Staff

Butta

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Butta is the nom de net of Kimberly A. Hines, an editor and writer with a deep passion for music. From her Jamaican-rooted origins in the Boogie Down Bronx to her formative years in South Florida to her coming of age in Washington, DC, Butta's musical tastes are quite similarly all over the map. She is quite an avid blogger who started her own blog to combat writer's block, which led to being handpicked by Danyel Smith to write VIBE Confidential, the first blog on VIBE.com. At SoulBounce she gets to combine her love for music and the written word and bring a witty, honest spin to the site.

A few of Butta's favorite artists: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Eric Roberson, Maxwell, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest, Sade, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn.

ill Mami

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

One of ill Mami's favorite activities as a child was to rummage through her parents' extensive record collection, playing music and reading liner notes along the way. Often given the task of DJ for her parents' house parties, had ill Mami known that DJing actually could be a career, she would have chosen to pursue it. Despite this, her love of good music and love of writing now gets equal interplay as a Contributing Editor/Hip Hop Specialist at Soul Bounce. When not scouring her record collection for the next "Name That Beat" sample, ill Mami plays records with her son, tears it up in the kitchen, and contributes to her own blog from time to time. ill Mami also dreams of a world where female emcees rise back to the prominence and respect they once had.

A few of ill Mami's favorite artists: Common, MeShell N'Dege Ocello, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, The Police, Idris Muhammad, Gary Bartz, Jeru The Damaja, De La Soul, and lesser known artists whose names she hopes declare "Bounce-Worthy" in the future.

Harlem

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Will Dawson, aka Harlem, has been a senior writer for the National Urban League, the nation's largest social service organization, for the past nine years. He's also a columnist for Black Sports the Magazine as well as a contributing editor for the fiction blog, Yanni's Block. Harlem brings his love of old school soul to SB, balancing out the content on the fast-growing site.

A few of Harlem's favorite artists: Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Lalah Hathaway, Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Jill Scott, New Edition, Lizz Wright.

Ro

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Ro grew up in an arts-centric home where she was often babysat by music videos and cassette tapes as a young child. After years of singing and playing instruments, she stumbled into writing about music one day when a tired college newspaper editor misguidedly handed her a press-pass and a listing of upcoming concerts. It was never her intention to make a career in journalism and she's since moved on, but her love of music is stronger than ever. She started writing online almost six years ago because her penmanship too illegible for a handwritten journal. Ro is excited to be contributing her passion for good writing, great musicianship and under-recognized artistry to SoulBounce.

A few of Ro's favorite artists: Rahsaan Patterson, Lalah Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Jamie Lidell, TLC, The Roots, Maxwell, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Strange Fruit Project, Alice Smith, Janet Jackson, Raphael Saadiq, and Goapele.

huny

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & CONTRIBUTOR

sarah huny young is a web designer/developer, sneaker aficionado, artist and mom in Harlem, NY. Among some of the more noteworthy careers she has attempted are: starving actress, bartender, camgirl, internets celebrity, and Interactive Art Director at VIBE Magazine. For six years she blogged at the now defunct thatbitch.com before finally deciding to retire from the blog game to design full time. Mariah Carey, Lala Vazquez, American Idol and Hot97 are among her clientele, but she loved designing SoulBounce so much she decided to become a part of the team. While you will frequently see posts from huny on SB, her contributions are also of the aesthetic variety, i.e. the pretty pretty graphics that are making love to your eyes right now.

A few of huny's favorite artists: Janet Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Maxwell, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, OutKast, Nas, Kanye West, Santigold, Buena Vista Social Club, Celia Cruz, Vanity 6, Deee-lite, and Bell Biv DeVoe (now you know)

Fave

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & CONTRIBUTOR

Fave spent countless Saturdays going to the record store with his dad and picking up the latest releases. He began playing the piano at 18 and went on to direct gospel choirs, write songs for several bands, produce radio commercials and host his own open mic showcase. He started his own blog in 2002 and has written for Blogging in Black and Yanni's Block. While working as a marketing executive for Coca-Cola, he launched the Friday Favecast, a podcast highlighting progressive music, health and social commentary. This has led to producing podcasts for the Grammys, US Navy and most notably, Soulbounce's Behind the Groove.

When Fave isn't conjuring up posts and advertising ideas for SB, the Houston-resident creates signature food dishes for his family, works on his media empire and hangs out with his personal mascot, A Pug Named Fender.

A few of Fave's favorite artists: Boyz II Men, Faith Evans, Brian McKnight, Marsha Ambrosius, Kirk Franklin, Goapele, ATCQ, Linkin Park,The Foreign Exchange, Marvin Winans and indie treasures like Soulive, Jazzanova, Onra, Peter Hadar, Quadron and Kyra Simone.