Creatives Over Cocktails

Inspiring and motivating creatives, D’Llisha Davis talks about the importance of protecting your peace and knowing who you are. She explores the importance of being intentional with the moves you make, the spaces you are in and unapologetically sharing your stories. Throughout her career D’Llisha has broke ceilings and continues to lay the foundations for artists to thrive.

As a Nashville native, D’Llisha Davis (@itstwoelles) has built her foundation through as an educator and by becoming a notable matriarch in the Nashville Hip Hop scene. Over the past few years she has stood out by implementing events in intentional spaces for creatives, women, and the youth. D’Llisha first made her mark in Music City as the owner of hip hop outlet and promotional marketing brand, 2Ls on a Cloud. She later developed her community driven brand Protect the Culture, which provides a space for multicultural communities driven through arts, music, and youth empowerment. Through her work she has been nominated for various awards, received a “Nashvillians of Note” portrait in the Noelle Hotel, been listed as a top 40 under 40, recognized by TEDxNashville, spotlighted by Who Knew, and celebrated by Nike Culture Cultivator with her own Nike shoe.

Whisk & Blend
Bartender Liv gives us a remix of the original Hot Toddy - the Hot Cider Apple Toddy.

D’Llisha Davis
https://www.instagram.com/itstwoelles/
https://twitter.com/ItsTwoElles

2L’s On a Cloud
https://www.instagram.com/2Lsonacloud/

Protect the Cloud
https://www.instagram.com/ProtectTheCulture/

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
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Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Music Producer: A.B. Eastwoood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/

Music industry power houses, Jamila McCarley and Thalia Ewing, known as Mimi & Muziqueen, join us to tell their story. They talk about their journey pursuing a career in music and the sacrifices they made along the way. Opening doors for new artists, they discuss the setbacks that shaped their business acumen which brought new opportunities leading to their focus on economic opportunities for artists. They speak on how trust in business, friendship, and sisterhood joined them together as the perfect pair. Offering up encouraging words, they go into the benefits of knowing who you are as an artist and knowing the impact that you want to make.

Jamila McCarley and Thalia Ewing, better and more affectionately known as, Mimi & Muziqueen, are two names buzzing around the Nashville music industry and are synonymous with the words passion, ambition and progress. Mimi & Muziqueen, as Partner and Founder, respectively, of the organization Nashville Is Not Just Country Music, have become a deep- rooted resource of knowledge, support and encouragement to the Urban/Hip-Hop/R&B music community in Nashville that has long been overlooked...until now.

In 2014, the stars aligned and brought these two female music industry power-houses together to fan a flame that has been quietly burning beneath Nashville’s music scene. Mimi & Muziqueen began their relationship by doing what they do best, song pitching and placement. While this allowed them to support each other’s business ventures they also began to cultivate Nashville’s diverse music scene as a team and came together to bring Nashville’s Urban music community a networking pool, a resource hub, a safe-haven, if you will, which is now known as Nashville Is Not Just Country Music. Mimi & Muziqueen also began hosting their quarterly NINJCM Industry Mixers and monthly Urban Writer’s Rounds, which have now found their home at the famous Acme Feed & Seed in Downtown Nashville. In 2019 Mimi & Muziqueen also landed a publishing deal with Riptide Publishing to provide synch opportunities to the Nashville market. NINJCM is a community based organization aimed at providing music business education, networking opportunities and career advancement support to urban music creators. Through NINJCM, Mimi & Muziqueen are investing in the creatives of all genres in Music City.

Mimi and Muziqueen
https://www.instagram.com/MimiandMuziqueen/

Nashville Is Not Just Country Music
https://www.instagram.com/nashvilleisnotjustcountrymusic/

Whisk & Blend
Cocktail Enthusiast, Bré, shows us her twist on a good mule – the Pomegranate Pear Mule.

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
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Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B. Eastwoood

The Creatives Over Cocktails crew chops it up with Grammy Award winning producer, Torrance "Street Symphony" Esmond. He talks about how the streets provided cultural influence and the unconventional way he rose in the music industry. He takes us on a journey discussing how his day job fueled his music career and taught him the importance of understanding the value of a dollar. Discussing his unique approach to life, he goes into how essential it is to go after your dreams and how to stay on top of your game.

