Soulversations with Russell Taylor

The first Hip Hop Cultural Envoy to travel with the State Department, Blackman served in Senegal, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Botswana and Swaziland where she also delivered lectures on hip hop music and culture.[6] Toni has also travelled throughout Europe, Angola, Brazil, Canada and toured Southeast Asia (the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan) as a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center Rhythm Road Abroad program, working in the world's most war-torn countries to promote reconciliation and rehabilitation to those regions.[7] Blackman has performed alongside Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Guru, The Roots, Wu Tang, the Lilith Fair, Def Poetry.[4] She performed in a host of venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and at Lincoln Center in New York.

An award-winning jazz bassist, Ben Williams is a versatile performer whose style crosses easily between acoustic post-bop, contemporary fusion, hip-hop, and R&B. The winner of the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, Williams garnered attention playing with artists like Stefon Harris, Jacky Terrasson, and Marcus Strickland. His first two albums, 2011's State of Art and 2015's Coming of Age, showcased his vibrant blend of acoustic jazz, hip-hop, and fusion styles. He also won a Grammy for his work with Pat Metheny's Unity ensemble and has contributed to projects by Jose James, Eric Reed, Robert Glasper, and others. Williams added singing to his repertoire with 2020's I Am a Man and collaborated with singer/songwriter Syndee Winters on the R&B-infused 2023 EP Butterfly Black.