Butternomics the Business of Culture

On this episode of Butternomics, Brandon Butler sits down with Mali Wilson, a music industry veteran who spent 15 years running Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, one of the most iconic recording spaces in hip hop history. Lil Wayne was loyal to that building for over a decade. Drake, J. Cole, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz — they all came through her doors, many of them before the world even knew their names. Mali took over a studio that was $300,000 in debt and turned it into the room where some of the biggest records in rap got made. In this conversation, Mali opens up about what she learned watching superstars build and lose careers up close, why she walked away from a deal with Clive Davis when the industry was collapsing, and what it really takes to earn respect as a woman operating in rooms full of men who weren't always ready to make space. She talks about launching Earth Girl, a movement that has reached over 4,000 young women through camps, mentorship, and real music industry education, placing nearly 200 songs on networks like Paramount and A&E. And she gets into the deeply personal story behind her debut album "Retro in Real Time," co-written with her husband Eric, aka The Black Banker, a project born out of falling in love for the first time after a lifetime of putting everyone else's music before her own. Mali recorded on Aretha Franklin's mic and Al Green's mic in Memphis, and she's not playing small. This is what it looks like when someone who spent their whole career building for others finally decides to build for themselves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Butternomics, Brandon Butler sits down with Onaje Henderson, co-owner of Zucot Gallery, one of the largest Black owned art galleries in the Southeast. Onaje grew up watching his father, a Tuskegee trained engineer turned full-time painter, create in the family garage every single day. That upbringing sparked a 15 year mission to build a space where Black art, Black artists, and Black collectors are not just welcome but centered. In this conversation, Onaje breaks down how art quietly functions as a wealth building tool through the secondary auction market, why our community keeps missing that opportunity, and what it actually looks like to take ownership of our own cultural narrative. He gets into how Zucot was built to feel welcoming instead of intimidating, why someone outside our culture should never be the one determining the value of our art, and what it means to support Black art with your actual dollars not just your words. Culture costs. This episode is about understanding why that investment matters more right now than ever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Butternomics, Brandon Butler sits down with Courtney English, Chief of Staff and Chief Policy Officer for the City of Atlanta under Mayor Andre Dickens. Courtney is a born-and-raised Atlanta native, a product of Southwest Atlanta, Douglas High School, and Morehouse College, who got elected to the Atlanta Board of Education at just 24 years old, became the youngest board chair in the district's history at 28, and has spent his entire career fighting to make Atlanta work for the people who built it. In this conversation, Courtney pulls back the curtain on what it actually looks like to run the agenda for one of the fastest growing cities in America. He breaks down how Atlanta has driven violent crime down by over 34 percent, how the city is building 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2030, and how the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is putting real resources into communities that have been overlooked for too long. He also gets into what the FIFA World Cup means for small business owners right now and how Showcase Atlanta is making sure the people who grew up here are positioned to win.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of Butternomics, hosted by Brandon Butler, sits down with Tasha Belle Cyril, founder of J'ouvert Caribbean Kitchen and Bar and co-founder of Apartment 4B, a hospitality entrepreneur and service strategist with over 15 years of experience building restaurants across Atlanta, New York City, Jamaica and Saint Lucia. Tasha gets real about what it actually takes to survive in the restaurant industry, from managing razor-thin margins and training staff to maintaining standards when customers push back. She breaks down why most people who want to open a restaurant probably shouldn't, what Atlanta gets right (and wrong) when it comes to dining culture, and why the best restaurants are built on service, strategy and identity rather than trends like hookah and grass walls. Tasha also shares the story behind The Family Table, her monthly initiative providing hot meals to families experiencing food insecurity out of J'ouvert, and explains why giving back is inseparable from her mission as a restaurateur. Whether you're dreaming of opening your own spot or just love eating at one, this conversation will change how you think about the business behind the plate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, sits down with Omar Ali to break down how commercial real estate actually creates long term wealth. Omar shares the mindset shift most people miss when they think about property, including why patience, scale, and structure matter more than quick wins. They talk through capital access, government programs, and the quiet mechanics behind deals that last for generations. This conversation goes beyond buying buildings and gets into how wealth is built, protected, and passed down over time. If you want a clearer picture of how real estate works at the highest level, this episode delivers it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.