Torrance Esmond, better known by his stage name Street Symphony, is an American record producer and music executive from Memphis, Tennessee. Through his extensive connections, the music whiz yielded his first industry job as VP of A&R at Reach Records, home to Christian Hip-Hop star Lecrae. Under his leadership, he helped to take the recording artist from underground to mainstream. In 2013, the pair scored their first Grammy for “Best Gospel Album” with Street Symphony serving as both a producer and writer. He was then awarded another Grammy two years later for “Best Contemporary Christian Song.” From there, he racked up production credits with 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, G-Eazy, Ludacris, Wale and Dave East, to name a few. The heat-maker added another Grammy-nod under his belt for his work on Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap (“Hussle & Motivate”) in the Best Rap Album category.

In 2015, two prestigious events occurred for Street Symphony; he established the Street Symphony Scholarship for aspiring music business students at his alma mater (MTSU) and March 7th was declared Street Symphony Day that he expanded into a weekend of activities in Nashville. He was also nominated for a Distinguished Alumni Award by MTSU in 2018, which recognizes graduates who have reached the highest level of accomplishment in their respective field and possess outstanding integrity and character.

While continuing to work with the household names in the industry, he also currently serves as an adjunct professor at MTSU spearheading a new Hip Hop and R&B songwriting class.

Street Symphony
https://www.instagram.com/iamstreetsymphony/

Track of Die
https://trackordie.com/

Whisk & Blend
Cocktail Enthusiast, Darold Bradley, goes into the science of ice in a cocktail.

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B. Eastwoood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/

We get right into the story of the legendary – musician, keyboardist, producer, and composer - Ron Glimore Jr. He talks about the importance of betting on yourself and the life changing moments that brought him to where he is today. He discusses the influence of people pouring into him and coming into his own moving to New York. He goes into the power of manifesting that helped him realize who he was and the transformation of his mindset through being a world traveler.

Ron Gilmore Jr is a musician, keyboardist, producer, and composer from Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for his work as the keyboardist for Lauryn Hill and J. Cole’s performing bands, along with his production work on J. Cole’s certified platinum album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Gilmore was introduced to J. Cole during 2010 and was signed to Dreamville Records in 2014. He has also produced songs on Bas' Last Winter and Too High To Riot, and other Dreamville albums including Elephant Eyes, Revenge of The Dreamers II and others. Gilmore’s first ever solo musical project titled The Maturation of Little Ron released in 2016.

https://www.instagram.com/rongilmorejr/

Whisk & Blend
Cocktail Enthusiast Bré brings Italy to you with a Limoncello Gin Collins Cocktail. Check out our IG for the recipe!

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B. Eastwoood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/

Phil Thornton talks about the defining moments in his life and how his steps have been orchestrated since his mid-teens. Discussing the highs and lows during his lifetime, Phil Thornton also highlights the many stars he met along the way. He goes into trailblazing moments that include being a bridge between gospel and the mainstream and his foray into television and film. Noting the importance of operating in his purpose, he explores the moments that allowed him to be a light.

Because he wears so many hats, there are plenty of words that can be used to describe music industry executive and television producer, Phil Thornton. But there is one word in particular that also comes to mind: fearless. And that’s because Thornton has proven that he can confidently and consistently create projects and content that successfully goes against the grain.

Overseeing the artist management side of Ten2One, Thornton has guided the careers of Faith Evans, Kenny Lattimore, and Mack Wilds. In 2016, he was named senior vice president and general manager of RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, where he works with a wide range of inspirational artists including Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Marvin Sapp and Donnie McClurkin. Prior to his position at RCA, Thornton served as vice president and general manager, Urban Inspirational at eOne Music, where he oversaw a diversified list of Gospel and R&B artists such as Lalah Hathaway and Shirley Caesar.

Thornton has a bunch of exciting television projects in the works. He is joining forces with Jay Z, producer Datari Turner, and Hollywood producer Brian Grazer to produce a compelling new series and is currently collaborating with several production companies, including Radical Media, Swirl Films, and Think Factory Media. On the film side, in addition to executive producing the Sundance picture A Boy. A Girl. A Dream: Love on Election Night, starring Omari Hardwick and Meagan Goode, Thornton also produced the movie Same Difference, starring Essence Atkins and Terrence J., which was screened at the 2019 American Black Film Festival and is currently being streaming on BET+.

He also stepped into the podcast arena in 2019 with We Sound Crazy, a show alongside Tamone Bacon, Claude Kelly, and Chuck Harmony, that focuses on R&B and hip hop and is currently in its second season

Phil Thornton
https://www.instagram.com/phillionaire1911/

We Sound Crazy Podcast
https://www.wesoundcrazy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/wesoundcrazypodcast/

Whisk & Blend
Cocktail Enthusiast Bré brings us the Paloma aka “Pull Up on Me”. Check out our IG for the recipe!

