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The Black Dot
The Black Dot NONE The Black Dot is renowned for his insight into the metaphysical aspects of Hip Hop, contributing to various media outlets and authoring the game-changing book, “Hip Hop Decoded.” A...
Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman 0000000036920264 Toni Blackman, an international champion of hip-hop culture, is known for her captivating performances and powerful presence. She's the first hip-hop artist to work as ...
Ernie Paniccioli
Ernie Paniccioli 0000000114932974 Ernest “Brother Ernie” Paniccioli is a renowned hip-hop photographer, known for his work in the 80s and 90s. He authored the bestseller 'Who Shot Ya?' and was featur...
Rakim
Rakim 0000000118505494 Rakim, a transformative hip-hop artist, gained fame with the album 'Paid in Full', named MTV's greatest hip-hop album. His unique style influenced artists like Jay Z, Eminem, a...
Nelson George
Nelson George 0000000115805862 Nelson George, born in 1957, is a renowned columnist, critic, journalist, filmmaker, and author of 21 books, including bestseller 'The Michael Jackson Story'. A pioneer...
Jeff Carroll
Jeff Carroll 0000000035873523 "Jeff Carroll, a pioneering author in Hip Hop horror, Sci-fi & Fantasy, is known for action-packed stories with a social edge. He has authored over five books, produced ...
Michael A. Gonzales
Michael A. Gonzales NONE Harlem-born essayist and short story writer Michael A. Gonzales, co-authored the seminal hip-hop book Bring the Noise. Known as the “hip-hop Chester Himes,†his fiction a...
Halifu Osumare
Halifu Osumare 0000000031536722 Dr. Halifu Osumare, Professor Emerita at UC Davis, is a renowned dancer, choreographer, and scholar of black popular culture with over 40 years of experience. She has ...
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash 0000000368452815 Every DJ set you have ever heard—every seamless beat transition, every manually looped breakbeat, every scratch—runs on an operating system that one person built i...
Winter Ramos
Winter Ramos NONE Winter Ramos, a seasoned Hip Hop industry professional, has over 10 years of experience as a wardrobe stylist for labels and as an executive assistant to artists like Fabolous. She'...
Rob Kenner
Rob Kenner NONE Rob Kenner is a key figure in hip hop publishing, known for his work with Vibe and his writings on cultural icons like Tupac Shakur and Barack Obama. His work has appeared in a number...
Felicia Pride
Felicia Pride 0000000046853843 Felicia Pride is a versatile author, screenwriter, producer, and educator with a career spanning over 15 years. She has written seven books, including the motivational ...
Khnum “Stic” Ibomu
Khnum “Stic” Ibomu NONE Khnum “Stic” Ibomu, part of socially conscious Hip Hop group Dead Prez, is a respected voice in the industry. Known for pioneering “Fit Hop”, Stic promotes holistic health and...
Vickie M. Stringer
Vickie M. Stringer NONE “I use my life as an example to warn others of the dangers of the drug game.” Vickie Stringer, the Queen of Hip-Hop Literature, has revolutionized the genre throu...
Bakari Kitwana
Bakari Kitwana 0000000114584527 Bakari Kitwana is a renowned journalist, activist, and political analyst, known for his commentary on politics and youth culture. He has been a consultant on hip-hop, ...
Sister Souljah
Sister Souljah 0000000083868534 Sister Souljah, born Lisa Williamson in 1964, is a multidimensional woman renowned as a community activist, radio and TV personality, hip-hop artist, and bestselling a...
Mark Green
Mark Green NONE Mark Green serves as Associate Director/General Manager of Lehman Performing Arts Center, Chairman of Artist Relations for The Hip-Hop Museum (THHM), and maintains ownership of Celebr...
Nikki Turner
Nikki Turner 0000000040675687 Nikki Turner, renowned as “The Queen of Hip Hop Fiction”, is an Essence best-selling author known for shedding light on the unseen side of street life. Balancing work an...
Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang 0000000367675451 Jeff Chang, renowned cultural critic and author of award-winning books such as 'Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation' and 'Who We Be: The Colorizatio...
Heidi R. Lewis
Heidi R. Lewis NONE Dr. Heidi R. Lewis is an Associate Professor and Director of the Feminist & Gender Studies Program at Colorado College. Specializing in Feminist Theory, Hip Hop Culture, and Criti...
