Raquel Z. Rivera's Upcoming Events

2012 events

2012-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Check my 2012 events at:
www.raquelzrivera.com/calendar

2010-2011 upcoming events

2010-03-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

For info on my 2010-2011 events, please check my website calendar.

2010 events

2009-11-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

For info on my 2010 events, please check my website calendar.

November 12, 2009: Princeton University, NJ

2009-11-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

Roundtable at Princeton University, NJ, featuring scholars and artists Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Marshall, Marisol LeBron, Miguel Luciano, Ines "Deevani" Rooney and DJ El Niño.

August 2009

2009-07-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27th, 10 PM
ALMA MOYO
@ CAMARADAS EL BARRIO

Please join me and the rest of the Alma Moyó crew, on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 10:00pm.

Location:
Camaradas Bar & Restaurant
2241 1st Ave / 115th street, NYC

Description, from Alma Moyó director Alex Lasalle:
"We as Children of the African Diaspora have the mission to always preserve our customs, beliefs, and ways of life. La Bomba being Puerto Rico's oldest living cultural tradition is Alma Moyo's Cosmic Mission. It is the reason for us doing what we do. Let us join in as a community, as a family, to celebrate at Camaradas Bar & Restaurant our Afro-Boricua/Afro-Caribbean Legacy to the sounds of Soul Stirring Drums, Uplifting Songs, and Captivating Dances. $5 Cover."

July 2009: Estilo Hip-Hop and Reggaeton double feature!

2009-06-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

JULY 17, 7:00 PM
BARNES & NOBLE
LINCOLN TRIANGLE (66 STREET AND BROADWAY)
NEW YORK, NY

Estilo Hip-Hop and Reggaeton double feature:
screening, book presentation and dialogue

I have the honor of presenting the book I just co-edited titled Reggaeton (Duke University Press, 2009) alongside the documentary Estilo Hip-Hop on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7 PM. The event is part of a series organized by the Latino Artists Round Table at the Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Triangle (66 Street and Broadway).

Estilo Hip-Hop is a powerful documentary that chronicles the lives of three hip-hop enthusiasts from Chile, Cuba and Brazil, focusing on the ways that art and youth politics connect. It will be airing nationally on Global Voices on PBS WORLD on Sunday June 28, 2009. Here's the trailer:

ESTILO HIP HOP Trailer from 1SOULDESIGNS on Vimeo.

Reggaeton is the anthology I co-edited with Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernandez that explores reggaeton’s local roots and its transnational dissemination. The book also discusses the genre’s aesthetics, particularly in relation to those of hip-hop and reggae; and explores the debates about race, nation, gender, and sexuality generated by the music and its associated cultural practices.

From hip-hop to reggaeton, this July 17th event will be devoted to Latin American and Latino youth culture, popular music, politics and education.

I am extremely happy that my co-presenters that night will be the Estilo Hip-Hop directors, Loira Limbal and Vee Bravo, fellow beat junkies who love music just as much as they love the dreams of freedom that music can inspire.

June 2009: Lectures, Panels & Performances

2009-06-08T03:56:00.001-07:00

JUNE 11, 6:30 PM
CARIBBEAN CULTURAL CENTER
NEW YORK, NY

Click on image to enlarge:

Spring 2009: Lectures, Panels & Performances

2009-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 26, 9PM
ALMA MOYO
@ CAMARADAS EL BARRIO

(Alma Moyó photo by Amy Ponce)

Please join me and the rest of the Alma Moyó crew, on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:00pm.
Location:
Camaradas Bar & Restaurant
2241 1st Ave / 115th street, NYC
Description:
"We're back at Camaradas bringing you the sacred sounds of Puerto Rico's oldest living musical and cultural tradition La Bomba. Embracing our African roots while upholding our Afro-Boricua culture. Drums, dancing, drinking, friends, and great food, and a soul lifting night. $5 Cover."

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MARCH 7, 2PM
MOMMA'S HIP HOP KITCHEN
HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Please join me and a crew of New York bomberas as we drum, sing, pay homage to our ancestresses and open up the show at Momma's Hip Hop Kitchen vol. 2.

