Staff

Butta

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Butta is the adopted moniker of Kimberly A. Hines, a writer and editor 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. While in the midst of writing her first novel, she started her own blog to combat writer's block that showcased her comical and critical spin on music, reality television, shopping, and living in the DMV, which led to being handpicked by Danyel Smith to write VIBE Confidential, the first blog on VIBE.com. She never finished that novel, but she has become a much sought after digital journalist at the intersection of soul music and social media. She has contributed pieces to Clutch Magazine, The Root, and Vibe Vixen, and she has covered soul and R&B music on behalf of SoulBounce at the GRAMMY Awards as the official R&B Community Blogger since 2010. At SoulBounce she gets to combine her love for music and the written word and bring a witty, honest spin to the site. 

Butta's favorite artists include Stevie Wonder, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Eric Roberson, The Roots, Maxwell, Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway, The Foreign Exchange, Jamiroquai, YahZarah, Mary J. Blige, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest, Sade, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, and Tortured Soul, to name only a few.

Click here to read Butta's archives.

Ivory

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Growing up in New Orleans, it was hard for Ivory M. Jones to resist the lure of\nmusic. From Dixieland jazz to the booming brass bands, the sounds of the city\nwould lead to a lifelong love affair with music. With an ear glued both to the\nradio and her father's turntables, her childhood was shaped by the sounds of\nLuther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Sade, Anita Baker and Michael Franks. In\nadulthood, she would turn her love of music into her career, picking up the pen\nfor such media outlets as Billboard Magazine, BET.com, The Ave, Ozone, The\nSource and rolling out urban style weekly. While her career would take her from\nAtlanta to Philadelphia to New York City, the pull of home would eventually lead\nher back to her N.O. roots. The influence of her travels can still be found on\nher iPod, however, where she often finds herself grooving to artists like Bilal,\nOutkast, Jill Scott, Incognito, Sa-Ra, Omar, J.Dilla, Jaspects, Lenny Kravitz,\nAdele, Stevie Wonder, Tortured Soul, and more.

Click here to read Ivory's archives.

SoulUK

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Brought up surrounded by the music of Motown and other, classic '60's/'70's soul music, SoulUK (aka Darren) was always going to grow up with an appreciation for all things soulful. After years of being bombarded with low-quality, commercial R&B and dance music that never sat quite right with him, a chance encounter with Floetry's \"Say Yes\" on MTV Base late one night opened his eyes and ears to a whole new world of music. He has never looked back since. When not stuck at the 9-to-5, he will often be found scouring the internet for new music to add to his ever-expanding hard-drive collection or discussing music with like-minded folk on Twitter.

SoulUK's favorite artists include icons such as Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, Ann Peebles, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Lalah Hathaway, Bilal, D'Angelo, Floetry, and Anthony Hamilton, as well as members of the new generation of soul music, such as Quadron, Little Dragon, Tawiah, Eska, Electric Wire Hustle, The Foreign Exchange, Andreya Triana, and Jamie Woon, to name just a few.

Click here to read SoulUK's archives.

D-Money

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

D-Money, better known as Donte Gibson, is a native of Dallas, Texas. He broke free and made the stereotypical move to New York City and is now residing in Brooklyn. Music was his first love, but when he realized that his musical skill was somewhat limited he turned his attention to his second love: writing. Like most writers, his biggest goal is to write the great American novel. While he waits on that goal to materialize, D-Money uses his writing skills to review and write about music. So far he has been able to put his talents to good use writing reviews for Pegasus News and Okayplayer. If you want a sneak peek into the randomness that is his life, check him out on Twitter (his handle is @itsdonte).

D-Money's current favorite artists on his ever-changing playlist are Kanye West, John Legend, Quadron, Little Dragon, Janelle Monáe, Cee-Lo, and Adele. Lifetime passes for his list have already been granted to Janet, Coltrane, Stevie, Erykah, Michael, Miles, Thelonius, Jilly from Philly, The Roots, Prince, Q-Tip, and Maxwell.

Click here to read D-Money's archives.