Thembisa S. Mshaka
Thembisa S. Mshaka NONE Thembisa S. Mshaka is a versatile creative executive, author, producer, filmmaker, and voice actor, renowned for her award-winning global ad campaigns and writings. She is the...
Professor Griff
Professor Griff 0000000081558057 Richard Griffin, known as Professor Griff, is a rapper, artist, lecturer, and member of the Hip-Hop group Public Enemy. He's a licensed personal security defense inst...
Dashawn Taylor
Dashawn Taylor NONE Dashawn Taylor is a contemporary novelist and Rutgers graduate known for his urban edgy style. A former finalist on BET's Ultimate Hustler Show, he's also the author of 'From Pove...
Flava Flav
Flava Flav NONE William Jonathan Drayton Jr., known as Flavor Flav, is a co-founder of the influential hip-hop group Public Enemy. Born on March 16, 1959, he's also a popular television personality a...
Blacc Topp
Blacc Topp NONE Blacc Topp, an award-winning author born in Benton Harbor, MI, and raised in South Dallas, used his love for writing to navigate personal loss and a challenging upbringing. From journ...
Kyle T. Mays
Kyle T. Mays NONE Kyle T. Mays, an Afro-Indigenous writer and scholar, specializes in U.S. history, urban studies, and race relations. He's an Assistant Professor at UCLA and author of 'Hip Hop Beats...
Keith Knight
Keith Knight 0000000036407698 “Well, you know… cats have better representation in the comics than Black people.” Keith Knight, a Boston-born cartoonist, is recognized for his unique...
Fat Joe and Shaheem Reid
Fat Joe and Shaheem Reid MULTIPLE Joseph Cartagena, known as Fat Joe, is a platinum-selling rapper, actor, and entrepreneur from the Bronx who founded the Terror Squad label. Shaheem Reid is a season...
Chuck D
Chuck D 0000000368402543 Chuck D, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, is a renowned hip-hop artist, social activist, and multimedia producer. Best known as the leader of Public Enemy, he has significantl...
Tariq Trotter
Tariq Trotter 0000000001157609 Tariq Trotter, known as Black Thought, is a celebrated hip-hop artist and actor. With three GRAMMYs and three NAACP awards, he's produced albums both solo and with The ...
Teddy Riley
Teddy Riley 0000000078243847 Edward Theodore “Teddy” Riley is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and musical innovator whose work has shaped the sound of modern R&B and hip-hop for mor...
Eric M. Cooper
Eric M. Cooper NONE Eric Mann Cooper is a New Jersey-based Sci-Fi/Superhero author known for his Knight Seeker series set in the modern Tri-State area. He recently started a new series, Star Enforcer...
Dru Noble
Dru Noble NONE Dru Noble, a New York native and talented artist, is a published author and martial arts practitioner. Despite a life sentence for a crime at 17, Noble transformed adversity into creat...
Caleb Alexander
Caleb Alexander 0000000024457188 Caleb Alexander is a renowned ghostwriter and author, with several of his novels making The New York Times Bestsellers List. He debuted with 'Eastside', launched the ...
Brandon McCalla
Brandon McCalla NONE Brandon Dewitt McCalla, a Brooklyn native, is an author inspired by comic books and J.R.R. Tolkien. After studying English in college and exploring the music industry, he realize...
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli 0000000108022237 Talib Kweli, renowned hip-hop artist, has been celebrated for his collaborations, solo works, and top-tier lyricism. Known for his partnerships with Mos Def, Kanye West, ...
Shaun Sinclair
Shaun Sinclair NONE Shaun Sinclair, a South Carolina native and Army veteran, is a renowned author known for blending crime and erotica in his novels. Leveraging his experience as a law clerk, his wo...
Cassandra Foster
Cassandra Foster NONE Cassandra Foster, a computer industry veteran with advanced degrees in computational linguistics, is a Washington DC-based author. She writes juvenile books funded by arts organ...
Charlamagne Tha God
Charlamagne Tha God 0000000486501489 Charlamagne Tha God, born Lenard McKelvey, is a renowned media personality and co-host of The Breakfast Club radio show and Brilliant Idiots podcast. He's also a ...