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MARCH 20, 6 PM
WOMEN OF POWER CONFERENCE
HUNTER COLLEGE

I'll be one of the panelists at the 4th Annual Women of Power Conference sponsored by GALCI (Global Afro Latino & Caribbean Initiative) and CCCADI ( Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute). The Keynote Speaker will be Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. Women of Power Conference is the coming together of Afro Latina activists from Latin America, the Caribbean, Central America and the United States. This year's program brings two international cultural activist from Bolivia and Brazil: Marfa Inofuentes and Rosana Silva Chagas. Also featuring Miriam Neptune, Loira Limbal, and Sandy Placido.

Lang Recital Hall, Hunter College
695 Park Avenue, Room 424 Hunter North
68th St Btw Lexington & Park Ave
Subway: 6 to 68th St

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APRIL 3, 3 PM
CENTER FOR AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

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APRIL 9, 4:30 PM
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE, OLIN BUILDING 014
NEW LONDON, CT

Panel discussion titled "Does Hip Hop Hate Women?" featuring Bakari Kitwana (The Hip-Hop Generation), Dr. Raquel Z. Rivera (New York Ricans from the Hip-Hop Zone), Byron Hurt (Beyond Beats and Rhymes), Joan Morgan (When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost), and Dr. Tracy Sharpley-Whiting (Pimps Up, Ho’s Down). For more information contact: Heather Day at hday@conncoll.edu or by phone at 413-207-1274.

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APRIL 17
REGGAETON PANEL
E.M.P. POP MUSIC CONFERENCE
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

2:00 - 3:45
iReggaetón! Perreo and Beyond panel discussion
Venue: JBL Theater
Reggaetón and especially perreo, the genre's doggystyle dance, has been accused of facilitating corruption. This discussion, keyed to a new book, links sympathetic and critical observers from the humanities and social sciences, visual artists and genre performers, and a perspective from Jamaica.
Moderated by: Alexandra Vazquez
Featuring: Wayne Marshall, Raquel Z. Rivera and Alexandra Vázquez

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APRIL 21 - APRIL 23
VISITING SCHOLAR
HAVENS CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE & SOCIAL CHANGE
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

Lecture 1:
“Reggaeton's Socio-Sonic Circuitry: From Jamaica and New York, to Panama, Puerto Rico and Beyond”
Tuesday, April 21, 4pm, 206 Ingraham

Lecture 2:
“New York Bomba: Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and a Bridge Called Haiti”
Wednesday, April 22, 4 pm, 8417 Social Science

Open Seminar:
Thursday, April 23, 12:20 pm, 8108 Social Science

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MAY 7, 6:30 PM
HUNTER COLLEGE
FACULTY DINING ROOM,
WEST BUILDING 8TH FLOOR
NEW YORK CITY

Meet the Author: Book Party

Reggaeton
An anthology by Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernández

Featured Speaker: Juan Flores, New York University
Presenters: Miguel Luciano, visual artist; Alexandra T. Vazquez, Princeton University; and Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Columbia University
Music by DJ Mellow G

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Winter 2008

2008-12-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

I'll be singing with Alma Moyó this Friday December 19 at Camaradas! Join us for live bomba from Cataño, Mayagüez, Ponce, Moca, Santurce and other towns in Puerto Rico.

2241 First Avenue & East 115th Street
NYC, NY
#6 Train to E. 116th Street

Fall 2008

2008-09-11T05:10:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER 18, 4:30 PM
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE, PA

Lecture sponsored by the Intercultural Center.

Title of presentation:
From Hip Hop to Reggaeton:
Gender, Blogging and Pedagogy

Description:
In this presentation I will discuss my experiences grappling with
gender, hip hop and reggaeton in the classroom, and how those
experiences led me to blogging as an outlet, a resource and a teaching
tool in itself.

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OCTOBER 4, 1:00 PM
PUERTO RICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS AVANZADOS DE PUERTO RICO Y EL CARIBE
SAN JUAN, PR

Panel presentation by 5 contributors of the forthcoming volume I co-edited titled Reggaeton (Duke University Press, Spring 2009).

