"It was one of those things where we saw she was wanting to book more shows with Nth Power. Dumpstaphunk is our main thing and our baby that we started from the ground up, and it was getting to the point where she needed to devote more time to her thing, her baby. We wish her the absolute best. We love Nikki and we love the time that we spent playing with her."

Dumpstaphunk already has named Nikki's successor: local drummer Alvin Ford Jr., who has backed a variety of local artists, including Hall, as well as gospel singer Kim Che're and pop-rock songwriter John Michael Rouchell.

Nikki Glaspie grew up in Maryland and North Carolina, learning to play drums in church alongside members of her family. She honed her chops at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

In 2006, after building a resume with a variety of funk, rock and jazz bands, Nikki joined Beyonce's all-female band. She toured around the world with Beyonce in 2007 and contributed to the singer's '4' album, before leaving to focus on her own music.