Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman was the first hip hop artist selected to serve as a Cultural Ambassador with the U.S. Department of State and was a member of Next Level Team Senegal in 2015. As an artist, educator and cultural ambassador, Blackman is the founder of the Freestyle Union and Rhyme Like a Girl. Toni was an Echoing Green Fellow, an OSI Fellow, and has taught at Binghamton University, the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and at the Apollo as the first rap artist-in-residence. She has also spoken at the Ableton LOOP Summit, World Social Forum in Barcelona, ASPEN Institute’s Creative World Forum, and has delivered two TED talks.
In 2014 she did the Pete Seeger Tribute in Central Park NYC, the Blue Note Jazz Fest and the Harlem Arts Festival. Over the years, Toni has shared stages with the likes of Erykah Badu, Mos Def, KRS One, the Last Poets, Pharoahe Monch, Vernon Reid, Meshell, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Gokh Bi System, DaBrains, Meta and the Cornerstones, and Youssou Ndour.
She has recorded tracks on Universal Records Jazz, BMG Novus, Big Dada Recordings, and Radio Nova Records. Toni was commissioned by the National Black Arts Festival to write and perform a hip hop theater piece, “Wisdom of the Cypher.” Toni completed her book, Wisdom of the Cypher, and recently celebrated the Freestyle Union's 25th Anniversary at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Toni’s passion for healing and self-development has led her to collaborate with an interfaith collective of teachers and music producers, as her music and workshops meld the worlds of Hip Hop, spirituality, and mindfulness.
Toni was on Next Level Team Senegal.