“Reggaeton's Socio-Sonic Circuitry.” (paper co-written by Raquel Z. Rivera, Wayne Marshall and Deborah Pacini Hernandez)
Raquel Z. Rivera, Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College

“Poetry of Filth: The (Post) Reggaetonic Lyrics of Calle 13.”
Frances Negrón-Muntaner, professor at the English Department and Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, Columbia University

“Wrapped in Foil: Glory at 12 Words a Minute.”
Felix Jimenez, professor of media studies, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

“A Man Lives Here: Reggaeton's Hypermasculine Resident.”
Alfredo Nieves Moreno, Dean, Universidad Metropolitana

“From Hip Hop to Reggaeton, Is There Only a Step?”
Welmo Romero Joseph, hip-hop artist and graduate student in media studies at Universidad Sagrado Corazón

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OCTOBER 8-11, 11:00 PM
Bomba and Plena afterparties at Camaradas, NEW YORK

I'll be there performing on Saturday with Alma Moyó and cheerleading the other days.

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OCTOBER 23, 6-8 PM
The Diaspora Strikes Back book release, New York University, NEW YORK

I'll be there to say a few words about this amazing book written by my friend and mentor Juan Flores and also to join guitarrist Alejandro Negrón and cuatrista Ariel Román in a musical example of how the Diaspora does strike back!

August 31, 2008

2008-08-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Las 7 Salves de La Magdalena:
Songs of Praise & Liberation

Strange, but true. I'll be the facilitator at Riverside Church's Bible Study this Sunday August 31st, as part of their Summer Mary Magdalene study series.
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Room 10T
490 Riverside Drive, Manhattan
www.theriversidechurchny.org

The Magdalene walks mysterious paths. So this Evangelical Christian turned Atheist turned Spiritist turned Everything & Nothing will be there to share the twists and turns of my artistic/spiritual path. No. You do not have to be a Christian to attend. Magdalene knows I'm not.

On Sunday, I will present some of my work-in-progress.

Las 7 Salves de La Magdalena is a musical offering to the mythical/historical figure that, for the last 10 years, has lit up my spiritual and artistic path. She has guided me closer to myself and to artistic collaborators who share my passion for her. Drawing from roots musical traditions like Puerto Rican aguinaldos and Dominican salves, putting together these 7 songs for Mary Magdalene has been a process of collective catharsis… and bliss.

Mosaic by Las 7 Salves co-conspirator Tanya Torres.

March 21 & 27, 2008

2008-03-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 21, 7pm
LECTURA DE NARRATIVA
Cemi Underground
1799 Lexington Avenue, between 111 and 112 Street
El Barrio, New York

(Con)Fabuladoras: Cuentos, Conjuros y Fairytales

Una noche de narrativa featuring Sheila Candelario, Sandra Garcia Rivera, Tanya Torres y esta servidora.

* * * * * * *

Thursday, March 27th, 12noon - 2:00 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
Van Pelt Library
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

I'll be participating in a panel discussion titled "Smut/Slackness in Caribbean Music," also featuring Carolyn Cooper (University of the West Indies, Shannon Dudley (University of Washington) and Wayne Marshall (Brandeis University). Sponsored by the Center of Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania.

March 7 - 14, 2008

2008-02-05T12:36:00.001-08:00

Plena and jíbaro musicians have a surplus of gigs during Christmas. But Yaya, the women's salve and bomba group I play with, gigs the most (surprise, surprise) in March. Here's a list of a few of our upcoming shows.

Friday, March 7, 2008, 6:00 to 10:00 pm
Yaya plays BOMBA in an evening also featuring DJ Moni (Ubiquita-NYC) and Shanelle Grabiel (HBO'S Def Poetry Poet).
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
1040 Grand Concourse (at 165 Street)
South Building—Lower Gallery
Admission: Free

* * * * * * *

March, 8 2008, 10 p.m.
Yaya at LIBERATION LOUNGE w DJ Laylo
Mojito's
227 E. 116th Street bet. 2nd & 3rd Ave.
East Harlem/El Barrio, New York
Cost : $5

Celebrating International Women's Day LIBERATION LOUNGE DJ Laylo on the 1s and 2s and Live Music by Special Guest Yaya Bomba Boricua y Salve Dominicana for your booty, feet, y alma! @Mojito's 227 E. 116th Street bet 2nd & 3rd Avenue Take 6 Train to 116th COVER:$5