Torman Jahi
Torman Jahi NONE Torman Jahi, for the last 27 years, has been known as an international hip-hop artist, born and raised in East Cleveland, Ohio, and calling Oakland home for the last 25 years. Jahi,...
Obari Cartman
Obari Cartman NONE Dr. Obari Adéye Cartman is a Chicago-based psychologist, educator, and author, specializing in issues concerning mental health, cultural identity, and manhood. He works as a resto...
Michael Eric Dyson
Michael Eric Dyson 0000000108900116 Michael Eric Dyson is a distinguished scholar, Baptist minister, and public intellectual known for his innovative scholarship on race, religion, and popular cultur...
Walt Goodridge
Walt Goodridge NONE The “Passion Prophet” Walt F.J. Goodridge is a versatile individual with a passion for teaching. He has worked as an artist, engineer, DJ, author, and speaker among oth...
April R. Silver
April R. Silver NONE April R. Silver is a renowned marketing strategist, cultural curator, and social justice activist. As the founder of AKILA WORKSONGS, she's known for creating influential social ...
Heru Ptah
Heru Ptah NONE Heru Ptah is a multifaceted writer, known for his work as a poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He's appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, CNN, and has a novel published by MTV B...
Karrine Steffans
Karrine Steffans 0000000114494281 Karrine Steffans, born on August 24, 1978, is a former hip-hop video performer, actress, and bestselling author of “Confessions of a Video Vixen.” She's also the cre...
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers MULTIPLE Timothy Z. Mosley, known as Timbaland, is a renowned music producer, part of hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, and CEO of Mosley Music Group. Veronica Chambers, ...
Ben Greenman
Ben Greenman 0000000043364577 Ben Greenman, a New Yorker contributor and New York Times bestselling author, writes both fiction and non-fiction. Notably, he collaborated with Questlove on a hip-hop m...
Kevin Coval
Kevin Coval 0000000053723529 Kevin Coval, author of ALA “Book of the Year†finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, is the Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival...
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson NONE Albert “Prodigy” Johnson was a globally recognized rapper, part of the duo Mobb Deep. Known for his reality-based music, he sold millions of albums worldwide. Prodigy al...
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah 0000000120268301 Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, is a renowned rapper, singer, actor, TV and record producer. Known as the “First Lady of Hip-Hop,” she released her debut album i...
Marcus Kareem
Marcus Kareem NONE Marcus Kareem was born in Hip-Hop, and raised in Teaneck, NJ. He learned to write and music at early age, sitting on the floor sometimes of the record shop with a pencil and pad. ...
Brian Coleman
Brian Coleman 0000000109521409 Brian Coleman is a seasoned music journalist specializing in hip-hop. His work has been featured in various national magazines such as XXL, Scratch, CMJ, and URB over t...
Eware Osayande
Eware Osayande NONE Eware Osayande is a poet, cultural analyst, political activist, and author of seven books, including a notable work on Black Youth & Hip Hop. He presently serves as the media chai...
Davey D
Davey D NONE Dave “Davey D” Cook is a renowned journalist, adjunct professor, Hip Hop historian, political commentator, talk show host, radio programmer, and advocate for media justice and community ...
Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole NONE Abiodun Oyewole is a pioneering poet, teacher, and founding member of the influential American music and spoken-word group, The Last Poets. With a rich contribution to Hip-Hop's ...
LL Cool J
LL Cool J 0000000368571427 LL Cool J is a multi-talented figure: a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy-winning Hip-Hop artist, honored actor, best-selling author, philanthropist and CEO of Rock...
Banke Awopetu-McCullough
Banke Awopetu-McCullough NONE Banke Awopetu-McCullough is a Rochester-born author with degrees in Drama and African studies from University of Virginia, and Adolescent Education from Roberts Wesleyan...
Abel Garcia
Abel Garcia NONE Dallas-based artist Abel Garcia, inspired by The Bible, hip-hop, graffiti, and the high renaissance, creates unique art using screen printing, acrylic and oil painting. Recognized as...
Patrick Denard Douthit
Patrick Denard Douthit 0000000047281613 Patrick Denard Douthit, known as “9th Wonder”, is a Grammy-winning producer, DJ, lecturer, and social activist from Winston-Salem, NC. Born in 1975, he has bee...
