Sharifa sent me this excellent link from a NY Times article on Dominican Republic “Car Culture” in NYC.
Cassie then replied with two links.
To which I pulled out the classic Top Billin by The Audio Two.
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I have found, more often than not, that if possible, mixed cultures will deny the roots of a thing if it comes from a Black culture. Contrast this with the fact that they will most often HIGHLIGHT a thing if it comes from a White one.
It does not surprise me at all that, even while celebrating the “afro” part of Dominican Republic sound culture, the author wouldn’t even give a shout to where this all started on the island next door. I find this to be typical NYC DR behavior for “non-Black” (are there any?!) Dominicans. And let’s not even get in to the fact that they share an island with Haiti and all of the cross pollination that seldom gets mentioned.
I want to deal with all of this in the art of The Juke Joint. It will take years with the help of multiple artists using mixed media, but I want our stories TOLD!!!
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