* * * * * * *

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, time 7:30p.m.
Yaya in an evening also featuring Awilda Sterling-Duprey and Ase Dance Theater Collective
Graduate Center
City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue (corner of 34 Street)
Baisley Powell Elebash Recital Hall
New York, NY

FREE admission

* * * * * * *

Friday, March 14, 7pm
FUNDRAISER, musical performances by Alma Moyo, Kalunga Neg Mawon and Rebel Diaz

NYU Dept of Social and Cultural Analysis
41 E. 11 ST. 7th Floor, Art Gallery
Bet. University & B’way, NYC
Suggested Donation $7-$10

I'll be performing with Alma Moyo (bomba & plena) in an event also featuring Kalunga Neg Mawon (rara/gagá) and Rebel Diaz (hip-hop) in support of Luz del Batey.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT GRUPOKALUNGA7@YAHOO.COM
OR 646-256-0999

October & November 2007

2007-10-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY
OCT. 28, NOV. 25, DEC. 9
10:30am-12pm

YAYA
(the Afro-Caribbean all-women’s music group I'm a part of)
invites you to:

Afro-Dominican Drumming Circle
Focus on Salve music
At Mothers on the Move
928 Intervale Ave. near corner of East 163rd

Women of the African Diaspora ages 14 and up encouraged to participate.
$5 suggested donation for adults, free for youth under 21
RSVP: Call 646-924-7187 leave name and number or email yayadrum@yahoo.com
Bring your drums & panderos.
Must love music, African culture, and be a positive sister.

Directions: #2 Train to Intervale Ave. walk across E. 163rd Street, bear left.
#6 Train to Hunts Point Ave. walk West E. 163rd Street, take a left on Intervale.
BX#6 Bus to Intervale and E. 163 St.

NOVEMBER 7, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS
I will be presenting a paper on reggaeton, hip-hop and their significance in the Puerto Rican diaspora at the symposium "Panorama de las Ciencias Sociales en Puerto Rico: historia, investigacion y politica" during the panel session "La diáspora boricua: Identidad nacional, prácticas culturales y políticas públicas."
2:30 – 4:30 p.m., Anfiteatro A-211,
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales

NOVEMBER 17, 2007
BROOKLYN MUSEUM, 2-4 p.m.
I will be part of a panel discussion on popular music and the Caribbean, with author and professor Sujatha Fernandes and artist Miguel Luciano. The panel is part of the activities surrounding the Brooklyn Museum's exhibition Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean.

NOVEMBER 28, 2007
4:30 pm
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, STORRS
I will be giving a lecture titled "From Hip-Hop to Reggaeton."

September & October 2007

2007-09-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

September 20, 2007
Lecture at Oberlin College, Ohio
On September 20th at 4:30, I will be giving a lecture titled "Beyond Gatas and Divas: Latinas in Hip-Hop and Reggaeton" at the West Lecture Hall, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.

October 6th, 2007
Yaya performance at Quijombo Festival
Bronx, New York

I will be performing with Yaya at the Quijombo Festival, 7:30 p.m., Hostos Community College. Yaya will be opening for Enerolisa and El Grupo de Salves de Mata Los Indios, and Xiomara Fortuna!

August 25th, Alma Moyo at Lincoln Center

2007-08-21T07:31:00.001-07:00

Please join myself and the rest of the Alma Moyó crew, on August 25th, 4pm at La Casita at Lincoln Center Out of Doors.
Cost: free

Live music, poetry, and other amazing acts at Lincoln Center. West 68th Street and 9th Ave, between Amsterdam and Broadway.

June 30th and July 7th: Alma Moyó in Downtown Manhattan @ 10pm

2007-06-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

(Alma Moyó photo by Amy Ponce)

Please join myself and the rest of the Alma Moyó crew, on June 30th and July 7th, 10 PM, at 53 Ann St Bar/Restaurant/Lounge.

May 22: Yaya at AfroLatin@ Forum Benefit

2007-05-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Please join myself and the rest of the Yaya crew, 7 PM, at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in support of the AfroLatin@ Forum. Also performing will be the music groups Melao and San Juan Hill, as well as DJ Laylo and poets Mariposa, Mellesol and Lois Griffith.

