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!!!
1 comment
Cassie
July 6, 2022 at 6:36 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Asé!
It’s worth a deep exploration looking into the origins of soundclashes (especially the sound and fire components) and how the mutant vehicles at BM have evolved… because let’s be clear these BM people didn’t originate shit. They just had access to funds and resources that allowed them to PLAY with creating their vehicles that people in Jamaica didn’t have.