The Hilltop Glove Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Columbia is overflowing with talent, so why does it still feel hard to connect the dots between artists, events, resources, and real support? We close out Season 6 by getting in the weeds on what we’ve learned from years of building a grassroots podcast that’s here for the community first, while still caring about quality, consistency, and craft. You’ll hear us shout out the peopl...

Send us Fan Mail The world keeps telling us to move faster, produce more, and optimize everything, but your body is keeping receipts. Andrea “Digital Draya” Lashay and Rockelle Love join us to talk about what happens when we treat creativity as a luxury instead of a basic human need and how that mindset quietly fuels stress, isolation, and burnout. We dig into the surprising relationship between a...

Send us Fan Mail A great voice is only part of the story. We’re joined by Shanisha Watkins, aka Luciid Soul, an R&B artist, professional audio engineer, filmmaker, and Air Force veteran who breaks down what it really takes to create music that feels honest and sounds polished, even when you’re recording at home. We talk through her roots in Winnsboro, South Carolina, the church choir foundatio...

Send us Fan Mail A DJ set can look “fine” from the booth and still be falling apart in the crowd. We talk with Clif Tha Supa Producer (CTSP), a DJ, producer, and musician from Hopkins, South Carolina, about the part of the job nobody can fake: creating a feeling in real time and keeping it alive for hours. Cliff takes us from growing up around vinyl records, band rooms, and strict-but-loving paren...

Send us Fan Mail A band can sound amazing and still fall apart if nobody owns the vision, the structure, and the hard conversations. We sit down with Alexis Pipkins Jr. (AP) to unpack what it really takes to lead a creative team and why he treats bandleading like management, not vibes. From his Florence, South Carolina roots to building AP & Soulful Touche in Columbia, AP shares how early chur...

Send us Fan Mail A shoe polish drawing on a grandfather’s door turns into a lifelong blueprint for confidence, craft, and calling. We sit down with Shaneka Jackson-Kinsey, a South Carolina mixed media visual artist and art teacher known for soulful portrait work and bold self-portraits, to talk about how belief at the right moment can shape an entire creative life. We get into why eyes are her fav...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of artists talk about “the grind,” but Maxx Good$ breaks down what the grind actually looks like when you are an artist, producer, and self-taught audio engineer building your sound from the ground up. We kick things off with his story, born in Brooklyn and moved to upstate South Carolina, and how his mom’s weekly adventures to libraries, museums, and plays shaped the way he...

Send us Fan Mail You can tell a lot about a photographer by what they think the job actually is. With Gavin Boulware , the answer is clear: the camera matters, but trust matters more. We sit down with the Charlotte, North Carolina photographer to trace his path from an $89 point-and-shoot and “trash” early photos to weddings, portraits, and a reputation that makes clients feel safe before he ever...

Send us Fan Mail Fame can hit overnight and disappear even faster, so we sit down with DJ Chuck T to talk about what actually lasts: respect, skill, and a real name in your community. From Charleston, South Carolina to the Carolina hip hop scene, Chuck shares how a military household, an educator’s mindset, and deep church roots shaped his discipline, his voice, and his ability to lead rooms long...

Send us Fan Mail Birth prep gets marketed like a checklist, but the hard parts usually show up in the gaps: the first painful latch, the exhaustion at 2 a.m., the moment you realize you do not know the right question to ask a nurse or doctor. We wanted to talk about the real experience, so we brought on Shannon Allen, a postpartum doula and lactation care provider and the founder of Desires of the...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Russell Earle Jr . to trace how a six-month solo trip through South America and a daily journaling habit turned into his debut memoir, Until I Came Home . We also get real about the craft and business of being an author, from editing and audiobooks to reviews, distribution, and showing up consistently.  Make sure to visit https://russellearlejr.com/ to learn more...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Tanisha Hall aka Queen It Shall Be to talk about choosing kindness as a daily practice and turning creativity into something your whole community can feel. She shares how family history, honest parenting, and building culturally rooted games help her rebuild after loss and keep showing up as the light.  • Growing up between Brooklyn and South Carolina while becomi...

Send us Fan Mail What if your reflection could show more than skin and bone—what if it revealed your higher-dimensional self? We sit down with multidisciplinary artist Dogon Krigga to trace a path from DIY hip-hop forums and GIMP downloads to museum walls, community residencies, and a practice that treats collage like choreography and sound like sculpture. Dogon shares how mentors Tom Feelings and...