J. Ivy
J. Ivy NONE J. Ivy, a Chicago-born hip-hop poet, musician, and actor, has won a Peabody and Grammy award for his performances and collaborations with artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Bob Dylan. He...
Brittani Williams
Brittani Williams NONE Brittani Williams, discovered her passion for writing in a school assignment and has since authored numerous novels including Daddy's Little Girl, Sugar Walls, and The Black Di...
EbonyJanice
EbonyJanice NONE EbonyJanice is a lecturer, speaker, and preacher with a focus on areas like Hip Hop Scholarship and Decolonizing Authority. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Political Sc...
Chuck D and Kathy Lopez
Chuck D and Kathy Lopez MULTIPLE Chuck D, renowned rapper and leader of Public Enemy, pioneers in socially conscious hip-hop. Kathy Lopez, Chuck D's Pilates Guru, is a certified Pilates expert and ow...
Tony Keith Jr.
Tony Keith Jr. NONE Tony Keith Jr. is a Black American gay poet, spoken word artist, and hip-hop educational leader. Tony also CEO of Ed Emcee Academy and lives with his husband, Harry Christian III,...
Kim Goodlook Seabrook
Kim Goodlook Seabrook NONE Kim “GoodLook” Seabrook is a proud native of the Bronx, New York. Poetry has been a form of therapy. After surviving so much, Kim learned to embrace and live in her truth,...
Zetta Elliott
Zetta Elliott 000000003627950X Zetta Elliott, a Canadian-born Black feminist writer, is known for her poetry, plays, essays, and children's novels. She earned a PhD in American Studies from NYU, taug...
Lynette S. Hoag
Lynette S. Hoag NONE Lynette S. Hoag is a writer and lawyer. She writes romantic fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America. Lynette S. Hoag i...
Kaitlyn McKnight
Kaitlyn McKnight NONE Kaitlyn McKnight is a young adult fantasy and sci-fi author known for her eccentric personality and unpredictable stories filled with magic, mystery, and malevolence. Her vivid ...
Alechia Dow
Alechia Dow NONE Alechia Dow is a former pastry chef, librarian, and author of YA sci-fi fantasies, The Sound of Stars and The Kindred. She enjoys dance parties with her daughter, baking, reading, an...
LaVerne Thompson
LaVerne Thompson NONE USA Today Bestselling author LaVerne Thompson, also known as Ursula Sinclair, writes contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi sensual romances. She enjoys creating worlds within and ou...
Ursula Sinclair
Ursula Sinclair NONE Ursula Sinclair, the alter ego of USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author LaVerne Thompson, writes contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi sensual romances. She also pens romant...
Sumiko Saulson
Sumiko Saulson NONE Sumiko Saulson is a Californian author known for her work in sci-fi, horror, and fantasy genres. She's also the editor of 'Black Magic Women' and creates an annual list highlighti...
Joy M. Copeland
Joy M. Copeland NONE Joy M. Copeland, a Harlem-born author with a diverse career in government and business, now focuses on her writing. Notably, she has written two novels and several horror and cri...
Saul Williams
Saul Williams 0000000055187280 Saul Williams, hailed as the “Bob Marley of American poets” is a celebrated poet, actor, and spoken-word artist. Known for his vibrant and fearless writing, Williams ha...
Kelvin Christopher James
Kelvin Christopher James NONE Trinidadian author Kelvin Christopher James, a former high school science teacher and lab technician, holds a Ph.D. in science education. He started writing in 1980, pro...
Yani
Yani 0000000118166410 Yani, an Amazon Best Selling Author from Philadelphia, is renowned for her six novels and unique storytelling style. She's celebrated in genres like African American Fiction-Ur...
Antwone Fisher
Antwone Fisher 0000000120179050 Antwone Fisher is an American screenwriter, poet, lecturer, and best-selling author known for his autobiographical book and film, “Antwone Fisher.” Born in an Ohio pri...
Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander 0000000042691031 “He truly is a renaissance man.”—Nikki Giovanni Kwame Alexander is a bestselling author, poet, and educator, known for his award-winning book “The Cr...
Carole Boston Weatherford
Carole Boston Weatherford 0000000042539806 Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author, has written over 50 books, earning multiple awards including three Caldecott Honors and two...
