India Mallard is a Hip-Hop and Black cultural archivist, an aspiring Hip-Hop appraiser, and a multimedia storyteller based in Maryland, USA. She grew up in a unique environment that combined the Tri-state area and the Dirty South, cultivating her innate cultural mosaic perspective. Mallard is an alumna of Bowie State University, the oldest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the state, where she earned her B.S. in Visual Communication and Digital Media Arts (VCDMA) with a concentration in Digital Cinema and Time-based Media. She is also notable for being one of three scholars to complete the Hip-Hop Studies and Visual Culture minor program, studying under the first female MC in Hip Hop history, MC Sha-Rock. Additionally, Mallard owns and operates Soulful Haze, LLC, a multidisciplinary company that aims to connect generations in Black Culture and promote equality in the music and art enthusiast communities through research and archival services. Creating academic presentations and participating in symposia are an embodiment of these efforts, especially when it comes to Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Her verse in Donell Jones’ “You Know What’s Up” was the first rap she memorized courtesy of her father, whom she regards as her musical partner-in-crime.

When not crate digging at her record store or browsing bookstores, India is actively involved in researching and writing essays on performing arts in the African diaspora, with a focus on film and Hip Hop culture. She is affiliated with organizations such as Women in Film, the Playwrights’ Center, the Association of Moving Image Archivists, the Hip-Hop Education Center, and the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). Currently, India is a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing her master’s degree in Library and Information Science and a certificate in Museum Scholarship and Material Culture.