NubianEmpress

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

NubianEmpress (noo-BYAN-hēmp-RESS) is the nom de plume of a certain writer that resides in the\nDC Metro area. Ms. Empress was a certified PK, raised in the chuuch and on the soulful sounds of\nher parents' jazz, soul, and funk album collections. She came of age during the rise of Erykah Badu\nand found herself heavily influenced by the singer, even going so far as to wrap her head in kente clothe\nand present her 7th grade English presentation over a drumbeat. She works tirelessly to combat the\nstereotypes associated with natural hair, educating the ignorant to the fact the people with locs actually\ndo eat red meat and \"drop it like it's hot\" from time to time. Ms. Empress enjoys writing, reading,\nlaughing, and salsa dancing.

Her all-time favorite artists include Erykah Badu, Rob Roy, Common, Prince, Adele, The Foreign\nExchange, Stephen Marley, Lloyd, Trey Songz, The Roots, and Childish Gambino. This list is subject to\nchange without notice.

Click here to read NubianEmpress' archives.

Remi

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Music's always been the soundtrack to Remi's life. It probably has something to do with the fact that his parents treated weekends like one long DJ battle. Dad spun Sparrow, James Brown and Sinatra; Mom bumped Bob Marley, Millie Jackson, Fela, and Motown. He still gets flashbacks of listening to the radio on rides to school whenever Sade's \"Sweetest Taboo\" comes on. Björk's Homogenic and Post albums conjure memories of a 36-hour marathon session spent launching the campaign for a certain ultra-premium tequila. And the less said about his parents having to travel with the Thriller LP in the car -- in case no one had it wherever they were taking Remi -- the better. Besides spending the last decade working in advertising, Remi has written for Racialicious (and its predecessor, Mixed Media Watch), and wrote his own blog for a hot minute. As a longtime reader of SoulBounce, you could probably say this is his Almost Famous moment. (Apologies if that reference isn't apt. He never bothered to see that movie.)

\nRemi's favorite artists include Prince, Michael Jackson, Sade, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Eric Roberson, Radiohead, Jill Scott, Björk, Van Hunt, Dwele, The Clipse, D'Angelo, Marvin Gaye, and Dwele.\n

Click here to read Remi's archives.

Ms. Krista

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Ms. Krista is the alias for Krista Summitt a Social Media Strategist in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. She's also a Chicago Bears fan, DJ, and NY Times crossword addict. Things she enjoys discussing and sharing online are: online branding, hip hop, Android devices, pop culture, reality TV, technology, politics, Chicago sports teams, and fashion.

Krista is the host of Bourgie Wine TV, a wine tips and reviews vlog, and she writes on cloud music sharing sites at Rock the Cloud. You can connect with her on Twitter @Ms_Krista or Tumblr.

\nHer favorite artists include Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, The Roots, Prince, Joi Gilliam, DJ Premiere, Jay-Z, Bettye Lavette, and Jean Grae.\n

Click here to read Ms. Krista's archives.

Audio Diva

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Audio Diva is the blogging nickname of Jennifer Floyd, a writer/blogger and budding novelist, who resides in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas. She spent her youth with her nose in books and her hands in the boxes of her father's extensive record collection, digesting liner notes, and cultivating a music taste beyond her years -- making her, what she figures, \"an old soul.\" Her passions for the written word her led her to earn a degree in journalism, with a focus on opinion-editorials, as she always has her fist to the sky and possesses the gift of gab. While in college, she was inspired to begin a blog in order to sharpen her writing skills, as well as have a spot to let her music nerdery roam free so she wouldn't annoy family and friends further with her antidotes. Adventures of an Audio Diva was born in 2008 and has been running ever since. While still waiting for her \"big break,\" not a day goes by where she's not pounding away at her laptop keyboard or having her headphones on listening for that next great groove.

Though she has an eclectic listening palate, she keeps on constant rotation: Janet and Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Kate Bush, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Chaka Khan, Teena Marie, George Michael, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Madonna, Rahsaan Patterson, Meshell Ndegeocello, The Roots, Hall & Oates, Van Hunt, Janelle Monae, Roisin Murphy, Little Dragon...and the list goes on.

Click here to read Audio Diva's archives.

DaTruth

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

\nClick here to read Da Truth's archives.