New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone

New York Puerto Ricans have been an integral part of hip hop culture since the beginning: from 1970s pioneers like Rock Steady Crew's Jo-Jo, to recent rap megastars like Big Punisher and Angie Martinez. Yet, their contributions to hip hop are down-played, if not completely ignored. When their presence is ac-knowl-edged, it is often misinterpreted as a defection from Puerto Rican culture and an identity with 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.' In this unprecedented study, Rivera argues that Puerto Ricans share more commonalities with black Americans than with other 'Latinos' in terms of cultural history and artistic expression. Using hip hop culture as the focus, Rivera illustrates the shared New York City history and experience of these two groups in groundbreaking and engaging ways.Rivera, Raquel Z. is the author of 'New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone', published 2003 under ISBN 9781403960443 and ISBN 1403960445.