George Mpanga, the British Ugandan artist better known as George the Poet, is a London-born spoken word performer. In 2019, ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’ won the Peabody Award, the first podcast outside of the US to do so. His innovative brand of musical poetry has won him critical acclaim both as a recording artist and a social commentator, and seen his words broadcast to billions worldwide.

Chanel Cali, better known by her stage name Shystie, is a rapper, songwriter and actress. She grew up in Hackney, East London and became famous in 2003 with her white label response to Dizzee Rascal’s I Luv U. A tour with Basement Jaxx, The Streets and 50 Cent led to her being signed to major label Polydor. Shystie’s debut studio album, Diamond in the Dirt, was released in the UK in 2004. Her debut single One Wish peaked in its first week on the UK singles chart at number 40. Shystie’s debut album went on to sell 60 000 copies across the UK, and the same year she was nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards. She was one of the creators of, and lead actress in the Channel 4 television series* Dubplate Drama*.

Tinchy Stryder stage name of Kwasi Esono Danquah III is a Ghanaian British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor. Stryder has released three solo studio albums. He was one of the founding members of Ruff Sqwad who originated from the Bow area of London. He was also a part of legendary grime crew Roll Deep, but it was as a solo artist that he had the biggest impact, starting with the independently released debut album Star In The Hood in 2007. After signing with Island Records, Tinchy Stryder had three chart topping singles from the album Catch 22, making him the biggest selling artist of 2009 in the United Kingdom across all genres. Stryder has collaborated with Professor Green, Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz, Dappy and Example.

Dr Aleema Gray is a Jamaican-born curator, researcher and public historian based in London. She was awarded the Yesu Persaud Scholarship for her PhD entitled Bun Babylon; A Community-engaged History of Rastafari in Britain. Aleema’s work focuses on documenting Black history in Britain through the perspective of lived experiences. Her practice is driven by a concern for more historically contingent ways of understanding the present, especially in relation to notions of belonging, memory, and contested heritage. She is the Lead Curator for Beyond the Bassline: 500 years of Black British Music at the British Library and the founder of House of Dread, an anti-disciplinary heritage studio.