Send us Fan Mail What if the thing you lacked most became your greatest superpower? That’s the thread running through our conversation with self-taught muralist Ija Charles, whose first “supplies” were berries, dirt, and rhinestones pulled off jeans—and whose work now lights up schools, galleries, and whole city blocks across South Carolina. We dig into the choices that shaped her: staying rooted...

Send us Fan Mail What do you leave when you’re gone? That question drives our conversation with DJ, director, and community builder Bryant Kirk White—whose path runs from college fashion runways to weddings, youth mentorship, and a bold vision for a new kind of educational media. Bryant shares how his grandfather’s passing transformed discomfort into fuel, turning purpose from a vague idea into da...

Send us Fan Mail What if every person you photographed felt seen as royalty? We bring on Darius Dior —photographer, filmmaker, and kingdom music artist—to explore how faith, family legacy, and street-level community turn ordinary nights into living archives. From a childhood of Brooklyn pews and Polaroid snaps to the weekly rituals of Carolina line dances, karaoke rooms, and student blocks, Darius...

Send us Fan Mail What if bright colors were a trap door into harder truths? We sit down with artist and educator Kanish Harmon to explore how beauty, discipline, and bold storytelling invite people into real conversations about identity, addiction, and value. Kanish’s path runs through Charleston County School of the Arts, Claflin University, and Howard University, where a pivotal nudge from a pro...

Send us Fan Mail The sunflower has a story to tell. We sit down with Charleston’s Daniel Green —videographer, painter, graffiti kid turned worldbuilder—to unpack how a single character named Kai grew into a living universe of color, culture, and quiet resistance. What begins as a bright, welcoming bloom unfolds into layered scenes about ancestry, healing, and the resources that truly sustain us. D...

Send us Fan Mail JB SamSon: Why Authentic Music Matters More Than Clout THG sits down with Columbia-based artist JB SamSon to talk authenticity, faith, family, and the grind of building an independent music brand rooted in positivity. JB SamSon is a rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Freethinkers Radio personality whose sound blends R&B, hip-hop, rock, and gospel. From home...

Send us Fan Mail How A Catawba Artist Weaves History, Design, And Photography Into Living Stories THG sits down with Alex Osborn , a talented Indigenous artist, designer, and photographer. Alex is a proud member of the Catawba Nation and his work is deeply rooted in storytelling and personal experience. By weaving together family traditions, travel moments, and everyday encounters, he examines how...

Send us Fan Mail Unlocking the Beat: Manny Beats' Journey from Chicago to Charlotte On the episode of THG, we have a conversation with Manny Williams, also known as Manny Beats , a talented music producer and instrumentalist originally from Chicago and now based in Charlotte. Manny specializes in hip hop and R&B, infusing his distinctive sound into the Charlotte music scene since he reloc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Hilltop Glove Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Tina J. Ramsay , a bestselling author and homeschooling advocate, renowned for her role as a media strategist. Through her global platform, CTR Media Network , Dr. Ramsay empowers entrepreneurs, educators, and families. As the CEO and founder of ventures like CTR Homeschooling and CTR CARES, she reaches millions, d...

Send us Fan Mail THG interviews DQ Styles , a five-time award-winning wardrobe stylist based in Charlotte, NC, known for his creativity and versatility in the fashion industry. With over a decade of experience, he collaborates with models, magazines, and brands to create captivating looks. DQ's innovative approach and commitment to excellence have earned him respect in the fashion world. In t...

Send us Fan Mail THG interviews Venecia Rickenbacker , a versatile entrepreneur blending music, sound therapy, and visual art to create transformative experiences. Her global journey in music and healing led her to learn the Guzheng in China, and she also plays the Native American flute and Tibetan singing bowls. In 2007, she founded Soulbeing Sound Massage , combining relaxation with sound to pro...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for an inspiring THG episode featuring Terrance P. Elmore —husband, author, poet, and podcaster. Influenced by Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance, Terrance's poetry explores love, hope, and inspiration, aiming to uplift amidst negativity. He shares new poems every Wednesday on his blog and podcast, The Brown Sugar Cafe Podcast , and has published two books: &q...