New York Puerto Ricans have been an integral part of hip hop culture since day one: from 1970s pioneers like Rock Steady Crew's Jo-Jo, to recent rap mega-stars Big Punisher (R.I.P.) and Angie Martinez. Yet, Puerto Rican participation and contributions to hip hop have often been downplayed and even completely ignored. And when their presence has been acknowledged, it has frequently been misinterpreted as a defection from Puerto Rican culture and identity, into the African American camp. But nothing could be further from the truth. Through hip hop, Puerto Ricans have simply stretched the boundaries of Puerto Ricanness and latinidad.

'...painstaking research and original reporting.' - Publishers Weekly

'Rivera's style, craft, and depth make this pioneering yet thoroughly accessible work a commendable addition...' - Bill Pierarski, Library Journal

'Author Raquel Rivera explains the significance of Nuyorican and Latin influences throughout the history of hip-hop music and culture.' - The Source

'...explains and delineates the cross-fertilization of one of America's most controversial and dynamic music forms...' - Norman Kelley, New York Press

'...Rivera shines a light on the lesser-known but just as vital hip hop artists...New York Ricans.' - Teresa Talerico, Tinta Latina

'...explores the identity dynamics of New York's Puerto Ricans, struggling to find their rightful place...' - Dinorah Nieves, Urban Latino

'...makes a noteworthy statement in the chapters of the Nuyorican Diaspora.' - Aurora Flores, VIVA Magazine / New York Daily News

Autorentext
RAQUEL RIVERA is a freelance journalist and has a Ph.D. in Sociology from CUNY. Her articles have appeared in a number of diverse publications both regionally and nationally, from Mambo Montage: The Latinization of New York, a book of essays published by Columbia University Press, to newspapers like El Diario/La Prensa and Hoy in New York; El Nuevo Día, The San Juan Star and Claridad in Puerto Rico, and in magazines like Critícas, New York Latino, In the House and Stress.

Inhalt
Introduction Enter the New York Ricans PART I: A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE 1970s and Early 1980s: 'It's Just Begun' The Late 1980s and Early 1990s: Whose Hip Hop? The Mid to Late 1990s: Ghettocentricity, Blackness and Pan-latinidad PART II: TOPICS AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY Latin@s Get Hot and Ghetto-Tropical Butta Pecan Mamis Navigating Blackness and Latinidad Through Language Remembering Big Pun Between Blackness and Latinidad: A Historical Overview Epilogue and Reference List