"The afrolatin@ forum works to build and strengthen research and
activist networks among Latin@s of African descent in the United
States. Our focus is on Black Latin@s in the United Sates and their
relationships with other communities of color. This emphasis is
guided by a transnational perspective that recognizes the centrality
of race in understanding today's global reality and the struggle
for social justice."

For more information: info@afrolatinoforum.org

Airing tonight: my interview on María Hinojosa's show

2007-04-30T12:13:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of being interviewed by award-winning journalist María Hinojosa. The focus of our dialogue was my writings on hip-hop and reggaeton.

The show is called "La Plaza: Conversaciones con María Hinojosa" and will air tonight at 9 pm on PBS' Spanish-language V-me. (Cable: Time Warner NY 812; Cablevision 199; Comcast in NJ 242)(Digital: 13-3)(For channel information outside NY/NJ, click here.)

For more information about the show, click here.

April 13, 2007: Yaya at Carlito's Cafe

2007-04-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Please join myself and the rest of the Yaya crew, 7 PM, at Carlito's Café 1701 Lexington Avenue (between 107 and 106 St.). We'll be playing Puerto Rican bomba and Dominican congos and salves between 9—10 PM.

The event is titled "Floricanto: Live Music, Poetry and Open Mic" featuring Renato Rosaldo, other local poets, and Yaya. "Floricanto" is part of the conference "The Lived Experience of Latino Immigrants".

April 11, 2007

2007-04-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact (Presentation): Daniel Nieves (646) 307-502
Daniel.nieves@nyu.edu

Contact (Palgrave): Cheryl Vawdewy
cheryl.vawdrey@palgrave-usa.com

Latino Studies All Star Lineup to Discuss and Celebrate the Release of None of the Above: Puerto Ricans in the Global Era, a volume edited by filmmaker and writer Frances Negrón-Muntaner

New York, NY - March 26, 2007 - This coming April 11, 2007, New York University's Latino Studies Program and The Hispanic Scholarship Fund-Latin@ Scholar Chapter will host some of the best minds writing about Latinos to discuss Frances Negrón-Muntaner's latest book, the edited volume None of the Above: Puerto Ricans in the Global Era (Palgrave).

The book is already getting rave reviews. Literary and globalization scholar Bruce Robbins (Columbia University) has called the volume “a totally compelling collection” by “arguably the most brilliant among an impressive cohort of Puerto Rican cultural critics.” For New York University's Arlene Dávila, an anthropologist and key figure in Latino Studies, the book offers “some of the most important and original Puerto Rican studies scholars working…a must read on Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, and on the working of contemporary nationalism and colonialism more generally."

Based on a series of conferences organized by Negrón-Muntaner from 2000-2004, None of the Above is a state-of-the-art volume about contemporary debates regarding Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, both in the United States and on the Island. The title simultaneously refers to the results of a non-binding 1998 plebiscite held in San Juan to determine the Island's political status, the ambiguities that have characterized Puerto Rican political agency, and the complexities of boricua ethnic, national, and cultural identifications in the global era.

Arnaldo Cruz Malavé, literary scholar and associate director of Latin American Studies at Fordham University, will lead the presentation. Negrón-Muntaner and several of the volume's collaborators,
including Christina Duffy Burnett (Columbia University), Juan Flores (New York University), Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel (University of Pennsylvania), and Raquel Z. Rivera (City University of New York) will join him.

Volume editor Negrón-Muntaner is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and scholar. She is the co-editor of Puerto Rican Jam: Rethinking Colonialism and Nationalism and author of Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of America Culture. Since 2003, she teaches at Columbia University. For additional information on Negrón-Muntaner's work, see http://www.francesnegronmuntaner.net.

The event will be held at New York University's Kimball Hall Lounge, 246 Greene Street, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A reception will follow.

