King Crush Thursday - The Interviews

Eric K. Grimes -  Brother Shomari - Peaceful by nature, unwavering in the face of adversity, a stern and forceful catalyst seeking to stand as a measuring rod for those aspiring to model lives of meaning and significance! A trusted and informed community voice who develops boundary stretching, strategic and transformative community knowledge, preparation, advocacy and actions, designed to facilitate Black Ecosystems of Excellence! Shomari is courageously committed, decidedly dedicated and future focused on an unapologetic crusade called, FOR THE L.I.F.E. & LOVE OF BLACK CHILDREN AND THE BEAUTIFUL ONES NOT YET BORN! To this end, “I am guided by the oft-quoted African proverb that states, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and the resultant obligation to build the village required to raise purposeful and powerful Black children”. Educator and Organizer, catch Brother Shomari’s radio shows on WURD radio https://wurdradio.com/ “Groundings Evolutions and Elevations with Brother Shomari”, covering Pan African Diasporic news Sundays 6 - 8pm and Fridays 1 - 4pm.

WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW HERE

A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. is a music historian, pianist, composer, Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Pennsylvania and 2022 Guggenheim Fellow.


A widely-published writer, he’s the author of Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (2003), and The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History and the Challenge of Bebop (2013). Dr. Ramsey is co-author beside Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., with Melanie Zeck of The Transformation of Black Music: The Rhythms, the Songs and the Ships of the African Diaspora (2017) and editor of Rae Linda Brown, The Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price (2020). His books in progress include Who Hears Here?, a collection of essays, and the monograph Sound Proof: Black Music, Magic and Racial Intimacies, a history of African American music from the slave-era to the present. He was editor for the series Music of the African Diaspora at the University of California Press for ten years and founding editor of the blog Musiqology.com.

As a producer, label head, and leader of the band Dr. Guy’s Musiqology, Dr. Ramsey has released five recording projects and has performed at venues such as The Blue Note and Harlem Stage in New York, and the Annenberg Theater of the Performing Arts and Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia, and other venues worldwide.  His musical commissions include “Someone Is Listening,” written with poet Elizabeth Alexander, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP; he recently scored the prize-winning documentary Making Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South. His documentary Amazing: The Tests and Triumph of Bud Powell was a selection of the BlackStar Film Festival in 2015 and his multimedia performance piece Hide/Melt/Ghost made its New York debut at Harlem Stage in 2019. Ramsey hosts the Musiqology Podcast and Musiqology Rx is his community arts initiative that provides quality arts programming to under-served communities. He has written for and consulted with museums and galleries such as The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and was co-curator of the acclaimed exhibition Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2010. Dr. Ramsey has lectured on music nationally and internationally.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW VIDEO HERE

Brian Marshall, Jr - Full-Time Radiologic Technologist, Associate Pastor of the Bible Way Baptist Church in Philadelphia currently oversees Christian Education under Dr. Damone Jones Sr., volunteer for “BROTHERHOOD”,  Graduate of Sayre High School (2008), Graduate of Bloomsburg University of PA (2014), Graduate of Penn Medicine’s school of Radiologic Technology (2014), currently enrolled at United Lutheran Seminary pursuing a M.A. in Biblical Studies.

“My vocation is healing, my calling is serving and my passion is teaching. I consider myself to be nothing more than a product of Grace (Ephesians 2:8), a child of West Philly, and a by-product of perseverance (Romans 5:3-5).”

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From 2016 to the present, Emerson has curated and been featured in galleries, mostly in the Philadelphia area. 2019, Emerson made it to the top 6 in a statewide Puma designer competition out of 160 entries. Also in 2019, Emerson helped design a dress for the Penn Museum, which will be on display for a decade. 2021, Emerson helped design a shoe for the streetwear brand Only with Kings. Emerson also served as a creative director for the same company. 2023, Emerson was featured in a magazine for Zindzine. 2024, Emerson was featured at the Marriott art gallery in downtown Philadelphia.

