FRESH, BOLD, & SO DEF

Anna “Anička“ Oravcová is a doctoral student at the Department of Sociology at Charles University in Prague. She got her degree in Gender Studies (Faculty of Humanities; Charles University in Prague) where she wrote her thesis on “Female Rappers and Their Position within Czech Hip Hop Subculture”. In her current research, she is focusing on the construction of authenticity, gender and race in Czech rap music. In addition to these scholarly publications; she has also collaborated with the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic on a grant research on current music subcultures in Czech Republic; her chapter is called “Czech Hip Hop Underground”. Anička is also a radio personality, she is co-hosting a national radio show on Radio Spin 96,2 called “Street Cypher” with Jaro Cossiga, a Czech beatbox legend. Together with BeatBurgerBand they give workshops for high school students where Anička essentially covers some of the key moments in the history of hip hop culture followed by a beatbox tutorial by Cossiga and BBB. As part of the promotion team “Sestry v triku” Anička helps organize events for up and coming hip hop artists including “Hip Hop Subway Series” a jam in Prague’s subway and “Freestyle Mondays Prague” the first open mic with a live band in the Czech Republic and one of few in Europe. Anička plays an important role in empowering women in hip hop and educating the masses about the true roots of hip hop culture. Her hope is that in the coming years more female rappers will make their way to the limelight and create greater diversity in the hip hop community. Anička recently became a visiting scholar at New York University’s Hip-Hop Education Center. https://www.facebook.com/anna.oravcova

SAMMIE D has been teaching, choreographing and performing for over 10 years in Brisbane, Melbourne and London. She is a versatile performer and has trained in various styles from breaking to locking, popping, contemporary, commercial and jazz. Sammie was also a founding member of Ladies Luv Hip Hop a collective formed in Melbourne to support women representing all the elements of hip hop. Sammie continues to represents in b-girling by battling and training with local crew Soft Surve. Sammie’s performance credits include- Australian University Games 09, Battle City 09, The Australian Dance Festival, Adidas fashion show and various club gigs. Sammie is also interested in the fusion of hip hop and contemporary performance and continues to explore this unique style with her choreography for the QUT Graduation showcases (2009/2010). Sammie’s style is a combination of b-girl attitude and funky grooves.

http://www.elementscollective.com.au/teachers/sammie-d/

CEO and founder of The Evolution of Hip-Hop, LLC ALEXANDRA BERNARD-SIMMONS has always been captivated by Hip Hop and its influences. Within the last 10 years she has explored and mastered some of the Elements that make up the Hip Hop Culture. Dance has always been her passion and by her senior year in high school she was a choreographer for a hot new reggae artist in the tri-state area. In college she became the Creative Director for Saint Peter’s College’s Dance Program and lead the team to perform in colleges and venues all over NJ. During that time she also hosted her own college radio show on WSPC Radio. Her show explored Hip-Hop music, news, and featured local artist that shared their talents and love for hip hop with her listeners. That year she also became the only female rapper on a Mixtape which was a compilation album of local talents to form “Allstar Clique Vol I”. Later on she joined a DJ group titled F.L.Y Music Ent as a DJ and the Manager. They toured the tri-state area blessing their clients with their unique sound at colleges, clubs, wedding, and Sweet 16’s. All the while dance never left her side…..A-lexx took the dance world by storm with her inimitable choreography and her fiery energy. She’s worked with countless amounts of rappers, R&B, Pop, and Bollywood artists. Within the last 2 years she has worked with MTV, VH1, BET, Comcast Cable, EHow.com and A&E to name a few and had a role in the dance movie trilogy STEP UP 3. She’s also opened and performed with Grand Puba, Naughty By Nature, Mr.Vegas, T.I, Ludacris, Donnie Klang, shot videos with artist like French Montana, and worked with the legendary Full Force. She doesn’t plan to stop there. Her next role is to share her knowledge of the industry and help students reach the top with the proper tools and with same love and respect she has for the hip hop culture. Thus, The Evolution of Hip Hop was born. http://theevolutionofhiphop-com.webs.com

