MEET THE TEAM

Photos by Crystal King-Charles

Raised in New Jersey and currently living and working in New York, Nadirah Simmons completed her undergraduate career at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in 2016, where she majored in Journalism and Media studies and minored in African Studies. Much of her undergraduate research explored the intersections of Blackness, womanhood and Hip-Hop.

In 2018 she was inspired to put her love of Hip-Hop, Black history and Black womanhood and her producing and writing skills into practice. She created The Gumbo, an innovative space in media for the creative excellence and activism of Black women in Hip-Hop and a safe haven free of politics. The Gumbo’s goal is to inspire creative leadership and contribute to a cultural shift that reframes, re-energizes, and reimagines Black women and their relationship with Hip-Hop through dynamic content, events and the dissemination of vital information on developments in the genre.

In just three short years, we have amassed nearly 15,000 followers across our platforms, partnered with and received a $25,000 grant from American Express, hosted an event sponsored by Red Bull, been named a Caress & iFundWomen Grant Recipient, and our work has been shared by artists like Missy Elliott, Rico Nasty and Mia X.

The goal is to develop The Gumbo into a leader of the conversations around Black women in Hip-Hop and a resource for their contributions to the genre.

In addition to running The Gumbo Nadirah was Social Media Producer at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she works directly with talent to coordinate, supervise, and strategize social and digital bits. She produced bits with celebrities like Issa Rae, Method Man, Cedric The Entertainer, H.E.R., and Robert DeNiro, crafted social media content initiatives like #IndoorAppreciationMonth, a day long live Instagram festival on Election Day, a Black History Month series on the history of The Late Show and The Ed Sullivan Theater, a charity holiday robe and more.

In 2019 the Digital team landed its first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interactive Program.

Brooklyn White is a Texas based writer and editor. She serves as Deputy Editor of The Gumbo and is dedicated to analyzing pop culture and serving the needs of Black women across the globe.

White’s career began in 2014, when she worked as a music writer for Solange Knowles’ culture hub, Saint Heron. It was there that she learned how to be a team player in an editorial sense, and write engaging pieces about the next generation of movers and shakers. She also worked as a social media manager and an administrative assistant, strengthening her skills as a tastemaker and digital communicator. 

She shared her thoughts, experiences and research on music, fashion/beauty, and social justice with esteemed feminist publications such as Teen Vogue, HelloGiggles and Bitch Media. She also participated in the debut of Milk Makeup’s online outlet and wrote about Black women with eating disorders for the now-defunct website, Babe. 

Within weeks of giving birth to her first child, a daughter, White was back at it. After a hiatus, she re-entered the realm of writing with an interview with renowned actress Regina King.

In 2019, White became a columnist for The Gumbo, a music outlet completely run by women. For her column, The Roux, White focuses on women who make rap music. 

White was then tapped to write the official bio for Grammy-winning rap artist Missy Elliott in 2019. The bio accompanied ICONOLOGY, Elliott’s highly anticipated EP, and her first release in over a decade. Atlantic Records created a detailed career timeline built around White’s words and later commissioned her to write Rico Nasty's bio as well. She has since interviewed Megan Thee Stallion for the cover of ESSENCE Magazine, the City Girls, Enchanting, Maliibu Miitch and more. 

Across industries and generations, White is respected for her writing. Her work has been shared by Megan Thee Stallion, Dr. Mark Anthony Neal and more. She has also contributed written content to InStyle, The Red Bulletin, Man Repeller, Okayplayer, HYPEBAE, Cassius, Fashionista, PAPER Magazine, Milk Makeup, ZORA, StyleCaster, and Unbound. In addition to her work with The Gumbo, she also handles youth culture content as the Generation Z Editor of ESSENCE. 

Born in Manhattan but raised in South Jersey, Quin is a creative enthusiast with a focus in music curation, DJing, design and creative direction. Her primary intention is to help contribute to artistic world building through cohesive combinations of multimedia. Her main method of entry to this space began with her musical influences as a young child searching through her parents cassette and CD collection, actualizing a world where design and music would meet. This initial interest would eventually be reinforced by her work for entities such as LS VAGA, The New Brunswick Center for the Arts, and Vibe Certified. Being an avid music enthusiast throughout her life, Quin spins a fusion of Hip-Hop, R&B, House, Afrobeat, Caribbean and everything in-between. She feels that by unifying different styles and sounds, she must also represent a brand that embraces music so closely, which is why she elected to join as the Lead Creative Director at The Gumbo.