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TIMOTHY SHEPHERD  (Music Composer) believes his purpose is to create music that reflects the vast depths of the human spirit. While helping other artists further manifest their projects, he utilizes his skillset in music composition and music & video production to enhance his talents and expand his collaborative style. As an Artistic Coordinator & Production Manager for Art Sanctuary, Shepherd was responsible for executing over 300 programs including but not limited to The Annual Celebration of Black Writing Festival, The Annual John Coltrane Festival, and The Annual Art Sanctuary Awards Banquet. Also, as a music producer & sound engineer, Shepherd wrote the score for community productions such as Torch Song Trilogy, Jar the Floor, and Get Out to Vote 2001 for WHYY, Let Not Your History Be A Mystery, a short film called Sisters, in addition to producing recordings of poems & oral histories with artists such as Lois Moses, Dr. Kimmika LH Williams-Witherspoon, Sheron Gaither, and Tina Smith-Brown. Moreover, he has produced and recorded musical productions with Hannibal Lokumbe, Valerie Gay, Samuel Brown IV, The North Stars, and Melissa Talley-Palmer, just to name a few!

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Thomas C. Knox is the creator of Date While You Wait, the 13-time award-winning, Emmy-winning connection platform turned TV series that has over 11 million views on YouTube and Facebook. Affectionately known as the “Connection Curator”, Knox is a serial entrepreneur running The Connection Collective and BeGreat Bow Ties. He has been featured in the New York Times as well as ABC, CNN and more.

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Tyrique Glasgow, founder of Young Chances Foundation which is dedicated to providing essential resources and activities without the red tape to those who need support in Philadelphia. Tyrique started the foundation in 2012 following the murder of one of his childhood friends, who was playing flag football. Young Chances Foundation transformed one of the most notorious drug houses in the neighborhood into a center of support and hope for its community. Support their work at   youngchancesfoundation.org

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William Tyrone Toms  is a 30-something award-winning entrepreneur from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After starting his first company at the age of 21, Will Toms has quickly made a name for himself in the region's startup community at the intersection of culture & economics. He is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of REC Philly, serving as the visionary + strategist behind the company’s endeavors. 

In under four short years he and his business partner Dave Silver have grown REC to almost 20 employees and raised over $3M dollars to scale their socially-driven business model from a warehouse in North Philadelphia to a state-of-the-art facility in Center City. Will’s vision is to scale REC’s model of “a gym membership for creatives” to span across international communities, establishing a network of 100,000 independent creators that all have access to the resources, strategies and opportunities necessary to own their future.

Before REC, Will served day to day as a digital strategist at Fame House, developing and executing marketing campaigns for entertainment brands including Ice Cube, Shady Records & Eminem. He currently serves as a board member of three non-profit organizations fighting structural inequality, food insecurity in inner-city neighborhoods and more. In 2019, William accepted a nomination to join the leadership council of the Philadelphia Global Identity Partnership-- a public-private partnership created to help rebrand his beloved city of Philadelphia to the world.

With his background in communication and economics, William takes pride in ensuring that all of his efforts are centered around democratizing access and opportunity for young, passionate people of color.

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Ashley Scott, @AshleyScott3 hailing from the vibrant soulful musical city of Philadelphia, PA, stands as a powerhouse vocalist celebrated for his globally chart-topping singles. His 2022 release, “Together,” joins a stellar lineup that includes the soulful ballad “Words” (2016), the infectious groove of “Thought of You” (2021), the dance anthem “Dance The Night Away” (2020), and the international rallying cry, “Don’t Throw Our Love Away” (2021). Ashley’s musical journey began at the age of 3, under the influence of his aunt Helen Scott of The Three Degrees and The Delfonics, shaping his destiny as a genre-defying artist. Ashley has collaborated in the studio with Will Downing and Frank McComb and shared the stage with Eric Roberson, Jean Carn, Bilal, and Take 6. Ashley has contributed as a Board Member and Vice President of The Recording Academy Philadelphia Chapter. Ashley is the visionary behind The Soulful Sounds Series, an R&B Educational Program, and the host of the globally syndicated Soulful Sounds Radio program, reaching audiences in the USA, UK, and Italy.

WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW HERE!

Lazarus Bruner, Jr. is originally from Oklahoma City, OK. Lazarus, his wife Evonna, and 3 children have resided in the Atlanta Metro area for the past 15 years. Lazarus has a wealth of experience in industries such as sales, education, coaching youth sports, and fitness. In February of 2021, Lazarus left his full time job to pursue what he called "his vocational calling" which was to holistically develop men and youth through fitness, sports training, and coaching to increase their capacity to lead themselves and others well. 

He is currently writing his first book called "That's Not Normal" and working on plans to launch another business that aims to redefine the concept of exercising!

WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW HERE!