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ASHLEY MOYER, aka SAYWUT!?, has been a fixture in the hip hop scene performing for Federal and state educational, environmental, and humanitarian aid workshops through the use of non-traditional, alternative music outlets. Known for her unique talent of Beatboxing-(producing sounds and beats through her mouth), Ashley is a highly decorated musician within the local hip-hop scene known for being the only award winning, successful female beat boxer. Ashley’s performances and workshops are directed towards community awareness and development through education and acceptance of alternative music outlets. Ashley has performed during the 2008 Pride Fest, is a loyal act to the Fire womyn dance parties, 2007 Toronto Global Hip Hop Festival, 2006 and 2007 Hip Hop Culture Day during the New Mexico State Fair, and 2007 Environmental Justice at the New Mexico state capital round house promoting environmental awareness throughout New Mexico. Her social and cultural workshops include Sequoia Adolescent Treatment Center, Albuquerque Public Schools, Santa Fe Public Schools, The Girls Ranch, Santa Fe Indian School, the YDDC (ABQ youth detention center), and New Mexico Youth Organized. http://www.myspace.com/saywut505

MARY NICHOLS a.k.a. DJ FUSION is a Radio, Mixtape & Club DJ who’s main musical focus in the Black Music/Urban Music Genre (Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk, Jazz, Soul/R&B, House, Disco, Electronica, Rock, Disco, World Music, etc.), on the independent and mainstream level. During her collegiate student history at Rutgers University - New Brunswick (B.A., American Studies 2001), she was a part of lining up Hip-Hop oriented shows & events for various student organizations at the school and for various non-profit organizations as well as being one of the original co-founders of the Rutgers University Student Community of Hip-Hop (aka RUSCH, the first Hip-Hop student Organization at Rutgers University) from August 2000 - August 2002. DJ Fusion began her radio career as an undergraduate student at Rutgers University Radio (WRSU 88.7 FM) first as a co-host for the African New Dawn program under her mentor, Alvin Fair. Later, she founded the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast in 1998 to be a media outlet that consistently exposes the absolute BEST of Hip-Hop & Soul Music (and the Black Music genre in general) from all over the world along with bringing quality interviews, news, and commentary. Along with fellow co-host/DJ/Producer/Partner Jon Judah (added on as part of the FuseBox Radio crew in 2004), the FuseBox Radio Broadcast works daily to fulfill that mission and bring great sounds, vibe and content to the masses – ready to do what high quality Black Radio (not watered down mainstream “Urban Radio”) is all about. From its original roots at Rutgers University Radio, the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast is a 3 hour mixshow that has spread to over 25+ international FM & Internet Radio stations + website outlets as of December 2010. http://FuseBoxRadio.podomatic.com

DR. RUTH NICOLE BROWN is an artist-scholar and an assistant professor in the departments of Gender and Women’s Studies and Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include youth culture, performance, Black girlhood, and qualitative methodology. Currently, Dr. Brown is at work on two book projects—a full-length work, At the End of the Day: Performance and Creative Potential of Black Girlhood, and a co-edited reader, Disrupting Qualitative Inquiry. Dr. Brown is also co-editor of Wish to Live: A Hip Hop Feminist Reader (2012). Dr. Brown’s first book, Black Girlhood Celebration: Toward a Hip-Hop Feminist Pedagogy (2009), explores how Black girlhood is mediated by popular culture, academic rhetoric, and lived experiences and challenges girl empowerment paradigms. Committed to interdisciplinary public scholarship, Dr. Brown’s research is grounded in the practice of Saving Our Lives, Hear Our Truths (SOLHOT, http://solhot.weebly.com), a space dedicated to the celebration of Black girlhood in all of its complexity, which she founded and continues to co-organize. SOLHOT is a creative, cutting-edge application of Dr. Brown’s studied and researched interventions in Black girls’ studies and hip hop feminism. Fueled by her training in arts-based methodology and grassroots theatre as a writer/artist, Dr. Brown’s creative repertoire includes devising plays, performance texts, and photo-performance exhibits. The goal of her creative work is to centrally engage Black girlhood, to go beyond critique, and to create new images of Black girlhood that incite accountability, critique social inequalities, and inspire new dreams for Black girls. http://solhot.weebly.com/homegirls.html

