Customer Reviews

New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone

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finally theres a book out there that latinos of all cultures can relate to, and luckily for myself, Raquel Z. Rivera, was my professor for my Puerto Rican Culture class, and to be able to read her book and hear her story was learning experience i am very grateful for. read this book and you will learn much more than just about hip hop, you learn about struggle and identity, and how being puerto rican goes so much more further than what people assume.

I really enjoyed this book. As a Latino who from the Northeast who is now in his mid-20s, I remember the breakdancing craze and many of the hip hop artists Rivera writes about, who were big during my childhood.
One of the book's strengths is Rivera's attention to social and historical conditions that led to cultural production and social solidarity between Blacks and Puerto Ricans in New York City. As a non-Puerto Rican Latino, I've long been fascinated by the high degree of solidarity and unity between Blacks and Ricans, and Rivera's research shed much light on this topic.
Fortunately, I had the chance to meet Rivera shortly after reading this boook when she attended a seminar on Latino influence in hip hop in Philadelphia. She's a good author and a great person. Read this book, if you have an interest in either Latino Studies or hip hop's old school days.