“New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone� by Raquel Rivera primarily focuses on the Puerto Rican presence in hip-hop since its inception. Oftentimes hip hop is associated strictly with African Americans and ignores the African diaspora in its entirety. Rivera points out the socioeconomic commonalities among African Americans and Puerto Ricans especially in the South Bronx (the birthplace of American hip hop). Not only did they speak the same slang, live in the same neighborhood, undergo the same discrimination from the cops, but their roots reflect the same rhythms in their music and dance. In discussing the role of Puerto Ricans in the creation of Hip Hop she points out some of the common economic conditions that caused Hip Hop to arise. “Hip Hop culture was born out of material deprivation, in the midst of dwindling income, educational access and job opportunities,� noted Rivera. What was so important in the creation of this culture was the ability of these “early Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean and black American Hip Hop artists to transform obsolete vocational skills from marginal occupations into raw materials for creativity and resistance.�
Aside from addressing obvious class and economic issues that led to the development of Hip Hop, one of the most important features of this book is that it was initially written as a thesis and discusses Hip Hop from an educational perspective. Rivera does a good job of legitimizing Hip Hop as an academic subject.
As an educator and a student I find this a significant step toward the advancement in the development of curriculum for students struggling to make education relevant to their lives. One of the most renowned educational philosophers, Paulo Freire, explains the importance of teaching in terms that others can grasp or relate to. Freire made the point that, “the raising of critical consciousness in people who have been oppressed is a first step in helping them to obtain critical literacy and, ultimately, liberation from oppressive ideologies.�
Today several postsecondary schools across the nation do teach Hip Hop as a subject. Rivera advances the theory by introducing Hip Hop as a legitimate area of study to university students and professors, making her book an invaluable contribution both to the Puerto Rican community as well as the academic fields of study that address Hip Hop.
Listening to people accuse today’s generation of being devoid of culture or out of touch with today’s politics, I can’t help but immediately think of Hip hop culture and question how they missed it. Today’s political and economic climate is so similar to that of the height of old school Hip Hop I’ve been kind of bracing myself to see what working class subculture will grow from it. Now I realize it’s actually Hip Hop reborn.
For those looking for a good read that not only gives a good history of Hip Hop culture and the role of the Puerto Rican community in its development, but also demonstrates the ability to incorporate it into formal educational structures, I recommend Rivera’s book as a good start.
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