HIROKA “HERO” MCRAE born in Hokkaido, Japan. Thriving in the arts which became her medicine for her trials including the death of her mom at age 10. From age 17 she Quadrupled her training in all forms of dance all around the country. The day after high school Hero worked to become the reigning champion of multiple prestigious competitions. Her skill and fame led to commercials, and A list artist tours like Earth, Wind, and Fire. In 2007 Greg Campbell lock Jr. of the “Original Lockers” invited her to the US after recognizing her skill and potential. Later working with Bobby Valentino, Ray J, Sean Kingston, Justin Beiber, Kirsty Alley, Kobe Bryant, Cali Swag district, etc. In 2009 she became choreographer and made her own crew “Heroes”. “We are Heroes” won Randy Jacksons “Americas Best Dance Crew” and became the first and only female crew to win. Since the Championship Hero has traveled the world and has been featured on “Oprah” and “Ellen” on multiple occasions. Hero idealizers a unique perspective of dance fusing super strong freestyle, old school, and Hip Hop, in a feminine fusion. Using incredible skill with a creative edge. Currently she is pursuing acting and singing. Hero inspire woman and men around the world. http://www.herohiroka.com

SOPHIA CHANG has spent more than twenty years in the music business, working with Paul Simon, Atlantic Records, Jive Records, and the Wu-Tang Clan, and has expertise in many areas including management, marketing, publicity, and talent scouting. She has managed Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP), the RZA, Raphael Saadiq, and most recently, GZA. In addition to producing fashion shows for designer Vivienne Tam and Project Runway All Stars, she was an account executive at digital advertising agency, Sarkissian Mason. She is currently writing a screenplay for HBO. https://twitter.com/sophchang

NAOMI “NAY” WENITONG is one of the most promising young talents to emerge from contemporary Australian music in recent history. With a story as inspirational as it is unique, her passion, resilience and exceptional musical ability have fuelled her journey from humble beginnings to the world stage. Born in Cairns of a large family belonging to the Kabbi Kabbi people of South East Queensland, Nay was raised in Newcastle, NSW. With both parents’ musicians, the soundtrack to Nay’s childhood was both ever-present and eclectic and by adolescence she had developed her own irrepressible passion for song that remedied and eventually prevailed over her teen angst and insecurity. At the age of 16, realising it was her life’s calling, Nay returned to Cairns to study music. It is here she met fellow songstress Simone Stacey and with the guiding hand and experience of producer Reno Nicastro the duo Shakaya was formed. Not long after their inception the group was signed to a major multinational record label their songs quickly climbed the ARIA charts and sold in platinum numbers. Shakaya’s success saw the group release two albums and tour with Destiny’s Child, Usher, Ja Rule, Ashanti and Shaggy as well as perform all backup vocals and raps for Peter Andre on his 2004 UK tour. After returning from the US where she’d been co-writing and recording Shakaya’s sophomore album Nay became disillusioned and disheartened by the state of the commercial major label music world and decided it was time to move on. In her own words – ‘All the attention in the world don’t mean nothing if you don’t have creative control over the things you want to write about. I was lucky enough to find this out and change my situation dramatically’. This saw the amicable disbanding of Shakaya and the timely formation of the trio The Last Kinection – the outfit that would allow Nay to write the music she’d always set out to. The other two thirds of The Last Kinection, Nay’s older brother Joel Wenitong (Weno) and friend DJ Jacob Turier (Jaytee), were previously on the rise as part of the infectious hip hop group Local Knowledge. Similarly disheartened and frustrated following the dissolution of Local Knowledge, together with Nay, Weno and Jaytee set out to write the first TLK album, ‘Nutches’. The debut was released in 2008 and featured heavily on Triple J and community radio across Australia. This album saw Nay focus more heavily on her ability as an MC, her lyrical prowess on which has since seen her merited one of the most talented female MC’s in Australia. After heavily touring the album ‘Nutches’, including playing The Peats Ridge Festival, The Dreaming, Groovin’ The Moo, Field Days and Sydney Festival as well as being invited by Paul Kelly to appear on the ‘Cannot Buy My Soul - Tribute to Kev Carmody’ compilation, TLK won legions of new fans as the main support for The Herd’s sold out 2008 national tour. It was the morning after the last show of that tour that was to change Nay’s life forever. Driving from Sydney to Newcastle, TLK were involved in a horrific car accident when the car they were driving was forced off the road resulting in injuries so drastic Nay was presumed dead at the scene. However, with spirit and determination Nay learned how to walk again, recovered and returned to support Public Enemy with TLK in 2009.  The last three years has seen TLK in their busiest period to date, releasing their sophmore album ‘Next of Kin’, facilitating NSW state wide Hep C awareness workshops, writing for TV, film and radio and, for Nay, hosting two seasons of the ABC dance program ‘Move It Mobstyle’. During this time TLK also won four Deadly awards including Nay being attributed the 2010 Deadly Award for ‘Female Artist of the Year’, the year that she was also the awards host. In 2012 Nay began writing for her own solo project which audiences were lucky enough to hear showcased recently when Nay headlined the ‘Sistas in Solidarity’ fundraiser gig for the Queensland charity Sisters Inside. Striving to promote a ‘Be all you can be’ attitude Naomi Wenitong is a profound young voice. Her solo endeavor is one both fans and the industry have been eagerly anticipating and, if history is to provide any measure, the creative merit of Naomi Wenitong the solo artist will be sure to astound. http://www.lastkinection.com

