Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Drummer, Co-Founder – The Roots, DJ, Producer, Author, Lecturer
Hip Hop Culture
With Hip Hop Culture serving as one of our nation’s greatest cultural assets and ambassadors, the Hip Hop Culture programs at the Kennedy Center recognize hip hop’s contributions to global culture and its power to build and transform communities through art and action. Through this programmatic platform, the Center aims to create a dynamic home for Hip Hop Culture and celebrate hip hop’s role as a catalyst for innovation, exploration, and transformation with a dynamic mix of performances, humanities events, film screenings, workshops and interactive experiences, in person and online. In 2016, the Kennedy Center appointed iconic rapper, producer, and DJ Q-Tip as its first Artistic Director of Hip Hop Culture, and in 2017, LL COOL J became the first hip hop artist ever awarded a Kennedy Center Honors. In 2018 the Center announced the founding members of its Hip Hop Culture Council.
Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council
èAVHip Hop Culture Council (HHCC) is a dynamic community of high-profile visionaries who graciously lend their names, talent, expertise, and resources to a wide range of initiatives. Council members bring greater visibility to our programs by forging new pathways that deepen public knowledge and appreciation for Hip Hop Culture — all to help establish a home for creative projects that are strategically aligned with our institutional mission and vision.
Beverly Bond
DJ and Founder of Black Girls Rock!
*Member as of 2019
Big Boi
Rapper and Producer
*Member as of 2019
Bobbito García a.k.a Kool Bob Love
DJ, Filmmaker, TV/Radio Personality, Author, and Ballplayer
Common
Emcee, Actor, Poet & Film Producer
D-Nice
DJ & Photographer
*Member as of 2019
Fab 5 Freddy
Artist, Filmmaker, and Hip Hop Pioneer
Gina Belafonte
Director, Activist, and Executive Director of Sankofa
Grandmaster Caz
Emcee, DJ, Historian, Hip Hop Culture Ambassador & Pioneer
Grant Hill
Owner/Vice-Chairman Atlanta Hawks, TNT/ NBATV/ CBS Broadcaster, and seven-time NBA All-Star
J.PERIOD
DJ, Producer & Musical Storyteller
Jason King, Ph.D
Associate Professor and Director of Global Studies, New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
Jayson Jackson
Producer and Music Industry Veteran
*Member as of 2019
Kierna Mayo
Writer, Brand Architect, Media Visionary & Senior Vice President of Content and Brands at iOne Digital
Large Professor
Emcee, Producer, DJ
LL COOL J
Emcee, Actor, Author, Entrepreneur, 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree
MC Lyte
Emcee, DJ, Actress, Entertainer, Speaker, and Philanthropist
Pharoahe Monch
Emcee, Recording Artist, Producer
Mimi Valdés
Film/TV Producer & Chief Creative Officer, i am OTHER Entertainment
Robert Glasper
Pianist, Composer, and Producer
Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter
Emcee, Co-Founder – The Roots, Actor
Xavier "X" Jernigan
Head of Cultural Partnerships, Shows & Editorial and Host of Showstopper for Spotify
9th Wonder
Producer, DJ, College Lecturer, and Social Activist
Support Hip Hop at the Kennedy Center
Your gift will help the Kennedy Center celebrate hip hop's powerful role in our culture by presenting a dynamic mix of performances, humanities events, film screenings, workshops and interactive experiences, in person and online.
Events by #KenCenHipHop Council Members
What’s Your #LifeIn5?
Take part in this ongoing video series and collaboratively generated playlist that inspires, educates, connects and engages the public in an active conversation about the music and artists that have been a part of the soundtrack of their lives.
