He coaches high school basketball and works in video production —and also sells spiked juice all over New York City in an effort to build a brand empire.
In this episode of SIDE HUSTLES, meet Amseshem as he struggles to keep selling drinks during COVID and hold onto his multimillion-dollar brand goals.
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[Music] One thing my father told me you have to Go for it you have to ask Because only one of two things are going To happen you’re going to get a yes and You’re going to get a no My name is obsession for luke Professionally i’m the first assistant Director on production sets i’m an Ex-professional basketball player i also Coach Kids and on the side i make these drinks Called oh yes I have been making drinks since 2005. I started in college now everybody knows Me as oh yeah mayo I’m the guy with the drinks i’m the guy With the oes everybody in new york city Calls them nutcrackers Nutcrackers in new york is a summertime Staple You really find nutcrackers on the beach Festivals In the street it’s really just a Concoction of different liquors With a nice sweet juice taste we got Blueberries What a great month no rain all sun [Applause] I mean you can make upwards it’s 20k [Music] You’re really not allowed to sell Nutcrackers I was never one of the nutcrackers that
Was like no crackers no crap he’s like Trying to y’all got no credit I got what you need no i don’t do things I can’t promote There’s a reason why i was never a drug Dealer reason why i was never a pimp Because i can’t promote that My drink i can promote here i’ve seen in The new york times i was in new york Times twice for my drinks I may not be legit now but the goal is To be legit I’ve been doing this 15 years six years Ago i started the brand oh yes And from the first day that i started i Saw The vision i wanted this drink to be an Airport so i wanted this drink to be in Stores And bars everybody’s refrigerator and All this time i’ve been doing it for the Last six years I haven’t had that success however each Year my hustle Has increased so definitely during this Time of pandemic And coronavirus i haven’t been on any Sets in the last Three to five months and that’s how i Make a lot of my money a lot of the kids Are not in school so i’m not training Kids So this is very important to my Livelihood to keep it
Afloat and even more important and that Is putting oes In the store making it something legal And making it a worldwide phenom Being out from the neighborhood Tennessee is one of the people’s Favorite drinks they love to cognac with The mango So i’m gonna do the mango cognac Special oh look at that brown The brown is in town yes this Heart has [Music] The crazy thing is right i’ve been Making these drinks so much I literally don’t have to taste them Unless i’m trying a new flavor but Besides that If you know you know i won’t tell you The type of juice i use Because it’s a secret somebody put me on They told me not to tell nobody but Before this i wasn’t using this juice he Told me you gotta find juice that’s Thick And i can hold the liquor [Music] Some nutcracker makers they’ll be making Cognac And then they’ll spike it with some 151. It’s like what are we doing here that’s A headache in the morning I’m not doing that i’m getting the Cognac i got the i got the honey i got
The honey cognac I throw about half of that in there i am From the hood South side of jamaica queens the west Side of america boulevard But i wasn’t necessarily raised by the Hood it is a word that I created around the time that i created Oh yes and the word is shabbalah And shabba means everything righteous Moving forward and it’s a shabbat gang It’s like it’s a game It’s a game you know i know vice i know Y’all used to gangs right But this is the most positive game you Ever heard of it’s the shabba gang And we live righteous and we move Forward and we’re about pushing each Other to the top I got a long day today man a bunch of Stops i got about four or five hundred Drinks today i’m gonna try to sell them All Long island first queens brooklyn lower East side Oeas through the summer here we come I’ll teach you a little secret If you don’t freeze them overnight you Ain’t got enough time but buy yourself Some dry ice [Music] This is a fun track man it’s about the Oh yes every time i get on the road I’ll play this
[Applause] Turn left on stuart avenue Hold on let me um Normally i’m selling to new york city Now cover 19 is here hey there How are you good i started deliveries i Got henny patron to rock rum honey jack I went backwards i went backwards about Two years into my hustle we like the Mango I used to care about the customer but Because i was at places where so many People I just made a good product and that’s All i needed to do now with kovit i have To make a good product And i have to have a good relationship With my customers i do everything for Six weeks [Music] Gotta gotta give the love always show The love Baby how are you good to see you again Man yeah yes yes I was gonna make it work you may get 30 Of these but you’re going to get it all Right cool I put the killer dog outside okay all Right Yeah it’s like two feet Got the patrol mango i got the rum punch I threw two big ones in there Just for the love you know what i’m Saying thank you thank you you got it
And my daughter will be home i said okay They just turned 21. Oh oh yeah i’ll be here every weekend He’s good people man he comes he says What up he’s a good vibe give you a Little extra for the ride That’s crazy right right right he’s Really good at making connections With people beyond just like a Transaction the goal is not to just be Making all this money Or be making money or selling drinks Until i’m 40 until i’m 50 and then what One day it hit me it’s like come on get It together let’s get going So i come up here usually i’m making my Menus presentation decks The decks will be showed to potential Investors right here i got my total Profits That was in 2017 about 20 000 yeah this Is me just just having the idea saying Like i want to Put a deck together i want to present it To somebody all right let me just put it Together and i just did it and I didn’t do nothing with it but now is The time [Music] I was at a point in my life am i gonna Continue to do oh yeah i’m gonna Continue to be a street merchant I got my degree my resume is long i’ve Done this i’ve done that i’m not going
To continue to do this and it was like Yes i’ll take ojs through the roof I would like to show this deck to future Investors Anybody that understands uh what it Takes to go from the bottom To the top those are the people i want To invest the people that invest in People Right now we’re in brooklyn we’re about To go see my man uh Kid super big time fashion guy man he’s Been doing it for a minute Him and his friends are gonna buy a Couple drinks that’s the kid’s super Packing here you go baby I don’t know how it all works legally But it Feels legal to me to get drunk to get Drunk to get drunk that’s what he has No like medium drunk there you go boom You know what you need you need a jaeger One i know i’ll hook you up with jaeger Definitely i love He was like patron penny i was like Where’s the yeager version And so he’s he’s ready to talk big Business yes And we’re thinking the launch party is In the back of the pool And we’re on we’re on vice right now Okay so we’ll show you come in Let’s do it this is where it’s going to Be the oea’s launch party yeah right
Here I told you this guy i’m thinking like a Good Two to three hundred today was amazing This is the best day of the summer i’ve Had since Corona happened probably a little over a Thousand dollars i made it not sold as Much Today as i usually sell but something More came out of it I didn’t know he was going to call Yeager and say hey you need to figure Out how to make jagermeister oh yes Even if they don’t invest in me at least They know They know i’m here [Music] I see success in me now but i don’t see The success That i want it’s not i’m not at the goal Yet But i am successful 2020 In my head was my last year selling Drinks on the street It just happened that covey came around Next year you’re gonna be catching me in The stores You’re gonna be catching me at the Airport she’ll catch me at the bars Anywhere you go you’re gonna be catching The o.j bob [Music] You