MARY FOGARTY is an Assistant Professor of Dance at York University, Toronto. Dr. Fogarty is a dance scholar and cultural sociologist with degrees in music, popular culture, and film studies. She specializes in researching the dance style known as breaking (or b-boying/b-girling). She is currently collaborating on a book project with Ken “Swift” Gabbert, one of the most influential b-boys in the history of hip hop culture. In 2013, she will be an invited Visiting Scholar at New York University’s Hip Hop Education Centre. Recent publications include “‘Each One Teach One’: B-boying and Ageing” in the anthology Ageing and Youth Cultures: Music, Style and Identity; “Breaking Expectations: Imagined Affinities in Mediated Youth Cultures” in Continuum; “A Manifesto for the Study of Popular Dance” (2010) in Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies (SDHS), and the forthcoming chapters: “Gene Kelly: The Original, Updated” in the Oxford Handbook of Dance and the Popular Screen; “From Beat Street to Step Up 3D: Sonic Events in Street Dance Films” in Movies, Moves and Music; as well as a forthcoming documentary about freestyling for a special issue on improvisation for the online journal, Music and Arts in Action. Dr. Fogarty has been an invited guest speaker at the Schomburg Centre in Harlem; New York University; Griffith University, Australia (keynote speaker for Creative Communities II); University of Exeter, House of Paint (Ottawa hip hop event); Markham Theatre; as well as an invited dance workshop leader for music therapists (Nordoff Robbins Centre), for dancers and choreographers, for youth and for prisoners. She performed at the 2007 Breakin’ Convention, an international hip hop dance theatre showcase, at Edinburgh Festival Theatre in Scotland. Dr. Fogarty pioneered b-boy/b-girl battles on the Higher Education dance curriculum at the University of East London (UK) and York University (Canada). She is a founding member of the UK-based research collective PoP (Performances of the Popular) Moves.http://dance.finearts.yorku.ca/people/faculty/mary-fogarty

DEE VAZQUEZ is breathing new life into the old term “American Dream” by “resetting the bar for achievement”, that is how The Source magazine describes the impact Dee Vazquez’s work as a tv/radio personality, producer, journalist, and humanitarian has influenced her generation. Beginning her television career as a host on the local cable access TV show “Video City”, Dee was able to gain on-camera experience as well as become skilled in TV production. After two years worth of experience Dee landed the role as the N.Y. correspondent for the bilingual TV show “The Roof” on Mun2 Network; being of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent she was able to connect with her Latin roots on the nationally syndicated TV show. Dee later went on to work with former Vice-President, Al Gore’s politically aware cable network, Current TV, and now can be seen on FUSE TV hosting “The Chronicles”, a music video show that chronicles the life and career of some of the biggest stars in Hip-hop. Dee’s work behind the camera attests to her ability of getting the job done both on and off camera. She co-produced the “Latin Pride 2009 & 2010″ project, a series of commercials encouraging Latin pride that aired during the National Puerto Rican Day parade. Dee is also the creator of the groundbreaking web-series, ‘PROFILE’, an intimate q&a session with some of the most influential and critically acclaimed artists of the hip-hop generation. Apart from television Dee ventured out as a radio personality with some of the greatest legends in music history. Playing right-hand woman to reggae fixture Earl Chin on Rockers Radio and featured alongside Hip-Hop’s own DJ Marley Marl on Future Flavaz radio, Dee acquired the knowledge and confidence to star on her own radio show on Party 105.3 in Long Island. While it was short-lived she left her mark; known for introducing reggaeton to the people of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Currently, Dee Vazquez reigns supreme alongside “The Drama King” DJ Kay Slay on HOT 97 and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. As a journalist Dee found her voice by penning socially conscious pieces for various well-known publications. She penned “The Hip-Hop Digest” where she explored Health, Politics, and Hip-Hop in The Source magazine, “Where My Ladies At”, a column shining the light on women making great strides in their respected careers in “The Connex List”, and provides an advice column for prisoners in “Straight Stuntin’” magazine appropriately titled “Ask Dee Vazquez”. Recently, Dee teamed up with the authors Dawn Marie Daniels and Candace Sandy to share her story of “Finding Her Voice and Standing Up to Authority” in the book “Souls Of My Young Sisters” which also features a foreword written by Grammy Award winning R&B singer Mary J. Blige. As Co-Founder of the women’s empowerment initiative, “Women on the Move”, Dee is on a mission to motivate, inspire, and most importantly educate the younger and older generations who have been left behind carrying the message: “Take TIME to IMAGINE the LIFE you want for yourself and WORK on making it happen”. Regarded by her peers as a positive role model and utilized by corporate America and the political world as a bridge to connect to the youth and spread their message, Dee is able to create a trusting union between both worlds. Dee Vazquez’s goal is to utilize all media outlets to represent and inspire her generation, drawing inspiration from TV magnates like Oprah Winfrey and Christina Saralegui. http://www.deevazquez.com

