Ashley Brown is a woman of many talents, and the residents of Birmingham are the biggest beneficiaries! The 26-year-old musician and baker isn’t afraid to pursue the things she loves and turn them into enterprising endeavors. Fortunately for Ashley, her talent is just as strong as her passion. Hip-hop verses bring the same heat that the oven she uses to perfectly bake her trademark “Strawberry Crack” cookies. But how did the two facets of her persona start, and what does the future look like for this inspiring woman?
Asherr Cole - Hip-Hop Musician
Brown started reciting long poems around the age of three. This eventually transformed into reciting over beats, but it took a teacher’s extra credit project on the eight parts of speech to push Ashley to first take the stage and perform in front of a live audience--and her classmates loved it!
Not long after this initial success, Ashley’s dad took her to her uncle’s in-home studio where she recorded her first three singles. Up next was deciding on a stage name, and her friends were more than willing to help. Ashley Nicole (her middle name) was twisted to create the name we recognize today--Asherr Cole. The stage name became the name she went by in college, going as far as hiding her ID card so people only knew the hip-hop persona.
After the release of her first mixtape, Asherr took time to slow down and focus on her growing family. After a short hiatus, she released the video for her single “Growing Pains” (set at her old school’s playground). “Dough Girl”, an upbeat song that blends her cookie and music careers, was the last single Asherr dropped before the pandemic halted the video shoot and caused her to shift focus to cookies.
“It’s a bop. It’s something different than what people are used to hearing from me since I’m a conscious rapper so most of my songs are more of a hip-hop vibe. This was more of a Chris Brown/Tyga type beat,” says Asherr on her latest single.
More than anything, the Birmingham musician is ready to jump back in the studio with the newfound wisdom that comes with age and life experience--and we can’t wait to hear what knowledge she’s been waiting to drop.
Ashley’s Famous Cookies
Ashley has always loved cooking in general, but her mom encouraged her to try selling her cookies after enjoying a delicious batch she made from scratch. She took her mother’s advice in March of 2018 and Ashley’s Famous Cookies was born. The company is constantly growing, and has recently added exciting new deals and cookies to the menu.
Ashley's now offers multiple 3-month subscription options (Classic Fiend, Chocolate Fiend, and Super Fiend) that allow customers to get boxes of delicious cookies delivered to their doorstep--for a better deal than buying individually!
There are also new cookies joining the mix, with a yummy cinnamon roll cookie leading the charge. The new additions join favorites like Chocolate Chip Pecan with Caramel, Glazed Oatmeal, Stuffed Oreo, and M&M cookies. While the M&M cookies are extra huge (about the “size of a small child’s face”), every cookie is both big and scrumptious.
Getting hungry? Ashley’s Famous Cookies is providing a discount especially for About Town readers! Use the code AboutTown25 when ordering off the website for 25% off your order.
Loving the Magic City
As Ashley looks to expand both her music career and her business, she’s also honored to be a part of an uplifting Birmingham scene.
“Birmingham has a lot of love and positive energy. There is a group of us that is really pushing the city to higher heights. Birmingham is the next city up. If nobody believes that, just look around and see what we’re bringing here and doing here.”
Sounds just as sweet as one of Ashley's s’mores cookies if you ask me!
