Hip Hop

Butterscotch, the vocal percussionist virtuosa, uses her powerful voice to defy gender and music social constructs.

Jon Connor began producing and songwriting at the young age of 10. In middle school.

Roland Collins, better known by the stage name Troy Ave, is an American rapper from the Crown.

Brandon Dickerson, known by his stage name Lil Bibby, is an American hip hop recording artist from Chicago, Illinois.

Amber Levonchuck, known as Amber Rose, is an American model, recording artist, actress and socialite.

Kelis Rogers, better known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and chef.

Mayor Allen launched his music career in January of 2012. His first single “Party All Night Long”.

Faheem Rashad Najm, better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter.

Keyshia Cole is an American singer/songwriter, record producer, business woman, and television personality. She was born in Oakland, California.

In an industry dominated by males, DJ Traci Steele emerges as a hard-hitting DJ.

Sandy “Pepa” Denton is the spiciest ingredient in the legendary rap group Salt-N-Pepa.

Hailing from a family of talented musicians, Big Lux discovered.

Monica Denise Brown, professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B recording artist and entertainer.

The Billboard Top Ten songs chart for 1995 contains the following names: Coolio, TLC.

Worldwide superstar, Wyclef Jean, has sold over 100 million albums, and received three Grammy Awards®.

On stage, Gary Grice shares anecdotes from his childhood and the genesis of his scientific curiosity growing up in the inner city of Staten Island. With deft lyrical skill, he…

Multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning, super-producer, and artist, Timbaland is one of the greatest minds in music history. With more top-ten hits than Elvis Presley or the Beatles, he has taught the…

Amara La Negra is the embodiment of today’s woman, created with a hint of the past and a twist of tomorrow.

Theo E. J. Wilson , also known by his poet handle, “Lucifury,” is a modern Renaissance Man.  His natural knack for artistic expression had him dabbling in, and even mastering…

Rahiel Tesfamariam is a social activist, public theologian, writer and international speaker. She is the founder and publisher of Urban Cusp, a cutting-edge online lifestyle magazine highlighting progressive urban culture,…

Giovanni Mazza is a 15-year-old professional violinist, SAG-AFTRA actor, and ASCAP recording artist. He has appeared on national TV shows (Inside Edition, Steve Harvey Show, Daily Mail TV), as well…

Nelson George is an established author and filmmaker with a passion for telling stories of the black experience in America. George is the author of several ground breaking histories of…

Shea Serrano is a writer and author, regular contributor to The Ringer and previously featured on Grantland. His most recent book, Basketball (And Other Things), was a #1 New York…

For decades, Boots Riley, musician, vocalist, writer, and public speaker, has been an integral part of the progressive struggle for radical change through culture. At a young age Boots served…

Jasiri X is the first independent hip-hop artist to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate, which he received from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2016. This recognition grew out of the spiritual/political…

Tom Thum, Armed with just a microphone, Thum pushes the limits of the human voice to create incredible soundtracks of impossible beats and phenomenal sounds, with scratched vinyl, the Michael…

Antonio "L.A." Reid is a three-time Grammy Award-winning American record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping…

Melyssa Ford has been a fixture in the realm of entertainment for well over a decade. Ford can currently be seen on Bravo’s hit reality docu-series Blood, Sweat & Heels,…

Benny “Boom” Douglas is a prolific music video and feature film director with roots in West Philadelphia. Currently, Boom is helming All Eyez On Me, the biopic of larger-than-life artist/actor/activist,…

As the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Def Jam Records and Nas’ product manager, Chris Atlas played a pivotal role in leading “Life Is Good” to the No. 1…

Michael Dinwiddie is an associate professor at the Gallatin School, NYU, where he teaches courses in dramatic writing, cultural studies, and African American theatre. He holds an M.F.A. in Dramatic…

Who is Rajé Shwari? Just ask Hip Hop’s royalty like Jay Z, Timbaland, Nas, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. She’s been featured on mainstream hits like Jay Z’s multi platinum…

If the name L. Boogs does not sound familiar, it will… because he is genuine new talent in entertainment. L. Boogs started at HOT 97 Promotions and later became the…

A self-made successful woman hailing from Elizabeth New Jersey, Karen Civil leveraged her skills to create opportunities and forge key relationships that helped those around her and also helped her…

9th Wonder is a Grammy Award Winning Producer, DJ, College Lecturer, and Social Activist.

Kevin “K.O.” Olusola is best known as the beat boxer of the Grammy-winning vocal quintet Pentatonix. The winners of season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off have more than 10 million…

Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould, the young creators of Invisible Thread, present a concert of songs and stories from their new musical, winner of the 2012 and 2014 Richard Rogers…

Christopher Jackson is an American actor, musician, composer, and lyricist from Cairo, Illinois. In 2015 Jackson originated the role of President George Washington in the musical Hamilton on Broadway, which…

DeRay Mckesson is an organizer, activist, and educator focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated from Bowdoin College and has advocated…

With her own unique flare and infectious sense of humor, Issa Rae’s content has garnered over 20 million views and close to 160,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Lecrae is a two-time GRAMMY Award winning hip-hop artist whose 2014 album, Anomaly, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, Rap, Digital, Christian, Gospel, and Independent charts.

David Banner, born Lavell Crump in Jackson, Mississippi, is a Grammy Award winning music producer, recording artist, philanthropist, civic activist and actor who recently appeared in Lee Daniel’s The Butler…

Michael Skolnik is an entrepreneur, an activist, a storyteller and a proud father. From 2009-2015, Michael served as the President of GlobalGrind.com, a multi-million dollar news website founded by hip-hop…

The award-winning careers of Lady Gaga and John Legend, among others, are accredited to music industry professional Troy Carter. In 2010, the brand marketing strategist and entrepreneur founded the Atom…

Jimi Izrael is an award-winning reporter and culture-critic from Shaker Heights, Ohio who currently moderates “The Barbershop” for National Public Radio’s “Tell Me More with Michel Martin” and blogs “The Hardline”…

Eric Thomas, PhD. or “ET”, as he is better known, has taken the world by storm,with his bold & creative, high intensity, positive life changing messages!  

Massive Monkees are a Hip Hop crew that came together as a group of grade school friends who enjoyed dancing, playing and creating art together. 16 years later, the essence…

Acknowledged as the Godfather of Hip-Hop, Russell Simmons is the visionary behind Def Jam, the legendary label that launched the careers of such artists as Run DMC, the Beastie Boys,…

Jay Sean is the international superstar behind songs such as “Down,” featuring Lil Wayne, and “Do You Remember,” chart-topping hits from his U.S. debut album All or Nothing, which helped…

Rosa Clemente, a native of the South Bronx, is one of the most raw, honest, political, social, and cultural voices in the country. From Harvard to prisons, Rosa has spent…