April 9, 2007

2007-04-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hip Hop’s New Frontiers: Latin@ Youth, Hip Hop, and Social Justice
(Symposium concept developed by Ana Aparicio, Latino Studies, NYU)

April 9, 2007
5:30pm
41 East 11th Street, 7th Floor, SCA Gallery Space
Sponsors: Latino Studies (NYU), Department of Social & Cultural Analysis (NYU), The Afro-Latin@ Forum

Speakers:
Raquel Z. Rivera (Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College)
Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi (Clenched Fist Productions)
Leidis Freire Pena (Independent Artist and Hip-Hop Activist)
Loira Limbal (DJ Laylo) (Independent Filmmaker, Artist, Community Organizer, Founder of Liberation Lounge)
Eli Efi (Organizer/Educator at Abevic, Artist, formerly of DMN)
Ariel Fernandez (Independent Journalist, Hip Hop historian, and organizer)

Speaker Biographies:
Raquel Z. Rivera has a Ph.D. in Sociology and is a Research Fellow at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College. She is the author of the book New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone and is presently co-editing an anthology titled Reading Reggaeton.

Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, President of Clenched Fist Productions is the Director/Producer of “Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano.” He has an MA from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. His first feature length documentary, “Inventos,” premiered in Havana, Cuba and has toured in 16 coutnries. He is currently working on a film about Hip Life music in Ghana, West Africa. Eli has been at the forefront of a growing global hip-hop movement and has spoken at Universities around the world.

Leidis Freire Pena is a Poet/DJ/Performer, from Camaguey, Cuba. She became involved in the Cuban Hip Hop movement during it's inception in Havana and helped organize events, community shows, and the Omega Kilay collective. Leidis created the first all-female DJ mixtape and has performed across Cuba as a talented spoken word artist. She has also appeared in such critically acclaimed documentaries as, Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano, Jovenes Rebeldes y Mi Revolution, and continues to be an articulate contributor to Cuban Hip Hop culture. Having recently moved to the United States, she currently resides in the Bay Area in San Francisco.

Loira Limbal (aka DJ Laylo)
Representing the Bronx, DJ Laylo is a pleasant surprise in any music scene. Her unrelenting commitment to good music and rocking the crowd has earned her a reputation for being able to give any venue a house party vibe. Born in Puerto Rico to Dominican parents, her musical selection reflects her upbringing in New York City. DJ Laylo effortlessly blends Hip Hop, Soul, Salsa, House, Merengue, Reggae, and Afrobeat to the delight of partygoers everywhere. She is the co-founder and resident DJ at Liberation Lounge NYC.

Her love of music and turntables, has led her to branch out to DJing for hip hop groups. She is one half of hip hop duo Eli Efi and DJ Laylo which blends banging beats, politics, and a global perspective. Eli Efi is a well-known hip hop pioneer from São Paulo, Brasil. In 1988, he founded the
politically charged rap group DMN and went on to record five albums receiving praise from the hip hop community and music industry alike. The group was nominated for best video and best rap group at the MTV Brazil Video Music Awards, best rap song of the year at the Hutus Hip Hop Awards Festival, and won best music video at the São Paulo Shorts Film Festival. In 2004, he left DMN and now continues his musical career alongside DJ Laylo.

Together, they bring hip hop back to a place where MCs rocked alongside DJs to move the crowd but with an international flavor with LF rhyming in Portuguese and Laylo always finding a way to blend some Samba or Salsa into the brew. They have performed throughout the United States, Brasil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile and have shared the stage with U.S. based artists such as Styles P, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Jean Grae, Jeru da Damaja, Immortal Technique, Ras Kass, Lord Finesse, CL Smooth, Welfare Poets, Hurricane G, David Banner, among many others.

DJ Laylo is also a filmmaker and activist. Since 2001, she has been producing and directing a documentary entitled Estilo Hip Hop, which chronicles the revolutionary Hip Hop movements of Brasil, Chile, Mexico, and Cuba. She has worked at various community-based organizations including The Point CDC, The Dominican Women's Development Center, The Women's Center of Rhode Island, and Sista II Sista. In 2006, she founded The Reel X Project, which is video training program for young women of color in the Southwest Bronx.

Laylo received a B.A. in History from Brown University and is a graduate of the Third World Newsreel's Film and Video Production Training Program. She has received awards from the Bronx Council on the Arts, Open Society Institute, Royce Fellows Society, and the Lisa Sullivan Fund for her work combining arts and activism.

