Aaron Lloyd
Aaron Lloyd is a freelance writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He has written about hip-hop music artists for over a decade, including Left Eye of TLC and A Tribe Called Quest. His articles have appeared in Rap Pages, Vibe.com and other outlets. Lloyd will write, produce, and release his debut film, a 45 minute short, in 2008. Aaron was a founding and executive board member of Black Nia F.O.R.C.E., a community and cultural organization and was co-owner of the writing service company, Scribble Scrabble Entertainment. Currently, Lloyd lives in Freeport, N.Y. with his wife, educator Michelle Lloyd.
Adisa Banjoko
Adisa Banjoko, author of Lyrical Swords: Hip Hop and Poltics in the Mix, is a leading voice on issues of political, social, and religious trends in Hip-Hop. A respected journalist for more than fifteen years, his writing has appeared in The Source, San Francisco Chronicle, XXL, Vibe, Yoga Journal, Pacific News Service, Onthemat.com, and Allhiphop.com. Known as The Bishop of Hip Hop, Banjoko has lectured at countless universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, and many others. He also lectures in prisons and juvenile hall facilities. In 2006, he founded the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, using music chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy, and nonviolence. For more information, visit his website at www.hiphopchessfederation.org
Alford A. Young, Jr.
Alford A. Young, Jr. is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Associate Professor of Sociology in the Center for Afro-American and African Studies at the University of Michigan. He was born in 1966 and raised in New York City, where he attended Catholic elementary and secondary schools. He has published The Minds of Marginalized Black Men: Making Sense of Mobility, Opportunity, and Future Life Chances and is devoted to writing and teaching about the plight of Black men in American society. He is married to Carla O'Connor and is the father of Alford III (age 9) and Kai Alexander (age 4).
Bakari Kitwana
Bakari Kitwana is a journalist, activist, and political analyst. His essays have appeared in many publications, including The Village Voice, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The Progressive. He authored The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture and most recently Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop. He's been the Editorial Director of Third World Press, Executive Editor of The Source, and is co-founder of the first ever National Hip-Hop Political Convention (Newark, 2004). He holds a B.A. and two Masters degrees (English and Teaching). He has appeared on CNN, PBS, and countless other outlets. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/bakarikitwana
Bill Stephney
Bill Stephney created one of Hip Hop's first radio shows, "The Mr. Bill Show" (Adelphi University, 1982). Later he joined Def Jam Records, eventually becoming president (leading the careers of LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and others). Currently, he dedicates much of his time as a family advocate. He has also served on the board of directors for the National Fatherhood Initiative. He has appeared as a commentator on every major television network and has been published by The New York Times, Vibe Magazine, and others. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Tanya Cepeda, and their three children.
Byron Hurt
Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, published writer, and anti-sexist activist. His highly acclaimed film, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast nationally on the PBS series Independent Lens. Hurt is also a long-time gender violence prevention educator and has been featured in The New York Times, the Michael Baisden Show, CNN, ABC World News and countless community-based, regional, national media. Byron has lectured at more than 100 colleges and trained thousands of people on gender, race, and violence issues.For more information, go to his website at www.bhurt.com or www.myspace.com/beyondbeatsandrhymes
Cheo Tyehimba
Cheo Tyehimba is an award-winning journalist, author, activist, and educator. He has written or reported for Time Inc. and Entertainment Weekly, and was a senior editor of Code. He's taught writing at the University of San Francisco and The City College of New York, where he earned an MA in Creative Writing. His writing has been published in The Washington Post, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, People, Savoy, O - The Oprah Magazine, George, Vibe, and Essence, among others. His short story collection, What It Is, will be published in Spring 2008. He is a husband, father, and son. For more information, please visit www.whatchusay.com or www.forwardevermedia.com
Davey D.
