Ricanstruction was a New York City based Puerto Rican

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

/ hip hop/

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

musical group and artist collective. When Ricanstruction first started, the band consisted of lead vocalist

Not4Prophet Ricanstruction was a New York City based Puerto Rican punk/ hip hop/salsa/jazz/reggae fusion musical group and artist collective. When Ricanstruction first started, the band consisted of lead vocalist Not4Prophet (also known as N4P, Zero Prop ...

(also known as N4P, Zero Prophet and Alano P. Baez, born in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

), bassist Arturo "R2O" Rodriguez, drummer Joseph "SickFoot" Rodriguez from Harlem, and guitarist Eddie "Alsiva" Alsina. Other members of Ricanstruction through the years have included vocalist Taína Asili (formerly of the punk band Anti-Product),{{cite news , last1=Kaysen , first1=Ronda , title=Puerto Rican punk rockers ricanstruct the revolution , url=http://thevillager.com/villager_117/puertoricanpunk.html , accessdate=21 June 2018 , work=The Villager , issue=Vol. 75, No. 10 , date=July 27, 2005 percussionist Roger Vasquez (who left the band to join Latin Rock band

Ill Niño Ill Niño (stylized as ill niño) is an American metal band formed in Union City, New Jersey, in 1998 by drummer and percussionist Dave Chavarri. They have released seven studio albums, two EPs and one compilation album, totaling in over 1.3 mi ...

), and guitarists Fidel Paulino and Steven "Albizoo" Maldonado.

History

In the 1980s Arturo Rodriguez (bassist), Joseph Rodriguez (drums), Eddie Alsina (guitar) and the late Gary Cintron (vocalist) formed an all-Puerto Rican hardcore rock / salsa band called 'Strange Seed'. They would later work with singer John Joseph, of the

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among th ...

, in the band 'Both Worlds'. In the mid 1990s, the brothers Rodriguez met with

( Alano Baez, who had recently left the US Army) in order to start a new band fusing their funk rock style with Not4Prophet's soulful vocals and politically infused anti-corporate lyrics. Ricanstruction performed for the last time on 23 September 2006 at a United Nations rally, demanding independence for their homeland,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. The band resurfaced in 2010 for one surprise show in East Harlem, New York, performing as "The Dynamite Bros.", featuring Arturo and Joseph Rodriguez, Not4prophet, and Fidel Paulino, along with DJ "

Johnny Juice Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

" Rosado from X-Vandals on percussion, and John Restrepo of the Welfare Poets on saxophone.

Gigs and tours

Ricanstruction began to gig in local New York City clubs and squats in the mid 1990s at places such as

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

, The Continental,

ABC No Rio ABC No Rio is a collectively-run non-profit arts organization on New York City's Lower East Side. It was founded in 1980 in a squat at 156 Rivington Street, following the eviction of the 1979-80 Real Estate Show. The centre featured an art gal ...

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

, The

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

Wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and many other venues. They developed a loyal cross-cultural cult following, and in 1998 were the first artists signed to CBGB Records by club and label owner

Hilly Kristal Hillel Kristal (September 23, 1931August 28, 2007) was an American club owner, manager and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. Early years Kristal was bor ...

. They began to tour in support of their albums while continuing to gig at local clubs, empty lots, and block parties as they felt it important to reach the common people. The band played shows in Central America, the Caribbean, and across the United States.

Activism

Due to Ricanstruction's activism and lyrical content,

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Records ...

Japan decided that the band was too radical for the Japanese market and banned the stock and sale of Ricanstruction albums. Tower Records in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

followed suit shortly thereafter.

Albums

*''EPB'' (1997) *''Liberation Day'' (1998) *''Abu Jamal (1999)'' *''UnAmerican (2001)'' *''Love+Revolution'' (2004)

References

*1. http://weeklywire.com/ww/07-06-98/boston_music_2.html *2. http://awol.objector.org/artistprofiles/ricanstruction.html *3. http://www.ricanstruction.net/manifesto.html *4. http://www.cbgb.com/cbgbrecords/ricanstruction.html *5. http://atrain.gnn.tv/articles/2244/In_Filiberto_s_Wake_a_Free_Puerto_Rico *6. https://www.thevillager.com/2005/08/puerto-rican-punk-rockers-ricanstruct-the-revolution/ *7. http://www.selfeducation.org/html/2002.html *8. http://www.undergroundfilm.org/films/detail.tcl?wid=1000685 *9. http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0509&L=poetics&D=1&P=61014 *10. http://www.machetero-movie.com/1659.html?*session*id*key*=*session*id*val* *11. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/377/37716216.pdf

External links

Official band websiteRicanstruction
on Myspace

on CBGB Records Puerto Rican rock music groups Hardcore punk groups from New York (state)