Hailed as a “music guru” by Rolling Stone and called "the most creative mixtape producer of all-time” by music icon Questlove, J.PERIOD is a musical storyteller whose work connects cultures, eras and styles.

Love was one of the first BritHop artists to be signed and distributed worldwide by a major record label. Signed to Warner Brothers for the US and Canada, Love achieved acceptance among her U.S. peers and received Grammy nominations for “Monie in the Middle.”

Blackstone is not only a multi-faceted bass player, musician, 2X Emmy nominated music director and grammy award-winning writer, he is the music mastermind behind the live shows of many of today's biggest artists. 

The legacy of Remy Ma is as tightly woven into the fabric of hip-hop history as a bass line. Over the course of nearly two decades, Remy has impacted rap music both near and far, setting a bar for how artists of all genders should approach the art form. However, we lost her physical presence for nearly half of her career span—a story she details in her long-awaited second solo album 7 Winters and 6 Summers. The Bronx-bred Grammy-nominated legend delivers a brand new iteration of Remy Ma, one who is not only integral to the foundation of hip-hop music, but is elevating it as one of the brightest yet timeless stars in the game.

 Beyond the show-stopping performer aspect of Kid Capri is a meticulous studio-scientist working behind the scenes to lend that extra wisdom to some of hip-hop's hottest, turned classic records.

Maimouna “Mumu Fresh” Youssef has a very diverse and expansive musical background ranging from jazz, gospel, spirituals, traditional African and traditional indigenous music, to hip-hop, soul, rock and experimental acapella fusion.

Hip-Hop, EDM, Reggae and World Music Entertainer DJ Beauty and the Beatz now travels between DC, Miami, Orlando and LA as a DJ, music producer and song writer. 

Vic Jagger is a longtime radio host, producer and multimedia personality from Washington, DC. During her 20-year career, she has interviewed a number of iconic guests including Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, New Edition and more. 

With a heart for uplifting people in his life and through his music and a dedication to the musicborn in DC that he loves, Sugar Bear and E.U. continue to keep the dance floor packed.

Bobby Carter is slowly changing the music industry, one genre-bending performance at a time. As the Senior Producer for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts, he’s brought on an increasingly-growing roster of emerging artists, big names, and icons to the company’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. to perform not only for the building’s employees, but for an audience of millions worldwide. 

The St. Louis native’s journey has been long and arduous, but fulfilling, to say the least. “I’ve been at NPR for 23 years,” Carter tells ESSENCE. “But my route to where I am now was a bit unconventional; I started out as an intern in the summer of 2000. I was in the digital media space at the time, my job was to edit our content for the web stream. I spearheaded or managed our live streams – and this predated Tiny Desk.” 

Since his full transition to Tiny Desk in 2017, Carter has developed partnerships with Complexcon, and HBO’s Insecure, along with creating new initiatives to grow and diversify the program’s reach. He’s also known for further innovating the Tiny Desk Concert Series with artists such as Usher, H.E.R., Anderson.Paak, Jazmine Sullivan, Kirk Franklin, and more. The process of choosing musicians for the now-iconic performance platform has shifted from the time of its inception, but for Carter, he’s more hands on than ever. 

H.E.R. story began in Hampton, Va., where Miss H.E.R. developed a passion for music at a very young age. She first became a DJ in March 2014, before making it her full-time occupation in January 2018. Over the years, she earned multiple weekly and monthly residencies at popular Washington D.C. venues, honing her skills and growing her following to become one of the premier DJs in the DMV area. She has been booked by numerous corporate entities such as Apple, Nike, Vice Media, Black Girls Rock, Kennedy Center, Capital One, Serato and many others. She has also spun sets alongside some of the greatest hip hop DJs of all time such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, J. Period, Lord Finesse, and DJ Scratch! Miss H.E.R. especially enjoys providing the soundscape for special events, where she has worked exclusive engagements hosted by Kevin Hart, John Legend, Dave Chapelle, Debra Lee, and Black Thought to name a few. A successful DJ, businesswoman and influencer, Miss H.E.R.’s childhood dream has manifested thanks to hard work, dedication, and a passion for the music that moves us all!  

Marc “Nfinit” Williams hails from Virginia Beach Virginia. Currently residing in Silver Spring MD, MarcNfinit wears multiple hats including, producer, engineer, and DJ.  As a member of the True School Corporation, founded by Grammy Award winning producer and DJ, 9th Wonder, MarcNfinit has been an ambassador of bridging the gap, through music, between multiple generations for over a decade.  His love for DJing has opened doors to receiving production credits with artist like Wale, Raheem Devaughn, IDK, Torae, and Skyzoo. MarcNfinit is a true student of hip hop, but more importantly music as a whole. His style of production and DJing is far from limited. Ask MarcNfinit and he’ll tell you what drives him is the “sense of gratification when you create something from scratch that moves people”. 

Starting off mixing in neighborhood bars and smaller night clubs, Dj Reddz popularity grew substantially to the point where he was working frequently in the top clubs in Baltimore City. 

A surprise text from Funkmaster Flex led to Spazo stepping up to Hot 97’s turntables in November of 2014. Since then, the go-getter has been getting it whenever and wherever he can including spinning at Hot 97’s April Fool’s Comedy Show at Madison Square Garden, the Summer Jam Festival stage, and representing Wednesdays at the Dyckman Basketball Tournament.

Tony Concep / Anthony C. Brown Jr. is A multidimensional artist and designer born in New Orleans, L.A. raised in Charleston S.C.  Tony earned his BFA in film animation from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  He is a trained Illustrator, Creative Director and a Visual artist, producing works that center around iconic portraits with mixed media streetart aesthetics. Currently residing in the Greater San Diego area, Tony has developed a his own unique language.  He merges social political ideas with textures, lines, patterns, and typography, blending logos and iconography from his childhood and life experiences. Selected clients include Nike, Adidas, Marithe Francois Girbaud, LRG Clothing, The New Musuem New York, Marc Ecko Ent., and the MTV networks. 

EZ Street is a 28 year veteran radio personality who has gained national notoriety in several major markets (Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco and Washington DC. 23 of those years EZ has graced airwaves the of Washington DC and interviewed national recording artists like Jay Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Common, Mary J Blige as well as political figures like former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

The nation’s capitol has a hometown hero that spins, scratches and blends music while staunchly staying true to her roots. You can’t mute D.C. and you can’t mute DJ Heat. This skilled talent was just 13-years-old when she first discovered her interest in turntables courtesy of a Wreckx-N-Effect classic. She then went from fantasizing about spinning records to the real thing. An indelible spark was lit and a summer of saved paychecks led to her ultimately following her path and pursuing her passion. That small spark created a full- on flame, and DJ Heat took purposeful steps to align herself with her dream.