Martha Diaz

Colombian-American futurist Martha Diaz (MD) is an award-winning social entrepreneur and educator focused on equity and human rights through Hip-Hop culture. She founded the Hip-Hop Education Center in 2010 and has spent over 30 years connecting the Hip-Hop industry with education and public arts.

As a global thought leader, MD documents Hip-Hop history through exhibitions and curricula. She also founded the Hip-Hop Odyssey International Film Festival in 2002 and co-founded the Hip-Hop Association, promoting Hip-Hop as a platform for education and social change.

Rahman Jamaal McCreadie

Rahman Jamaal McCreadie is a writer, actor, musician, emcee, filmmaker, and educator with degrees from the University of Southern California. He gained fame in 2003 as the star of the acclaimed film "The Beat," which aired on Showtime and STARZ. As a USC graduate, he created California's firstcee/Spoken Word Curriculum, implemented in schools and the juvenile system. Since 2015, he has been the Executive Director of Hip Hop Congress, collaborating with a diverse network of talent.

Dr. Kristine (Tina) Wright

Dr. Wright is a trailblazing hip hop scholar in academia, creating one of the first hip hop centered Sociology courses at a R1 university in 2000. She is also a noted commentator and has been invited to speak at numerous events to discuss hip hop, race, class, gender, media, youth political mobilization, and social justice more broadly. 

Dr. Francesca D'Amico-Cuthbert

Dr. Francesca D’Amico-Cuthbert is a multi-disciplinary creative, educator and award-winning historian of American and Canadian Hip Hop culture, the creative industries, and the music marketplace. She currently serves as Chief Research Officer at the Hip Hop Education Center where she leads the “Fresh, Bold, So Def” initiative which documents and preserves the contributions and achievements of women in Hip Hop culture across and beyond the United States through the development of research and Hip Hop methods, the curation of archives, and the development of educational tools and curricula.

Anthony Pineda

Anthony Pineda is a passionate music educator and advocate for mental health, utilizing the transformative power of hip-hop culture to foster healing and resilience in diverse communities. With over 15 years of experience in the education sector, Anthony has dedicated his career to promoting mental wellness through creative expression, believing wholeheartedly in music's ability to inspire, heal, and uplift.

Marlon Richardson

MC, Producer and Educator UnLearn The World reviews the history of Black Social Justice and Spiritual movements of the 20th century. We will explore communities like the Black Panthers, Nation of God's and Earths and Zulu Nation among others and their influence and impact on Hip Hop Music, culture and ideology from the turn of the century, late 60s to present day. We will discuss how greetings like "peace" and concepts like "Knowledge Of Self" and "Self Determination" made their way into the lexicon and overall ethos of Hip Hop and its artistic elements.

Prizm Chosen

PRiZM, also known as King PRiZM, is an internationally respected Hip Hop Cultural Specialist, educator, and speaker recognized for his ability to transform lives through the power and principles of Hip Hop. A native of the Bronx and lifelong student of all 9 elements, PRiZM is an honored representative of Hip Hop’s values, principles, lessons, and positive transferable qualities. For over 30 years, he has educated, mentored, and inspired others through the transformative power of the culture.He was honored by Hip Hop pioneers with a Cultural Kingship, a rare acknowledgment reserved for those who have mastered the art of teaching the culture’s values, purpose, and real-world application.

Jason "Phatz" Kirkman

Zulu King Jason “Phatz” Kirkman has been a Hip Hop culturalist representing Hampton Roads VA for over 35 years. “Phatz” found his purpose to become a Hip-Hop scholar, historian and teacher as a Chapter Leader (President) of The Universal Zulu Nation Ch. 30. S.F.NZ. One of the position’s primary purposes was to become a Hip Hop historian and teach the history to your chapter and your community. Phatz accomplished this by co-facilitating a Hip Hop education program named E.R. C.A.M.P. where they taught the elements of Hip Hop to the youth from 2004 to 2016. By collaborating with The City of Virginia Beach, E.R. C.A.M.P. successfully organized an eight week Hip Hop summer camp from 2013-2015.

George Martinez

Hon. George Rithm Martinez is a hip-hop political pioneer, cultural diplomat, educator, author, and artist. A former Unsigned Hype in The Source magazine (1996), he became the first hip-hop artist elected to political office in New York City (2002) and is the only one elected in multiple U.S. states, serving in Alaska since 2023. He is the founder of the award-winning Global Block Collective and the founding director of the BITWNOTW Sanctuary Project, a nonprofit dedicated to community healing, nature-based education, and sacred space preservation. Appointed by the U.S. State Department as the first Hip-Hop Ambassador for the Western Hemisphere (2006), Martinez has led cultural diplomacy missions in more than 15 countries.

Defranco Brocks

DeFranco Brocks is a passionate community leader, author, and creative entrepreneur with a lifelong commitment to social impact and cultural empowerment. As the former president of Movement Material Inc. and current Executive Committee Member of Hip Hop Congress, he has championed youth advocacy, arts, and education across diverse communities.

Emile Jansen

Emile YX? is a South African Hip Hop elder, educator, and award-winning changemaker with 40+ years in the culture. In 2024 he received the National Order of Ikhamanga (Silver)—a top civilian honor—bestowed by President Cyril Ramaphosa for contributions to arts and Hip Hop culture. Honors include: Words Beats & Life Award for Best Hip Hop Organization (2010), LeadSA and e.tv South African Heroes Awards (2016), induction into the South African Hip Hop Museum Hall of Fame (2019), and the American Association for Applied Linguistics Distinguished Public Service Award (2022).