Raquel Z. Rivera Hip Hop/Reggaeton Collection
Scope and Contents
The Raquel Z. Rivera Hip Hop/Reggaeton Collection helps document Puerto Rican contributions to the creation and development of hip hop and reggaeton both in the United States and Puerto Rico.
A rich collection, highlights include an extensive audiocassette and compact disc holdings that feature rare and early recordings by “underground” and Puerto Rico based “reggae” artists whose work was a precursor to present day reggaeton. Moreover, the recordings are inclusive of Puerto Rican/Latino rap recordings also from the island and the U.S., as well as several insightful interviews with many of these artists. In addition, the collection also contains essays written by Rivera on hip hop and reggaeton, paper documentation on artists featured on the recordings, videocassettes and DVD’s of musical performances and magazines and other publications which capture the cultural and musical impact of hip hop and reggaeton on contemporary Puerto Rican and American societies.
The materials in this collection span the years from 1977 to 2005 with the bulk concentrating on the years 1995 to 2003. They consist of correspondence, photographs, flyers, clippings, writings, publications, videocassettes, DVD’s, audiocassettes and compact discs. The folders are arranged alphabetically and the documents are arranged chronologically. The materials are in both Spanish and English.
Dates
- 1977-2008
- Majority of material found within 1995-2003
Creator
- Rivera, Raquel Z. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers with some restrictions on access to the audiovisual material.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright held by Raquel Z. Rivera. For interviews within the collection, the copyrights are held by Rivera and her interviewees.
Biographical / Historical
Raquel Z. Rivera is an author and singer-songwriter. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology and her areas of scholarly interest include popular music and culture, race and ethnicity, nation and diaspora, and the intersections between Latino and Africana studies. From 2006-2009 she was a researcher at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, CUNY.
She is co-editor of the anthology Reggaeton (2009) and author of the book New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone (2003). Her articles on popular culture have been published in books and journals such as Journal of the Society for American Music (2008), Latino Studies (2008), NACLA Report on the Americas (Nov./Dec. 2007), A Companion to Latina/o Studies (Blackwell Publishers, 2007), None of the Above: Puerto Ricans in the Global Era (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), Resonancias (Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, 2005), Boletín Música (Casa de las Américas, 2004), among many others.
A freelance journalist, her articles have been published in numerous magazines and newspapers, among these: Vibe, One World, Urban Latino, El Diario/La Prensa, El Nuevo Día, Claridad and Diálogo. She blogs on reggaeton www.reggaetonica.blogspot.com.
Her essays, short stories and poetry have been featured in journals, newspapers and literary websites, including Hostos Review/Revista Hostosiana, El Nuevo Día, Claridad, Siempre, El Fémur de Tu Padre and The Latino Artists Roundtable webpage. She is working on her first novel titled Beba.
Recently, she received a grant from the Association of Hispanic Arts to complete post-production on her debut CD Las 7 salves de La Magdalena, a musical homage to Mary Magdalene featuring her co-compositions with cuatrista Alejandro Negrón.
A founding and current member of bomba group Alma Moyo, she is also a founding and former member of Boricua roots music group Yerbabuena and of Yaya, an all-women’s musical collective dedicated to Dominican salves and Puerto Rican bomba. She has performed with internationally-renowned Dominican roots/fusion artists Xiomara Fortuna and Luis Dias, jíbaro music music legends Nito Méndez and Alfonso Vélez, and various New York City-based Caribbean roots music groups such as Pa’ lo Monte, Palo Mayor and Kalunga. She has performed at SOBs, Satalla Temple of World Music, Lincoln Center’s La Casita Festival, Nuyorican Poets Café, Hostos Community College, Yale University and the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., among numerous other venues.
She is a board member of Latino Studies Journal and Los Pleneros de la 21.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she lived in New York City from 1994 until 2010, and now resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Extent
9 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Spanish; Castilian
Abstract
The Raquel Z. Rivera Hip Hop/Reggaeton Collection helps document Puerto Rican contributions to the creation and development of hip hop and reggaeton both in the United States and Puerto Rico. Highlights of the collection include an extensive audiocassette and compact disc collection, essays written by Rivera on hip hop and reggaeton and paper documentation on numerous artists.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into the following series:
I. Biographical and Personal Information
II. Subject Files
III. Writings
IV. Artists
V. Publications
VI. Photographs
VII. Audiovisual
Other Finding Aids
English / Spanish bilingual finding aid available, see External Documents.
Processing Information
Processed with funding from the Council of the City of New York.
- 3-2 Get Funky (Musical group)
- Abreu, Freddy "SieteNueve"
- Advertising fliers Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Arsonists (Musical group)
- Audiocassettes Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Big Boy, (Rapper)
- Big Punisher, (Rapper)
- Bosh, Joel (Taino)
- Brazil Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Breakdancing -- United States -- Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Brewley, William
- Calderón, Tego, 1972-
- Calle 13 (Musical group)
- Canada, Nico
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Compact discs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Coo-Kee
- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Cuba Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Cuevas Laguna, Rafael Esteban
- Cutlass, Frankie
- DJ Adam
- DJ Chiclin
- DJ Eric
- DJ Issa
- DJ Joe
- DJ Joe
- DJ Manuel
- DJ Negro, 1968-
- DJ Nelson
- DVDs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Daddy Yankee
- El Meswy
- Fat Joe
- Fransheska
- Freestyle Music -- United States -- Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Frost, 1964-
- Gallego (Musician)
- García, Robert
- Hip Hop -- Brazil Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hip Hop -- Cuba Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hip Hop -- Puerto Rico Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hip Hop -- United States -- Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hispanic Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Local sources
- Howl, Thirstin, III
- Ivy Queen, 1972-
- Jelly D
- Kid Power Posse (Musical group)
- Latin Empire
- Latin Kings (Musical group)
- Letters Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Long Playing Records (LP’s) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Lopez, Jennifer, 1970-
- Luny Tunes (Musical group)
- Luz, Caridad de la, 1977-
- Marrero Vázquez, Marlisa
- Martinez, Angie, 1971-
- Matos Torres, Juan Antonio
- Memorandums Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mini Digital Video Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- New York (N.Y.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Nizze
- No Mel Sindicate
- Notes (Cataloging) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Omar, Don
- Orishas (Musical group)
- Ortiz Torres, Angel Luis
- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Playero DJ
- Prime Underground
- Prinze, Freddie, Jr.
- Programs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Publications Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Puerto Rico Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Q-Unique
- Ranking Stone
- Rap -- Brazil Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Rap -- Cuba Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Rap -- Puerto Rico Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Rap -- United States -- Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Reggae -- Puerto Rico Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Reggaeton -- Puerto Rico Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Reggaeton -- United States -- Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Reyes del Bajo Mundo
- Rivera, Ivelisse
- Rodríguez, Gloria
- Romero Joseph, Welmo E.
- Rosario, Toño
- Sista, (Reggaetón vocalist)
- Touch, Tony
- Underground Music -- Puerto Rico Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Urrutia, Rubén, 1937-
- Vico C.
- Video tapes Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Writings Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Raquel Z. Rivera Hip Hop/Reggaeton Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kimberlly Irizarry, Mario H. Ramírez and Melisa Ribas with the assistance of Amanda Bermúdez, Diana Saenz, Laura Torres and Nicole White.
- Date
- June 2009
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Processed with funding from the Council of the City of New York.
Revision Statements
- February 2011: Revised with refined box and folder information.
Repository Details
Part of the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora Repository
Silberman Building, Hunter College
2180 Third Ave. Rm. 122
New York New York 10065
centro.library@hunter.cuny.edu
