AALBC Search
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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, ...
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...
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'...
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 ...
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...
Mai Sennaar
Mai Sennaar NONE Mai Sennaar is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The Smithsonian Affiliate Museum of the African Diaspora, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the Class...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson 0000000110665899 Curtis James Jackson III, known as 50 Cent, is a renowned rapper, actor, and entrepreneur, raised in South Jamaica, Queens. Overcoming early life struggles a...
Danny Simmons
Danny Simmons 000000011447538X AALBC Mourns the Passing of Danny Simmons Daniel “Danny” Simmons is a globally recognized abstract-expressionist painter with works in prominent establishments like the ...
Warren L. Maye
Warren L. Maye NONE Warren L. Maye is the Editor in Chief of SACONNECTS and a prolific author, having co-written books with his wife and authored others independently. He's a member of ASME, EPA, and...
National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture MULTIPLE The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), established by Congress in 2003, is devoted to documenting Afric...
Beowulf Sheehan
Beowulf Sheehan NONE Beowulf Sheehan is an acclaimed photographer specializing in arts, entertainment, and humanities. He has photographed over 800 figures from 40+ countries, with his work featuring...
Johnnetta Betsch Cole
Johnnetta Betsch Cole 0000000033467652 Johnnetta B. Cole, Ph.D., is a renowned anthropologist and educator who has served as president of both Spelman and Bennet Colleges, and Director of the Smithso...
Rafael López
Rafael López 0000000430746276 Rafael López is a renowned illustrator of NYT bestsellers and award-winning books. He's won Pura Belpré medals and other prestigious awards, including the Tomás River...
Mike Africa Jr.
Mike Africa Jr. NONE Mike Africa Jr. is a renowned speaker and writer featured in top publications and media outlets. He starred in HBO's 40 Years a Prisoner and was part of the Audible docu-series, ...
Hope Lynne Price
Hope Lynne Price NONE Hope Lynne Price-Lindsay is an accomplished author, playwright, and Arts Educator with a BFA from Howard University. Her diverse experiences include performing with Ringling Bro...
Daniel R. Day
Daniel R. Day NONE Daniel R. Day, also known as “Dapper Dan,” is a renowned artist with work displayed in global museums including the Smithsonian and MoMA. He owned a boutique from 1982-1992, reopen...
Emily Meggett
Emily Meggett NONE Emily Meggett, 87, is a prominent figure in South Carolina's Gullah community, featured by PBS, Food Network, and NPR. Raised in a 19th-century slave cabin, now a central Smithsoni...
Janelle Washington
Janelle Washington NONE Janelle Washington, a self-taught paper cut artist from Virginia, has work in the Smithsonian National Museum and Downing-Gross Community Arts Center. She is a member of The G...
Brad R. Braxton
Brad R. Braxton NONE Brad Ronnell Braxton, Ph.D., is a Public Theology Professor and President at Chicago Theological Seminary, Founding Senior Pastor of The Open Church, and Senior Advisor at a Smit...
Shawntae Harris and Jesseca Harris-Dupart
Shawntae Harris and Jesseca Harris-Dupart MULTIPLE Shawntae Harris, born in Chicago, Illinois, better known by her stage name “Da Brat,” is an American rap artist, profound writer, television and ra...
Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor 0000000108802241 Richard Pryor December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005 Before ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Ivor W. Hartmann
Ivor W. Hartmann NONE Ivor W. Hartmann is a Zimbabwean writer, editor, and publisher, known for editing the groundbreaking anthology AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers. His work has promoted ...
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair MULTIPLE Richard Ellmann, an influential literary critic and biographer, and Robert O’Clair, a scholar specializing in modern poetry, were key contributors to the s...
Cynthia Manick
Cynthia Manick NONE Cynthia Manick's poetry collection, No Sweet Without Brine, is a celebration of self-love and culture. Through lyrical expressions, she explores daily life, familial bonds, and so...
Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts
Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts NONE Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts is a renowned author of 15 books and podcast host of HeARTtalk. Her distinguished writings have been featured in The Washington Post...
Jamila T. Davis
Jamila T. Davis NONE Jamila T. Davis, a former self-made millionaire and now motivational speaker, uses her experiences from rising to the top of her field, to her fall into bankruptcy and imprisonme...
Snoop Dogg and Earl Stevens
Snoop Dogg and Earl Stevens MULTIPLE Calvin 'Snoop Dogg' Broadus and Earl 'E-40' Stevens are iconic figures in the music industry, known for their contributions to rap and hip hop. Calvin “Snoop Dogg...
Laban Carrick Hill
Laban Carrick Hill NONE Laban Carrick Hill (1960 – 2021) has written two young adult novels: A Brush with Napoleon, based on the life of the French Romantic painter David, and Casa Azul, based...
t’ai freedom ford
t’ai freedom ford NONE t’ai freedom ford is a NYC high school English teacher, Cave Canem Fellow, and award-winning poet. She has been published in numerous reviews and anthologies, and is an editor ...
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...
Steven Willis
Steven Willis NONE Chicago-based storyteller Steven Antoine Willis uses his background in fine arts to illustrate African American culture. With art influenced by urban life and religion, Steven mix...
Clyde R. Taylor
Clyde R. Taylor NONE Clyde Russell Taylor was a vital figure in African American studies, known for his influential work in film and cultural criticism. He focused on the portrayal of Black people in...
Sheree Renée Thomas
Sheree Renée Thomas 0000000019174343 Sheree R. Thomas is a multi-talented writer, editor, publisher, educator, and visual artist. She co-publishes the literary journal Anansi and founded Wanganegress...
Jess Marie
Jess Marie NONE Jessica Marie Smith, known as Poet Jess Marie, is an inspirational writer from Detroit, MI, best known for her book “Anthology for Hope in the Hood.” A graduate of Michigan State Univ...
Meron Hadero
Meron Hadero 0000000497702868 Meron Hadero, an Ethiopian American writer, is known for her award-winning short stories. Born in Addis Ababa and raised in the US, she has been published in esteemed ou...
Linda Addison
Linda Addison 000000003555029X “Addison has enough invention for two writers, and enough heart for three.” —Terry Bisson, Nebula Award winning author Linda D. Addison, first African...
Chance Arradondo
Chance Arradondo NONE Chance Arradondo is a versatile writer, born in 1989 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He writes novels, poetry, short stories, and lyrics, inspired by his life experiences and love fo...
Stephanie Renee Bell
Stephanie Renee Bell NONE Stephanie Renée Bell, an author of 5 books and a gifted musician, dedicated her life to her faith and art until her passing in 2010. Renowned for her Christian rap songs, p...
Yusuf Jah
Yusuf Jah NONE Yusuf Jah, co-author of books like Fight the Power and Uprising, is an educator in Los Angeles who writes about race, rap, and youth culture in America. Yusuf Jah has co-authored sever...
James Prince
James Prince 0000000029890626 James “J. Prince” Prince, CEO of Rap-A-Lot Records, boxing manager, and philanthropist, was born on October 31, 1964, in Houston's Fifth Ward, where he continues his com...