NEW YORK RICANS FROM THE HIP HOP ZONE (Palgrave Macmillan/St. Martin's Press, 2003) BOOK RELEASE PARTY

Friday, March 7, 2003 7-11 PM Julia de Burgos Cultural Center 1680 Lexington Avenue (bet. 105th & 106th Street) Directions: #6 Train to E. 103rd

Book Reading/Signing with Author Raquel Z. Rivera

Hosted by poet/actor Flaco Navaja Sounds by DJ Charlie Chase of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers Lyrics by Q-Unique Graf and Photos By TATS CRU and Jamel Shabazz, author of Back in the Days

Panel Discussion with: Marinieves Alba (activist-writer; Director, Hip Hop LEADS) DJ Charlie Chase (of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers) Professor Juan Flores (Hunter/CENTRO; author of From Bomba to Hip Hop ) Q-Unique (lyricist- Arsonists; Rock Steady Crew)

To Book Raquel Z. Rivera, Contact: LiberArteBooking@aol.com Press Inquiries: LiberArte@aol.com

New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone is the first book to explore Puerto Ricans' participation in the development of Hip Hop culture- from the beginning- to the present. Using hip hop culture as a focal point, Rivera draws parallels-past and present-between African Americans and Puerto Ricans by highlighting their shared New York City history and their both being part of the African Diaspora in the Americas.

*****

Raquel has done the unthinkable-she has triumphed in creating what hip hop DJs normally call a remix. She has remixed history and shed light on a valuable coexistence that is normally shunned by the media-namely, Boriquas represent." -BOBBITO GARCIA, DJ Cucumberslice

"Big Pun, Fat Joe, Angie Martinez, La Bruja and many other Puerto Rican rappers speak out here in full voice, and the result is the most authoritative and exciting account of the Nuyorican role in hip hop to date." -JUAN FLORES, author of From Bomba to Hip Hop: Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity

"Raquel untangles this wildly woven fabric called hip hop and uncovers the unbreakable strands of Puerto Ricans that have been in all the elements of hip hop since day one. Clap your hands everybody!!!" -CHARLIE CHASE, pioneering DJ and MC, Cold Crush Brothers

"Its about time that a book has come out showing the contribution Puerto Ricans have made to the hip hop movement." -JAMEL SHABAZZ, photographer, Back in the Days

"A much-needed examination of New York Puerto Ricans' essential contributions to and continued vitality in the hip hop universe. Rivera's edgy mix of academic research and inner-circle interviews help redefine the way we look at urban street culture." -ED MORALES, author, Living in Spanglish

"Smart and provocative, New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone is written with clarity and style by someone who knows both hip hop and Puerto Rican culture from the inside out. Not only a must read, it's a great read." -DEBORAH PACINI HERNANDEZ, Tufts University