Eli Efi (LF) is a hip hop artist that blends banging beats, politics, and a global perspective. Eli Efi is a well-known hip hop pioneer in Brasil hailing from São Paulo. In 1988, he founded the politically charged rap group DMN and went on to record five albums receiving praise from the hip hop community and music industry alike. The group was nominated for best video and best rap group at the MTV Brazil Video Music Awards, best rap song of the year at the Hutus Hip Hop Awards Festival, and won best music video at the São Paulo Shorts Film Festival.

In 2004, he left DMN and now continues his musical career alongside DJ Laylo. Laylo hails from the South Bronx by way of the Dominican Republic. Together, they bring hip hop back to a place where MCs rocked alongside DJs to move the crowd but with an international flavor with LF rhyming in Portuguese and Laylo always finding a way to blend some Samba or Salsa into the brew. They have performed throughout the United States, Brasil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile and have shared the stage with U.S. Based artists such as Styles P, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Jean Grae, Jeru da Damaja, Immortal Technique, Ras Kass, Lord Finesse, CL Smooth, Welfare Poets, Hurricane G, David Banner, among many others.

A firm believer that jumping on stage and grabbing a mic isn't enough, LF has worked in numerous community based and political projects. He is a member of Abevic, a neighborhood association that uses hip hop culture to work with young people to promote radical change, critical thinking, and cooperative work. They also offer alphabetization classes to adults and elders. Most recently, he was an educator for a series of arts and political education workshops sponsored by Zulu Nation Brasil in São Paulo.
As lead vocalist for DMN, LF became well-known and respected for his hard-line stance against racism, poverty, and injustice. His work has garnished him invitations to different Brazilian states and the U.S. from activists and events producers. During his visits to the U.S., he has performed at many different venues including Propsect Park Bandshell, SOBs, Europa Palace Concert Hall, B.B Kings, Lincoln Center, Rikers Island youth detention facility, among others. Similarly, he has been invited to lecture and facilitate workshops at a number of universities and organizations including: the Open Society Institute Foundation, Sista II Sista, TRUCE, Indiana University, University of Kentucky, Swarthmore, and many others.

Ariel Fernandez (aka Asho)
Havana-born Ariel Fernandez pka Asho is undoubtedly a man on a mission. An internationally renowned cultural critic, Hip Hop historian, journalist, essayist and event organizer, Ariel has distinguished himself as a leader and advocate of Cuban youth culture and social-cultural movements. A widely acclaimed lecturer and proponent of the Cuban Hip Hop movement, Ariel is best described by Vibe Magazine: “Fernandez does everything but rhyme. He's a DJ, radio personality, promoter, manager and journalist. If you want to know everything about Cuban Hip Hop, ask him. His drive and dedication to the movement is relentless.” For many, Ariel is simply seen as a genuine organic intellectual.

Driven by his belief in the power of music to transmit ideas and build community, Ariel started his career as a local DJ in 1996 with a self–made audio system. As DJ Afro, and later DJ Asho, he has DJed in Havana's premier nightclubs and venues, including the landmark Teatro Nacional (National Theater). Determined to further his knowledge of technology, Ariel decided to become a sound engineer, pursued studies in the field, and later went on to work at Radio Ciudad Habana. Disappointed by the exclusivity in mainstream music media, Ariel re-affirmed his commitment to creating a space for new voices, using the rap cubano movement as his tool of choice.

A fiery orator, Ariel presented his vision for inclusive cultural spaces and discussed the importance of Black-centered media at the 4th Annual Cuban Hip Hop Festival, which led to the publication of his spontaneous speech by an intellectual alternative press called El Caiman Barbudo. This article gained national recognition for Ariel’s work as a youth and cultural advocate, making him the first journalist and cultural critic to address rap cubano as a socio-cultural movement, and making Ariel a much sought after voice in Cuban media outlets and popular culture forums. Just as Ariel’s foray into print media began to take shape, producers at Radio Metropolitana offered Ariel a segment called La Esquina del Rap (Rap Corner). This humble attempt at creating an intergenerational dialogue and cultural change through youth culture in Cuba, went on to become the most influential radio program for the rap cubano movement. This, coupled with Ariel’s continued work in print media, led him to interview Hip Hop and Jazz greats, as well as activists from around the world, including Anonimo Consejo, Obsesion, Orishas, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, The Roots, Steve Coleman, Roy Hargrove, Dead Prez, Tony Touch, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte. His articles and essays have appeared in magazines such as Salsa Cubana (Cuba), Hip Hop Nation (Spain), In the House (Puerto Rico) and Touch (England). He himself has been interviewed and featured in The Village Voice, The Source, One World, Vibe, Black Book, Trace, Stress, Juice (Germany) and Liberation (France).