Davey D is a historian, journalist, deejay, and activist. He's been down with Hip Hop since 1977. Currently he is the webmaster for one of the oldest and largest Hip Hop Internet sites, Davey D's Hip Hop Corner. It writings are referenced and quoted all around the world. Davey is also program director of Breakdown FM, an internet radio show specializing in the examination of Hip-Hop and politics. Davey has been featured on BET Television, VH1 Television, BBC Radio, Fox News, CNN, ABC, and many others. He graduated from UC Berkeley and is currently working to bridge the Digital Divide. For more information, visit www.daveyd.com or www.myspace.com/daveyd
Dion Chavis
Media professional, Dion "Showtime" Chavis has become the voice that listeners and readers have come to recognize as their own. Born and raised in Norfolk Virginia, Showtime was the product of a single parent home and raised by his mother. After losing his father at an early age, Showtime began to lean on the culture of Hip Hop as a way to fill the void that was left by his father's death. Showtime is an accomplished radio professional and blogger who uses his voice to help guide the lives of today's youth.For more information, visit www.thatott.com or www.myspace.com/showtime757
James Peterson
James Peterson, Ph.D is an Assistant Professor of English at Bucknell University. Dr. Peterson, assisting Dr. Cornel West, delivered the "Hip Hop Studies" lectures at Princeton University and has guest-lectured with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at the University of Pennsylvania. For his expertise, Dr. Peterson has been featured on/in BET, BET.com, The Michael Eric Dyson Show, The Michael Baisden Show, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News, ESPN, the PBS documentary "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes," and many other outlets He has also been published, featured, or quoted in Black Arts Quarterly, XXL, Vibe, The Wall Street Journal, and various other publications.
Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell is an activist, poet, essayist, public speaker, hiphop historian, and businessman. A product of extreme poverty, welfare, fatherlessness, and a single mother-led household, he is a native of Jersey City, and was educated at New Jersey's Rutgers University. He is currently a student at Pace University where he is finishing his B.A. in Liberal Studies. Kevin Powell is a longtime resident of Brooklyn, New York, and it is from his base in New York City that Powell has published eight books, including his most recent poetry collection, No Sleep Till Brooklyn. He can be reached at kevin@kevinpowell.net.
Kevin Williams
Born in Warwick, NY, Kevin Williams received his BS degree in Accounting from Howard University. He was a founding member of the community and cultural organization, Black Nia F.O.R.C.E. Kevin also served as vice-president of The Cultural Initiative Incorporated, the organizers of the first national conference on Hip-Hop (1991). For over a decade, Kevin has worked as an educator in the under-serviced Harlem community. He currently resides in the Bronx, NY and is married to Shawn Bailey-Williams. He is the proud father of an energetic two-year-old son and a nineteen-year-old daughter who attends a historically Black college/university (HBCU).
Lasana Omar Hotep
Lasana Omar Hotep is a lecturer, consultant and entrepreneur with a commitment to inciting critical thought about society, culture and politics. His areas of expertise include Hip-hop history, Leadership Development and African-American culture. He is the founder, principal owner and lead consultant of Hotep Consultants. Lasana, along with Alonzo Jones, developed the nationally recognized recruitment and retention program, African American Men of Arizona State University (AAMASU). He currently serves as a Student Success Coordinator in the Multicultural Student Center at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. He lives with his wife Dr. Renee V. Hotep in Mesa, Arizona.Contact Lasana at www.lasanahotep.com or at www.myspace.com/lasana
Loren Harris
Loren Harris is the Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, focusing on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health. Harris has served as Associate Program Officer for the Mott Foundation. There he designed and implemented the Fathers at Work Initiative a $12 million national project. Harris holds a BA in U.S. History from Queens College and a Masters in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. As philanthropist, he gives his time, talent, and treasure to various boards and local organizations. Loren is also a partner to his wife of fifteen years and a parent to four wonderful children.
Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele
Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele is a father, husband, DJ, concert producer, and community organizer from Brooklyn, now residing in Texas. Lumumba was a student at Brooklyn's premier Black independent school, Uhuru Sasa Shule. Bandele served as Director of Programs at the Franklin H. Williams Caribbean Cultural Center, is a member of the New Afrikan People's Organization, and of Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. As a representative of MXGM, Lumumba co-founded Black August: A Celebration of Hip Hop and our Freedom Fighters Benefit Concert. Akinwole-Bandele has a degree in Black Studies from City College/CUNY and a Masters in Human Service from Lincoln University. For more info, visit www.myspace.com/lumumbarevolution
Mo Beasley
Performance poet and educator Mo Beasley has over twenty years experience in sexuality, race, manhood, and arts advocacy work. He has lectured or facilitated workshops for countless institutions, ranging from SCO/Family Dynamics to Kasier-Permente to New York University. He has featured at the Blue Note, Minton's, Nuyorican Poets Caf , Joe's Pub and many other stages. Select media include NPR Radio, BETJ, XM Radio, Hallmark Channel, Fox News, rolling out, and others. In 2006, The Daily News selected Mo as one of "50 Unsung New York Heroes." He is also co-author of the critically acclaimed play No Good Nigga Bluez. For more information, visit his official website at www.mobeasley.com or www.myspace.com/mobeasleymusic
Rhymefest
Rhymefest, one of the most intelligent and humorous rappers on the freestyle battle circuit, was born in Chicago. He dropped out of high school, then earned his GED and later enrolled in college. His girlfriend became pregnant so they married and he worked low-paying jobs to support his family. Fest never abandoned his music. In 2005, he collaborated with long-time friend Kanye West on Jesus Walks (on West's The College Dropout). Rhymefest then earns a GRAMMY for Best Rap Song. Rhymefest's debut, Blue Collar, was released in 2006 to great acclaim. His second album, El Che, is due in 2008. For more info, please visit www.rhymefest.com
Saddi Khali
Saddi Khali is a writer/performer/photographer/activist from New Orleans. He has been published in Dark Eros and Obsidian II, among others, and has been a featured performer on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, and the historic Apollo Theater's Salon Series. He is currently touring with "Uprooted: The Katrina Project," and heading an organization that creates and promotes healthy images of people of color in the media. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/saddikhali
Shaun Neblett
Shaun Neblett, based in Harlem of Panamian parents, is a playwright, youth theater coordinator, and Founder/Artistic Director of Our Id Theater. He has shared the platform with Woodie King, Jr., Amiri Baraka, and Ed Bullins and his work has been produced by P.S. 122, Provincetown Playhouse, the National Black Theater, House of Tribes Theater, and other regional theaters. His play This is About a Boy's Fears was produced at the Young Playwrights Festival at the Joseph Papp Public Theater. Currently, Shaun is working on seven plays in tribute to the classic albums of seven hip-hop artists.
Steven G. Fullwood
Steven G. Fullwood has been an archivist at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York since 1998. He is the founder of the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive, and project director of the Hip-Hop Archive Project. Fullwood is the author of FUNNY (2004), co-editor of Think Again (2003), and the founder and publisher at Vintage Entity Press. For over a decade, his writing has appeared in Library Journal, Black Issues Book Review, XXL, Vibe, and Lambda Book Report. In 2005 Fullwood was honored with a New York Times Librarian Award. For more information, visit www.stevengfullwood.org or www.vepress.com
Talib Kweli
In the 90's he was half of the rap duo Black Star (with Mos Def). Today, Talib Kweli (from Brooklyn) stills makes music that educates and entertains simultaneously. Both Jay-Z and 50 Cent named Kweli as one of their favorite rappers. Ear Drum, his sixth album (and the first released on his own label) is a career-defining work. Kweli has two gold albums with the majority of his topics focusing on "black self-love, black self-esteem, and black self worth." After establishing himself as a visionary, Kweli and manager Corey Smyth created and launched the record label Blacksmith Music. For more information, visit the official website www.talibkweli.com
Thabiti Boone
Thabiti Boone is an author, activist, humanitarian, former basketball star and minister. He defied the odds of taking his daughter to college, as a teenage single father, balancing fatherhood, education, student leadership, and basketball stardom, including sacrificing his NBA dreams to raise her. He is a passionate national speaker and voice on Fatherhood, Black Men and world issues. He founded a charitable foundation that impacts young people. Some of his accolades include 2007 National Martin Luther King, Jr. Man of the Year and 2007 CNN Global Hero. He has been the subject of books, publications, documentaries, TV, and print media. For more information, visit www.thabitienterprises.com.
Timothy D. Jones
Timothy D. Jones encompasses the essence of hip-hop as a creator of various educational initiatives that use aspects of hip-hop culture. "Educate, Evaluate, and Elevate" is the approach that Timothy takes to work whether it is running a Teen Program at Martha's Table in Washington, DC; serving as Director of Community Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship for the ELI Institute (Howard University); or being an Ordained Minister at The Believers Worship Center in Forestville, MD. A family that loves him, a world that needs him, and his Lord that saved him is the "Beat of Life" Jones' consulting company. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/timothydjones
Wiliam Jelani Cobb
William Jelani Cobb, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of History at Spelman College. He specializes in post-Civil War African American history, 20th century American politics and the history of the Cold War. A highly respected and widely published essayist, Cobb is also the author of To The Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic, as well as The Devil & Dave Chappelle and Other Essays. He is editor of The Essential Harold Cruse: A Reader, which was listed as a 2002 Notable Book of The Year by Black Issues Book Review. He resides in Atlanta, GA. For more information, visit his official website at www.jelanicobb.com or www.myspace.com/jelanicobb
