Jeff “Chairman” Mao is an author, music journalist and historian, documentary film producer, DJ, and curator. A former staff writer with Vibe and XXL magazines, he is a longtime member of the creative collective ego trip, with which he co-authored the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award finalist, ego trip's Book of Rap Lists (1999). From 2003-2019, Mao worked extensively with Red Bull Music Academy as an interview host, and radio and film producer, and served as an associate curator for Red Bull Arts’ exhibition RAMMΣLLZΣΣ: Racing for Thunder (2018). He resides in Harlem with his family and his record collection.