DR. BRITTNEY COOPER is an assistant professor of Women’s Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University. Professor Cooper is a 2009 alumna of the Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts at Emory University with a Ph.D. in American Studies. She is also a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Howard University, with a bachelor’s degrees in English and Political Science. Professor Cooper’s research and teaching interests fall into two key areas: Black women’s intellectual history and Black feminist thought. Currently, Dr. Cooper is completing her first book project, Race Women: Gender and the Making of a Black Public Intellectual Tradition, 1892-Present. Race Women interrogates the rise of Black female public intellectuals during the watershed moment of 1892-1893. In particular, this work interrogates the manner in which public Black women have theorized racial identity and gender politics, and the methods they used to operationalize those theories for the uplift of Black communities. Along with work on black female public intellectuals, Dr. Cooper studies Black women’s organizations as sites for the production of intellectual thought. She has two forthcoming book chapters on the history of the Order of Eastern Star and the history of Black women’s fraternal and club activism in North Louisiana. Using Black feminist thought to understand contemporary articulations of Black womanhood is Dr. Cooper’s other major research area. She has published several book chapters and articles on representations of Black women in popular culture, including a piece on the representation of the “baby-mama” figure in Hip Hop music and film, the feminist implications of Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl mishap, and the importance of Michelle Obama in the tradition of Black female leadership. She has a forthcoming article on Sapphire’s Push as a hip hop novel. Dr. Cooper is co-founder along with Dr. Susana Morris of the Crunk Feminist Collective, a feminist of color scholar-activist group that runs a highly successful blog. Three members of the CFC were recently profiled in Essence Magazine’s list of Young, Black, and Amazing women under age 35 (August 2012 issue). The CFC blog was also named as one of the top 25 Black blogs to watch in 2012 by The Root.com and one of the top “Lady Blogs” by New York Magazine in November 2011. The Collective also does speaking tours, conducts workshops, and engages in a range of activist causes related to women’s issues. Professor Cooper blogs for the CFC as “Crunktastic.” A native of Ruston, Louisiana, Dr. Cooper considers herself a small-town Southern girl at heart, which explains her affinity for soul food, crunk music, and warm weather. http://www.brittneycooper.com

LUCKEYMONKEY is an astounding female beatboxer residing from Florida. She has been perfecting her art since July 2006 and continues to grow and amaze people. One would have to see her to believe it! The drum sounds, instrument imitations, and singing whilst beatboxing is ALL made from solely her mouth. Incredible stuff! She recently has picked up a loop station and has added that into her routines. This loop station allows LuckeyMonkey to create full songs including bass lines, melodies, beats, and even lyrics, in front of a live audience! She has recently been seen on ABC Action News, the Floridian, the tbt*, and has also starred on Wild 98.7. She has also made an appearance on the Tyra Banks show where she had a beatbox battle against another female beatboxer, Butterscotch. LuckeyMonkey has performed a long side with many beatboxers such as Doug E Fresh, Fat Tony, Bellatrix and Kid Lucky to name a few. Her talent is combined with her husband’s, Fat Tony, who is also an amazing beatboxer, to form the beatboxing duo, TnT. This is a must see act where both artists take the stage showing off their talents and they have created a new way to beatbox. It is called the human panpipes, where LuckeyMonkey beatboxes into Fat Tony’s mouth to create a panpipe sound. https://www.facebook.com/LuckeyMonkeyBBX