by the State of Michigan in 2007.

His juggalo-inspired I.C.Pizza costume was selected by the Huffington Post as one of the best Halloween costumes of 2014.

In The Groove: DJ Minx brings deep house delicacies, plus Sun Ra, Marvin Gaye + Rock Steady Disco exclusives

I have seen the light and it is DJ Minx. Consider my life housed, because the set that Minx put...

In The Groove: DJ Etta’s soulful takeover ahead of Movement, plus somesurprises brings Seattle shoegaze to Detroit

It’s been amazing to have live DJs in the mix on In The Groove this week. I loved the soulful set...

In The Groove: DJ Godfather bangs out a 60-minute thrill ride, plus Daniel Crawford’s “Dillafornia” new Childish Gambino + more

Today’s special guest for Movement Week here on In The Groove is a turntablist, booty-shaking legend DJ Godfather. The east...

In The Groove: Heavy Detroit talent with Ian Fink, Deon Jamar, DJ Holographic + more

A heavy focus on two of my favorite talents coming out of the city right now. First up is Ian...

In The Groove: Today is Amp Fiddler Day in Detroit, so let’s celebrate a musical genius

Detroit City Council declared May 15 as Amp Fiddler Day, so you better believe I did the same thing on...

In The Groove: New music from Lido Pimienta, Yaya Bey, Esperanza Spalding + more

What a musical journey it was today. There's a whole hour dedicated to mind melters, kicking off with brand new...

In The Groove: New music discovery with Tom Misch, Mdou Moctar, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, more

A whole grab bag of new music for you, including Angélica Garcia, Tom Misch, Gary Clark Jr., Kings of Leon,...

In The Groove: Music from Charlotte Day Wilson, Astrid Sonne, a Stevie Wonder birthday mix + more

On this episode of In the Groove, you get two artist spotlights in one show to crack open the week...

In The Groove: Mother’s Day mixtape, plus new music Friday with Jordan Rakei, Machinedrum

It’s the last show before Mother’s Day, so I wanted to bring back the Mother’s Day mixtape, taking a look...

In The Groove: A fond farewell to beloved musical mastermind and forever punk Steve Albini

Today, I’m doing the show with a heavy heart following the news this week that legendary engineer (never wanted to...

In The Groove: The return of Detroit’s Slum Village, Arooj Aftab teases new album (May 8, 2024)

I love when someone like Detroit legends Slum Village drop a new album — their first in nearly a decade...

In The Groove: New music from Mount Kimbie, Bel Cobain, Reyna Tropical and more (May 7, 2024)

Today, we’ve got a real grab bag of new music and deep cuts. First, let’s focus on the fresh —...