James Earl Hardy
James Earl Hardy 0000000042416478 James Earl Hardy is the author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series, including B-Boy Blues, which has been praised as the first gay hip hop love story and is celeb...
Kevin M. Weeks
Kevin M. Weeks NONE Kevin M. Weeks is an acclaimed self-published Urban Fiction author known for his debut, The Street Life Series. Honored as the Best New Urban Author of 2007, his fresh approach te...
Abiola Abrams
Abiola Abrams NONE Abiola Abrams is a renowned speaker, life coach, author, columnist, and media personality known for her heart-centered lifestyle advice. She is the creator of the “Passionista Play...
Jihad Shaheed Uhuru
Jihad Shaheed Uhuru NONE Jihad, from a criminal past to becoming an award-winning author and motivational speaker, used his prison experience to educate himself and write the groundbreaking book “Str...
Steffi Walthall
Steffi Walthall NONE Steffi Walthall is a Virginia-based illustrator inspired by mythology, history, and sci-fi. Known for her diverse characters and unique stories, she's illustrated books like 'Mov...
Stacy Gueraseva
Stacy Gueraseva NONE Born in Moscow, Stacy Gueraseva immigrated to NYC in 1981, growing up in the Bronx amidst diverse cultures and music. She became editor-in-chief of Oneworld magazine at 24, after...
Keith Kareem Williams
Keith Kareem Williams NONE Keith Kareem Williams, a Brooklyn-based author, has penned over 21 books and 5 screenplays. He balances a full-time writing career with single fatherhood. Williams writes '...
Betty DeRamus
Betty DeRamus NONE Betty DeRamus is an award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist known for her nonfiction books on slavery and post-slavery era. Her works, “Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories f...
Karl Nova
Karl Nova 0000000048878796 Karl Nova, a London and Lagos raised musician and author, uses rap and spoken word poetry to voice his unique experiences of nonconformity and personal growth. Known for hi...
Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Jeffery Boston Weatherford NONE Jeffery Boston Weatherford, an illustrator and poet, founded Triiibe Worldwide. His debut book, You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, acclaimed by several organizations, e...
William Jelani Cobb
William Jelani Cobb 0000000034332610 William Jelani Cobb, Ph.D., is an accomplished author, educator, and journalist specializing in post-Civil War African American history and 20th-century American ...
John Strausbaugh
John Strausbaugh 0000000067554770 John Strausbaugh, born in 1951, is a renowned author and cultural commentator. Known for his authority on New York City's history, he also hosts The New York Times' ...
Kyra D. Gaunt
Kyra D. Gaunt 0000000061596283 Kyra D. Gaunt is a college professor, jazz vocalist, author, and songwriter specializing in race, gender, and African American music. With a career in education startin...
Beauty Bragg
Beauty Bragg 0000000125620829 Beauty Bragg is a Professor of African American Literature at Georgia College with a BA from USC and a MA and Ph.D from UT Austin. She authored a book exploring black wo...
jessica Care moore
jessica Care moore 0000000043767122 jessica Care moore is an internationally renowned poet/ publisher/ activist/ rock star/ playwright and actor. She is a five-time Showtime at the Apollo winn...
Melvin Gibbs
Melvin Gibbs 0000000055545607 Melvin Gibbs is a Grammy-nominated composer, musician, artist, and writer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Widely recognized for his groundbreaking work across ja...
Starr T. Balmer
Starr T. Balmer NONE Starr T. Balmer, a senior editor at a marketing agency and owner of two businesses, is a passionate writer with a BA in Journalism from California State University. She developed...
Natalie Hopkinson
Natalie Hopkinson NONE Natalie Hopkinson, Ph.D., is a celebrated journalist, scholar, and author known for her insightful exploration of arts, gender, place, and identity. She has received critical a...
Camille Yarbrough
Camille Yarbrough 0000000063310082 Read a Wonderful Article Describing Yarbrough’s Life NANA CAMILLE YARBROUGH Ms. Yarbrough, a multi-talented veteran of theater, film, ...
Kevin Mitchell
Kevin Mitchell 0000000352296686 Kevin M. Mitchell is a versatile writer, musician, and producer. A University of Missouri—Kansas City Conservatory of Music graduate, he has published over a dozen b...