Meet the Team

Executive Director - Jillian Girardin (“JU$T JILL”)

Jillian Girardin is a female hip-hop artist and local hip-hop cypher organizer from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her hip-hop sound is unique and has an upbeat, wholesome feel, with songs such as "Life For Us" and "We the Smartest" from her debut album, “Jillion Dollar Dreams.” Her music consists of empowering women, discussing personal struggles, and living life to the fullest. Jill released her sophomore album, "WomanHood."  Her music video, "Sounds Nice," her first single off the album, is available now on all streaming services.

Jill also co-organizes The Bridgeside Cypher and is the Executive Director of the Cambridge Hip-Hop Collective, a non-profit community organization and hosts of The Bridgeside Cypher.

Initially being one of the few female artists participating in her cypher community, Jill encourages all women to participate and step out of their comfort zones to work towards their craft. The platform allows artists to get on the mic, express themselves, and leave their comfort zone without being judged. The Cambridge Hip-Hop Collective encourages people of all experience levels, backgrounds, and ages to join their inclusive cyphers that are free to the general public.

Founder - Aaron King

Aaron King is one of the co-founders of the Bridgeside movement and the Cambridge Hip-Hop Collective. Aaron was born and raised in Central Square in Cambridge, where he still lives. Growing up in Cambridge, Aaron fell in love with hip-hop, heavily influenced by the Cambridge Public School system and his older brother. After finishing college and moving back to Cambridge in 2013, he started his career as an electrical engineer - but was looking for an outlet to rap and freestyle. He started going to local open mics and meeting artists in the scene performing at various local venues and shows. 

In 2017, Aaron started the Bridgeside Cypher with his childhood friend, Lukas Dow (aka LuDow), which was hosted monthly at the Graffiti Alley in Central Square. As a self-taught video producer, he started posting video recordings from the cypher on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, which attracted some of the best artists in the city to come out and throw down at the cypher. In 2020, Aaron formed the Cambridge Hip-Hop Collective alongside Jill and Gio. Aaron currently works as an Event Organizer, Head of Production, and President of the Board for the Collective.

Program Director - Giovanni Duran (“Gio DaVinci”)

Giovanni Duran is an underground hip-hop artist and event organizer from Boston, Massachusetts. From Gio's versatile hip-hop style to improvising, his music and performances continue to move crowds and listeners alike. His goal is to promote unity, instill self-confidence, and inspire inner-city youth through music & poetry.

As a Program Director for the Cambridge Hip-Hop Collective, Gio specifically spearheads all events and programming in the City of Boston and has worked to establish important connections between artists and institutions across the bridge. Gio has organized events at Sparrow Park, The Emerald Necklace and The Esplanade and continues to bring the Bridgeside Cypher to new locations in Boston. He is currently working one of the Collective’s largest endeavors to date: “RapCon”!