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B....

Cultural strategist, speaker, writer, producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur – Anasa Troutman tells her amazing story of the crazy, bold, out of the box way she lived her life while being petrified yet staying true to herself. She inspires as she tells her story of attending Spelman and how she came alive while working at the Tower Record Store in Atlanta being surrounded by music and meeting famous artists. She brings her majestic spirit as she describes what drives her creativity and the significance of being the unique voice in the room.

As CEO & Founder of The BIG We, Anasa works to build & execute strategies for artists & organizations that are aligned with her vision of a loving world & her belief in creativity as a pathway to personal, community & global transformation.

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Anasa awakened to her life’s work during her time in Atlanta, Georgia, attending Spelman College & founding Groovement/EarthSeed Music, a successful record label & collective of young, cutting edge, visionary musicians, performers, & writers.

Best known for her work as strategic advisor & executive producer for long time friend India.Arie, Anasa recently stepped into leadership as the first Executive Director of the historic Clayborn Temple in Memphis. Anasa has provided strategic and creative support in many important cultural, political & social justice spaces; she has designed & facilitated national learning exchanges, served as a consulting producer, trained & transitioned the leadership of organizations to integrate cultural strategy as a community organizing tactic, produced tours & festivals, curated artistic programming, shepherded many artists & creative thinkers through the process of manifesting their own creative vision & has been invited twice to the White House by the Obama administration to advise on cultural policy.

Anasa works hard to embody her strong belief in creativity as a transformative practice & engages art making as a pathway to her own healing & spiritual expansion. While she experiments with many forms of creative practice, her deepest love is writing. She creates stories, songs & essays that reflect her unique point of view, commitment to loving kindness & thirst for beauty & adventure.

Whisk & Blend
Bartender, Liv C joins us to talk about her segment on Whisk & Blend TV highlighting the hospitality industry as she introduces the sexy, classic Side Car cocktail. Check out our IG for the recipe and our Whisk & Blend TV series Tip Your Bartender! #whiskandblendtv

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B. Eastwoood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/

Mentions
Just Play Entertainment: https://www.justplayentertainment.com/

Deep Soul with Eboné
Check out Deep...

Music producer A.B Eastwood talks about how he leveraged the pandemic and his musical journey as a creative. As the man behind the creative musical renaissance coming out of Nashville Tennessee, A.B. Eastwood goes into his philosophy when producing. He talks about his musical influences growing up and the life lessons he learned along the way.

Nashville native A.B. Eastwood is definitely shedding light on his hometown’s bubbling Hip-Hop/R&B music scene. With influences ranging from Gangsta Rap and R&B to 80s Pop and Classic Rock, A.B. showcases a wide variety production styles that could fill up a juke box. Shortly after graduating from Nashville School of the Arts, A.B. moved to South FL in 2014 where he started his apprenticeship under notable producer DUBBA-AA. Since then, A.B. has accrued production credits for Kodak Black, Denzel Curry and DJ Khaled’s record label We The Best Music Group, as well as film/tv placements including: Vh1 series Signed, Netlfix film Uncorked and upcoming Netflix film The Violent Heart. A.B. has been featured in NPR: World Cafe, DJ Booth, Nashville Scene to name a few. Recent artist collaborations include: Bryant Taylorr, Tim Gent, Brian Brown, Lauren McClinton, and Jamiah.

Music Producer: A.B. Eastwoood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/

Whisk & Blend
Cocktail Enthusiast Bré is back with a Cranberry Bourbon cocktail aka “crabourbon”. Check out our IG for the recipe!

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/

Mentions
Just Play Entertainment: https://www.justplayentertainment.com/

In Part 2 of our interview with the legendary E-40 he makes a “long story short and a short story long” as he talks about turning setbacks into stepping stools. He goes into the blossoming and versatility of his music exploring the origins of his album Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire that featured guest performances such as Lil Wayne, Birdman and Juvenile. He discusses the times he had to “hold on like a hubcap in the fast lane” when he overcame being blocked from the radio to reach his rejuvenation with the release of “Snap Yo Fingers” featuring Lil Jon. E-40 also drops some words of wisdom as he talks about his business ventures and the importance of credit.

Earl Stevens is a platinum selling recording artist and actor from Vallejo California. Earl is also known by his stage name of E-40, a rap veteran entrepreneur that is mostly known for his unorthodox rap style & catchy slang words. In addition to his career as a musician, E-40 is an entrepreneur and investor who has ventured into other business and investment opportunities.

