Nikki Glaspie, raised in a family of Black, Southern ministers, began drumming at age two and was playing in church every week by eight. Her father introduced her to everything from Van Halen to The O’Jays, fueling a passion for diverse sounds. At Berklee (class of ’05), she studied under Angelamia Bachemin and honed her chops at Boston’s Wally’s Jazz Café. Her career soared with Beyoncé’s all-female band, SUGA MAMA, touring globally for five years and recording on the platinum album 4. She then anchored the New Orleans funk outfit Dumpstaphunk before co-founding The Nth Power, blending gospel, hip-hop, and funk into a stirring message of love. Endorsed by Zildjian, Vater, Yamaha, and Remo, Glaspie lives by her own creed: “Being a musician is not just what you do—it’s who you are.”