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, President

SenYon Kelly, Director of Operations

Donna Davis, Chief Development Officer

Brett Volker, Chief Brand Officer

Renee Foster, Director of Communications

Dr. Courtney Terry, Director of Education

Denise Allen, Director of Project Management Services

Reggie Peters, Marketing Manager

Martin Caba, Manager of Membership Programs

Rubenstein Public Relations

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

Elai Tubo, Curator of Sound

Shawn LG Thomas, Curator of Music Programming

Mark Green, Chair of Artist Relations

Vanessa Spiridellis – Archivist

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

Tiara Gray, Social Media Influencer 

Associate Board

Jarrod Whitaker, Chairman of the Associate Board

Papoose, Hip Hop Artist & Entrepreneur

TT Torrez, Hot 97,  VP of Label & Talent Relations

Special Ed, Hip Hop Artist & Entrepreneur

Terrence “Klept” Harding, Real Estate Specialist, Technologist & Founding Member of Junior Mafia

Yo Yo, Hip Hop Pioneer & Businesswoman

3DNatee, Hip Hop Artist & Businesswoman

Zakaa Saadiq Young, Manager for DJ Kool Red Alert & Hip Hop Connector

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, Founder and Chief Curator and Archivist, Hip Hop Education Center, Chair of Archives, Curatorial and Education Committee, THHM (2020-2022), Associate Curator & Archivist, THHM.

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