Toni Blackman (New York) A rap lyricist, vocalist, actress and writer, Blackman was granted the title of U.S. Hip Hop Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State. She is also the founder and director of the Freestyle Union which is a Washington DC based organization for hip hop artists and rappers. Blackman’s talents are widely recognized, having presented and performed at the DODGE Foundation's Poetry Festival, billed alongside Chinua Achebe, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Sekou Sundiata, Def Poetry, and served as a King-Chavez-Parks Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan. She was recognized with a fellowship with the Echoing Green Foundation, a Washington Area Music Award and an invitation to the White House Millennium Celebration with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Blackman was listed in ESSENCE Magazine’s 2000 listing of “30 Women to Watch,” and has been featured in the NY Times, SAVOY and Newsweek Japan. Blackman has also embarked on a series of international collaborations with artists in Senegal and Ghana. More Bios: Marinieves Alba | Ang 13 | Shaheen Ariefidien | Max Benitez | James Bernard | Toni Blackman | Triple Blak | Jeff Chang | Kevin Coval | Jonzi D | Mos Def | Martha Diaz | Jessica Green | James "Casper" Jankowiak | Talib Kweli | Bakari Kitwana | M1 | Boogie McClarin | Ivor Miller | Marcyliena Morgan | David Muhammad | Yunus Rafiq | Dr. Raquel Z. Rivera | Livio Sansone | Clyde Valentine | Cristina Verán | Zephyr