In 2000, Ariel was selected by local MCs to become the lead organizer of the rap cubano movement for the Asociación Hermanos Saiz (AHS), a non-governmental (NGO) cultural institution that promotes new forms of artistic expression in Cuba. Ariel was later promoted by AHS to National Hip Hop Promoter, a national title whose responsibilities included producing events, advocating on behalf of the rap cubano movement in national and international cultural dialogues, and serving as liaison to international delegations and visiting artists. In this capacity, Ariel produced hundreds of events, conferences, festivals and shows, including the National Cuban Hip Hop Festival in Havana and the historical performance of Hip Hop band, The Roots, in December of 2002. This work paved the way for Ariel’s role as Founder and Editorial Director of Movimiento, the first and only magazine in Cuba dedicated to Hip Hop culture and contemporary Afro-Cuban issues. As a leading voice in the rap cubano movement and a once enthusiastic radio producer and host, Ariel later created and hosted Microfonazo, Cuba's only national Hip Hop radio program. Merging his innate capacity to organize and mobilize with his keen eye for detail and passion for music, Ariel has also served as co-Executive Producer for three CD compilations: Havana Hip Hop All Stars Vol. 1 (Papaya Records), the first Cuban Hip-hop compilation ever recorded by a foreign label; Latin Flow (Avoid Records); and Con los Punos Arriba (Egrem Records), the first nationally recorded compilation which includes Cuban Hip-hop’s vanguard and most heralded figures.

Since 2005, Ariel has lived in New York City where continues to demonstrate his vision, drive, and love for Hip-hop and the arts as vehicles for creating social change. In just two years, Ariel managed to become a Sales/A&R Representative for underground Hip Hop record label and distribution company Fat Beats Inc.; joined the Board of Advisors of the International Hip-Hop Exchange (IHX) and Planet Hip Hop Festival (PHH) at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and co-producing the International Hip-Hop Latino Festival in New York. Ariel is also a long time affiliate of the Black August Project developed by the The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in New York City. He is currently working on writing and film projects, while working to bridge the gap between Cuban and international youth communities.

March 28 and 29, 2007 - Rap Sessions' Gender & Hip-Hop

2007-03-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Rap Sessions: Community Dialogues on Gender and Hip-Hop
Traveling panel discussion featuring authors Raquel Z. Rivera, Bakari Kitwana, Joan Morgan, Mark Anthony Neal, Tracey Sharpley-Whiting and filmmaker Byron Hurt

March 28 Buffalo, NY
Buffalo State University, Bulger Communications Center, North 6 PM

March 29 Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids Community College, Wealthy Theatre - Media Center 7 PM

Visit www.rapsessions.org for more details and calendar information.

Photo from last year's Rap Sessions tour, focused on Race and Hip-Hop.

March 22, 2007

2007-02-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

For more information on the panelists, click here.

March 7, 2007 — Short Story Recital, NYC

2007-01-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

January 12, Alma Moyo plays bomba in the Bronx

2007-01-02T06:06:00.001-08:00

Alma Moyo will be playing bomba from 10pm-2am

January 12, 2007 at Punto de Sabor restaurant
555 Grand Concourse, corner of 149th. St., Bronx, New York
(Trains 2, 4, 5 to 149 St./Grand Concourse)

Cost: free

Photo of Alma Moyo by Amy Ponce. Ernesto Rodriguez on the primo, Raquel dancing.

November 8, 2006 - Rutgers University, NJ

2006-11-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Unwrapping Latino Hip Hop and Reggaeton

Panel discussion featuring Raquel Z. Rivera, filmmaker Virgilio Bravo producer of the documentary Estilo Hip Hop, artist Rod Starz of the group Rebel Diaz, and poet and scholar Claudia Sophia Garriga-Lopez

The panel will be followed by a performance by Rebel Diaz, featuring Rod Starz, Lah Tere and G1.

Rutgers University
College Hall
Livingston Student Center 4-6 pm