Ricanstruction
Encyclopedia
Ricanstruction is a New York City based Puerto Rican
punk
/hip hop
/salsa/jazz
/reggae
fusion
musical group and artist collective. The band consists of lead vocalist Not4Prophet
(also known as N4P, formerly known as Alano Baez, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico
), 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
), percussionist Roger Vasquez (who left the band to join Latin Rock band Ill Niño
), and guitarists Fidel Paulino and Steven "Albizoo" Maldonado.
, of the Cro-Mags
, in the band 'Both Worlds'. In the mid 1990s, the brothers Rodriguez met with Not4Prophet
(Alano Baez
, who had recently left the US Army) in order to start a new band fusing their 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
. The band recently resurfaced in East Harlem, New York performing as "The Dynamite Bros.", featuring Arturo and Joseph Rodriguez, Not4prophet, and Fidel Paulino, along with DJ "Johnny Juice
" Rosado from X-Vandals on percussion, and John Restrepo of the Welfare Poets on saxophone.
, The Continental, ABC No Rio
, Webster Hall
, The Knitting Factory
, Wetlands 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
. 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.
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
followed suit shortly thereafter.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
/salsa/jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
musical group and artist collective. The band consists of lead vocalist Not4Prophet
Not4Prophet
Prophet is the emcee for the hip hop group X-Vandals, and the former lead singer of the punk rock Latin fusion band Ricanstruction, as well as a graffiti writer and radical political activist...
(also known as N4P, formerly known as Alano Baez, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
), 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
Anti-Product
Anti-Product was a hardcore punk band that played for the first time on March 5, 1995 at the Tazmanian Embassy in Binghamton, NY. There were four line-up changes / additions / substitutions over the years and five tours in the US. Antiproduct released two seven inch EPs: one self-release in 1996...
), percussionist Roger Vasquez (who left the band to join Latin Rock band Ill Niño
Ill Niño
Ill Niño is an American six-piece metal band from New Jersey founded in 1998. The band has sold over 3.3 million units worldwide; they have 5 studio albums and 10 music videos.-History:...
), 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 JosephJohn Joseph (rock singer)
John Joseph McGowan is a punk rock singer from New York City, most famous for his work with the Cro-Mags in the 1980s.Joseph was raised in foster care and grew up on the streets of New York. He was the lead singer for the New York hardcore punk band Cro-Mags from 1984 until 1987, though he...
, of the Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...
, in the band 'Both Worlds'. In the mid 1990s, the brothers Rodriguez met with Not4Prophet
Not4Prophet
Prophet is the emcee for the hip hop group X-Vandals, and the former lead singer of the punk rock Latin fusion band Ricanstruction, as well as a graffiti writer and radical political activist...
(Alano Baez
Not4Prophet
Prophet is the emcee for the hip hop group X-Vandals, and the former lead singer of the punk rock Latin fusion band Ricanstruction, as well as a graffiti writer and radical political activist...
, who had recently left the US Army) in order to start a new band fusing their 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
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The band recently resurfaced 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 Juice
Johnny "Juice" Rosado is a DJ, music producer, audio engineer, arrangement, musician, composer, and consultant. He is an original member of The Bomb Squad in the band Public Enemy...
" 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 CBGBCBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
, The Continental, ABC No Rio
ABC No Rio
ABC No Rio is a social center located at 156 Rivington Street on New York City's Lower East Side that was founded in 1980. It features a gallery space, a zine library, a darkroom, a silkscreening studio, and public computer lab...
, Webster Hall
Webster Hall
Webster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...
, The Knitting Factory
Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
, Wetlands 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
Hilly Kristal
Hilly Kristal was an American club owner 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:...
. 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 RecordsTower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
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, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
followed suit shortly thereafter.
Albums
- EPB (1997)
- Liberation Day (1998)
- Abu Jamal (1999)
- UnAmerican (2001)
- Love+Revolution (2004)
External links
- Official band website
- Ricanstruction on Myspace
- Ricanstruction on CBGB Records