Whisk & Blend
Wine Whisper and Beverage Broker/Manager Stacey Diltz Thomas discusses E-40 and how the infusion of personality makes his brands. She brings us a special cocktail recipe using the newest E-40 brand - Tycoon Cognac.
https://www.instagram.com/staceywines/

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe to the newsletter for signature drink recipes, new music, inspiration, and free stuff: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B. Eastwood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/
Executive Producer and Branding Strategist: Kamilah Sanders https://www.instagram.com/kivanoir/

E-40
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/e40/
Sluricane – Follow: https://www.instagram.com/e40sluricane/
E.Cuarenta Tequila – Follow: https://www.instagram.com/e.cuarentatequila/
Earl Stevens Wines
Visit: https://earlstevensselections.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/earlstevensselections/

Mentions
Just Play Entertainment: https://www.justplayentertainment.com/
Priest Point Liquors: http://www.priestpointwineandspirits.com/

In Part 1 of this two-part interview, we locked-in with the legendary E-40 as he explores his creative journey. He talks about living the hustle and switching from being known for his music to being a household name. E-40 discusses how he used his business mindset when transitioning to the beverage industry. We go back to the summer of ’85 to hear the origination story of his name and the beginnings his famous Sluricane beverage line. E-40 reps his HBCU (Historically Black College and University) Grambling State University as he talks about the early influences that shaped his character. Plus, E-40 drops some additional details on the West Coast Super Group with Too $hort, Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube.

Earl Stevens is a platinum selling recording artist and actor from Vallejo California. Earl is also known by his stage name of E-40, a rap veteran entrepreneur that is mostly known for his unorthodox rap style & catchy slang words. In addition to his career as a musician, E-40 is an entrepreneur and investor who has ventured into other business and investment opportunities.

Whisk & Blend
We welcome Wine Whisper and Beverage Broker/Manager Stacey Diltz Thomas to our Whisk & Blend segment as she discusses what’s going on behind the scenes of the beverage business.
https://www.instagram.com/staceywines/

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe to the newsletter for signature drink recipes, new music, inspiration, and free stuff: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/
Music Producer: A.B. Eastwood https://www.instagram.com/a.b.eastwood/
Executive Producer and Branding Strategist: Kamilah Sanders https://www.instagram.com/kivanoir/

E-40
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/e40/
Sluricane – Follow: https://www.instagram.com/e40sluricane/
E.Cuarenta Tequila – Follow: https://www.instagram.com/e.cuarentatequila/
Earl Stevens Wines
Visit: https://earlstevensselections.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/earlstevensselections/

Mentions
Just Play Entertainment: https://www.justplayentertainment.com/

We go to church with Grammy, Emmy, and Dove Award-winning producer, Shannon Sanders. He explores his journey into music through the cultural eruption of Hip Hop to how he revolutionized radio as the founder of 102.1 FM The Ville. He talks about building on failures, listening with an open mind, and living a lifestyle of creativity.

Shannon Sanders is nationally best-known for his Grammys (2), Emmys (2) and Dove (1) award. Not only is he the founder and program director of Nashville Scene’s “2018 Best Soul Radio Station” pick, 102.1 FM The Ville and a National Trustee of the Recording Academy, Shannon is also a city commissioner for the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation, a board member of the Nashville Ballet, a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Inc. and, he was one of the music industry leaders selected for Leadership Music’s Class of 2017.

If you were to ask people to describe Shannon, words like “super-producer” (he’s worked with India.Arie, Jonny Lang, John Legend, Robert Randolph, just to name a few), “gifted musician” (he’s served as co-musical director for India.Arie and Fisk Jubilee Singers Annual Spring Sing at the Ryman for several years), “amazing vocalist” (he was a mainstage artist at Nashville's 2018 July 4th Celebration), visionary and mentor are what you would probably hear most.

Brought to you by Great Convo Media https://greatconvo.com/
Subscribe to the newsletter for signature drink recipes, new music, inspiration, and free stuff: http://www.creativesovercocktails.com/
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/coc_podcast
Like: https://www.facebook.com/cocpodcast

Hosts
Eboné Merrimon https://www.instagram.com/deepsouleb/
Brian Sexton https://www.instagram.com/iamspreadluv/
Lonnell Matthews https://www.instagram.com/inspirewithlonnell/

Audio Architect: Kamaal Malak https://www.instagram.com/kamaalmalak/

Featured Cocktail: Old Glory
Check out the drink recipe on social and in our newsletter

Mentions
Just Play Entertainment: https://www.justplayentertainment.com/