Who We Are

Meet Our Founding Members and Board of Trustees

Founding Members

Rocky Bucano, Business Owner and Entertainment Manager

Kurtis Blow, Recording Superstar

Shawn LG Thomas, Music Producer & Host of the Black Spin (Sirius XM)

Grandwizzard Theodore, Inventor of the Scratch

Mickey Bentson, Manager, Ice T

Joe Conzo Jr., Legendary Photographer

Grandmaster Melle Mel, Legendary MC

Board of Trustees

Nana Carmen Ashhurst, Chairwoman Emeritus

Kurtis Blow, Chairman Emeritus

Rocky Bucano, Executive Director

Adam Silverstein, Collector & Attorney

Peter Bittenbender, CEO, Mass Appeal

Bruce Jackson, Associate General Counsel, Microsoft

Ruben Diaz Jr., The 13th Bronx Borough President

Faith Newman, EVP A&R and Catalog Development, Reservoir Media Management

Charlane Brown, Attorney

Lu-Shawn M. Thompson, Entrepreneur 

Sissi Johnson,  Academic and Entrepreneur

Meet Our Staff

Executive Team

Rocky Bucano, Executive Director

SenYon Kelly, Operations Manager

Donna Davis, Director of Development

Renee Foster, Director of Communications

Rubenstein Public Relations

Lance Pope, Membership Manager

Michael Ford, Architect Design Manager

David Miller (Proskauer Rose, LLP)

Candace Nepal (PPMT Strategic Group)

Daniel Stewart (Kramer Levin, LLP)

Curatorial Team

Adam Silverstein, Director of Archives and Collections

Paradise Gray, Chief Curator

Prime Minister Pete Nice, Co-Curator

SenYon Kelly, Co-Curator

Jorge “PopMaster Fabel” Pabon, Curator of Fashion and Artist-In-Residence

Elai Tubo, Curator of Sound

Shawn LG Thomas, Curator of Music Programming

Mark Green, Chair of Artist Relations

Marketing and Content

Asya Blue, Art Direction and Design

Kylerr Bucano, Social Media Manager

Tramp Daly, Merchandise and Licensing

Pamela French, Documentarian and Content Producer

Kate Harvie, Contributing Writer and Outreach

Meet Our Advisors

THHM Advisory Board

Edward Young, Senior Advisor

Robert Reid, Senior Advisor

Harry Allen, Journalist

Mandy Aragones, Artist Management

Dallas Austin, Musician, Songwriter, & Producer

Will Billings, Financial Executive

Martin Caba

Orrin Campbell, Artist/Crypto Advisor

Mike Carnevale, Technology Futurist at CARNEVALE

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis – President, Black Press of America

Vivian Scott Chew, Music Executive

Michael A. Dean

Martha Diaz, Hip Hop Education Center

Skip Dillard, Radio Executive

Nicole Duncan-Smith, Hip Hop Editor, Journalist/Author, & Media Maven

A. Mignon Espy

Christian Gordon, Asst. Dean of Development, UC Berkeley

Frederik “Torch” Hahn, German Hip Hop Legend

Marq Hawkins, West Coast Hip Hop Legend

Miguel Herrera, Polymath: Data Science/Talent Management

Michael Holman, Historian

James Jenkins, Music & Film Executive

Tracey J. Jordan, Music Executive & Television Producer 

Neil Levine, Entertainment Executive, THHM Senior Advisor Music Label Relations 

David Lipsey, Digital Asset Management

Ralph McDaniels, Video Music Box

Jennifer R. McZier, Arts Consultant

Adrian L. Miller, Managing Partner/Executive Producer, Xyion Inc.

Minister Server, Hip Hop Cultural Strategist

Thembisa Mshaka, Author & Filmmaker

Michael Münzer, Apeiron Visuals

Eric Orr, Fine Artist / Creator Of The First Hip Hop Comic Book

John Payne

Jeff Pucillo, TELL-IGNITE

Dale ‘Rage’ Resteghini, Film & Music Video Director, Writer, Producer

Richard Rubenstein, Rubenstein Public Relations

Troy Shelton, Gryscl Entertainment

Christopher Surrey, Marketing & Creative Strategy Executive

Dedra N. Tate, Entertainment Executive

Brett Volker

Rachel Weingeist

Jarrod Whitaker

Lavall Chichester, Founder and CEO of Growth SkillsUrban Income and Flavor Fix – Growth Marketing

Meet our Cultural Ambassadors

Awesome Two, Teddy Ted, & Special K

Big Daddy Kane

Bevi Smith

Chuck D

Crash

Christopher “Play” Martin

DJ Battlecat

DJ EFN

DJ Silky D

DJ Spark

D-Nice

Doug E. Fresh

DJ Hollywood

Ebro Darden

Groovy Lew

Heather B

Ice T

Kaos

King Tee

Kwame Holland

Krayzie Bone

Kool Herc

Lady B

Lisa Lee

LL Cool J

Lisa Lee

MC Lyte

Mr. Biggs

Mumu Fresh

Musiq Soulchild

Nas

Niki D

Rah Deluxe

Rakim

Reggie Reg

Rob Love

Rodney C

Roxanne Shanté

Sha-Rock

Shani Kulture

Sheena Lester

Slick Rick

Spoonie Gee

Sway Calloway

Tats Cru

The Sequence

Toni Blackman

Tony Tone

Tramp Daly

Van Silk

Tony “Mr. Wave” Wesley

Troy “Smack White” Mitchell

Yo Yo

POSTHUMOUS

Gary Harris

Lovebug Starski

Larry Smith

Statement Regarding The THHM

The Hip Hop Museum (THHM) is making this statement to clarify the use of the adjective “universal” in its name. As used in the organization’s name, The Hip Hop Museum, “Universal” refers to the recognition of the global impact, the ethnically and culturally diverse nature, and the impact of Hip Hop over the past almost 50 years since its inception. The Hip Hop Museum has no corporate or organizational relationships with any organizations with “Universal” in their names. The THHM is a recognized 501(c)(3) organization and has no corporate or organizational relationships with Universal Records, Universal Pictures, the Universal Zulu Nation, or any other such named organization.