The Welfare Poets
Encyclopedia
The Welfare Poets are an Afro-Caribbean Hip Hop band that was established in 1990 by Ray Ramirez and Hector Rivera at Cornell University. They have toured the United States, Puerto Rico
, South America
and across Europe
. The Welfare Poets play Hip Hop with a fusion of Jazz and various styles from the Caribbean
, including Puerto Rico, Cuba
and Jamaica
, complimented with lyrical content concerning social, political and, ecological issues which has made their music especially relevant during the past 20 years. They released their first studio album " Project Blues" in 2000 to critical acclaim. They then followed up in 2005 with the genre bending and thought provoking album "Rhymes For Treason" which gave the world "Sak Pase", "Freedom", and "The Media". In 2009 they released a tour de force entitled "Warn Them", an epic 16 song opus which brought the group back to their hip hop roots.
, Jazz
and music from the Caribbean
(sometimes together - other times separately). The group in addition to performing also takes an active role in community education and organizing around issues regarding social justice. They have been very critical of the American government, as well as voicing support for the Black Liberation struggle and the Puerto Rican Independence Movement
. "With our music, we attempt to use culture as a tool against repression" -Ray Ramirez. Over their last 2 decades of existence, the Welfare Poets have been active in community struggles around police brutality, environmental justice, gentrification
and displacement, the death penalty and political prisoners. notably Mumia and the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners. The Welfare Poets lyrics often deal with social issues facing Black and Brown people.
The album was released in June 2000. There were only 5 band members at that point, most of whom met at Cornell university. Also joining the cadre, elder Harlem
native "Poppa" Dahu Ala (Poet/Musician/social activist/teacher) on trumpet and vocals, Djibril Toure on bass (rehooking up with the band from the early days at Cornell) and Mike Angel on guitar. The album fused various styles of music from a blues/jazz feeling and Caribbean
rhythms. "Project Blues" brought sharply relevant lyrics and left behind it a musical foot print that hearkened back to the Last Poets, Gil Scott Heron and the like. Project Blues contains 15 songs, relentless poetry/rhyming coming from the inner city of New York
(El Barrio
).
The Welfare Poets second effort was released in May 2005. After "Project Blues", the Welfare Poets membership and sound grew, giving more diversity to the type of music performed and venues they could be featured at. From Hip Hop to Jazz, to many Afro-Caribbean musical forms(Bomba
, Plena
, Rumba
), this new sound allowed the music of the welfare poets to be heard around the world as they traveled to latin america
for the 1st time. During this time the welfare poets were also recipients of the Union Square Award.
The Welfare Poets sound continued to evolve over this period. The core band was changing but the Co-founder and lead Emcee/Poet
of the band Ray Ramirez remained to steer the course and shape the new landscape of the collective sound. The Cadre expanded with the youngest member, emcee/producer and Harlem
Puerto Rican, The Legendary MIC (M. Pacheco) joining the collective. In 2007 the band made the first trip to Europe visiting the U.K, Holland and Germany.
Two compilations/fundraisers for social justice where released by the welfare poets during this time. The first of these was "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" a Hip Hop album against the death penalty featuring over 20 artists from around the country and the world released in 2006. All proceeds from that album went to death row prisoners and to help fund various Anti-Death Penalty campaigns. The Second compilation released in September 2009, "The Puerto Rican Freedom Album," was a dual CD of Puerto Rican
artists used to raise funds and awareness for the current Puerto Rican political prisoners and their families.
In august of 2009, 10 years since the release of their first independent album, “Project Blues,” The Welfare Poets released their third album, “Warn Them.” The WP's first Purely Hip Hop release. With Rayzer and The Legendary holding down the collective vocal duties the welfare poets delivered 16 tracks that are a throwback to the days of hard drums, soulful samples and, compelling messages. Ushering a new age of socially responsible Hip Hop. The title track and first major video release from the album, “Warn Them,” is a 6 minute-plus tirade by Rayzer with his non-apologetic, slicing lyrics warning everyone from fake emcees, the pseudo-revolutionaries, to the individual capitalists, multinational corporations and right-wing governments that make it possible for a worldwide system of exploitation to exist.
The Band Continues To tour, teach and organize.
They are gearing up to drop their 4th independent album "Still On Welfare?".
flag represents the independence of Puerto Rico, but more specifically a war to end Spanish colonialism and abolish slavery (El Grito de Lares). Together they stand for the unification of all oppressed people, in particular those of the African Diaspora and the Indigenous in the Americas. It also echoes a voice from our ancestors of resistance in the understanding that we must yield a weapon of justice (the two headed ax of Chango
).
Some of the Café's/Clubs/Restaurants/ Theaters/Halls: The Beal Bodtch Cafe; The Bourboun Street Blues Cafe (Amsterdam, Netherlands); Bowery Poetry Club; Bronx Academy of Art and Dance; Brooklyn Moon Cafe, Café Creole; Café Largo; Cafe Zapata (Berlin); Club Cielo; CBGB Gallery; Como Cocoa Café; Cooper Union Great Hall; The Cotton Club; The Culture Project Theater (45 Bleecker); The Flying Sauvage (Berlin); Frank's Place; Jamm – Speaker's Coner (London); Joloff's Café; The Living Project (Iowa); Lot 51; The Harold Washington Cultural Center (Chicago, Ill.), The Newsroom Bar, The Nia Bar (London); Nuyorican Poets Café, The Nuyorican Café (Puerto Rico); Plan B Bar (London); The Rainbow Pub (Birmingham, England); Rockwells Bar, Sista's Place; The Puffin Room; Sounds of Brazil (SOBs); Strictly Roots Café; The Temple Bar (Cali) and Taller Puertoriqueno (Philadelphia).
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...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The Welfare Poets play Hip Hop with a fusion of Jazz and various styles from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, including Puerto Rico, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, complimented with lyrical content concerning social, political and, ecological issues which has made their music especially relevant during the past 20 years. They released their first studio album " Project Blues" in 2000 to critical acclaim. They then followed up in 2005 with the genre bending and thought provoking album "Rhymes For Treason" which gave the world "Sak Pase", "Freedom", and "The Media". In 2009 they released a tour de force entitled "Warn Them", an epic 16 song opus which brought the group back to their hip hop roots.
History
The band plays a unique mixture of conscious Hip HopHip 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...
, 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...
and music from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
(sometimes together - other times separately). The group in addition to performing also takes an active role in community education and organizing around issues regarding social justice. They have been very critical of the American government, as well as voicing support for the Black Liberation struggle and the Puerto Rican Independence Movement
Puerto Rican independence movement
The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
. "With our music, we attempt to use culture as a tool against repression" -Ray Ramirez. Over their last 2 decades of existence, the Welfare Poets have been active in community struggles around police brutality, environmental justice, gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
and displacement, the death penalty and political prisoners. notably Mumia and the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners. The Welfare Poets lyrics often deal with social issues facing Black and Brown people.
Project Blues Era
- Spring of 1990 - the Summer of 2000
The album was released in June 2000. There were only 5 band members at that point, most of whom met at Cornell university. Also joining the cadre, elder Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
native "Poppa" Dahu Ala (Poet/Musician/social activist/teacher) on trumpet and vocals, Djibril Toure on bass (rehooking up with the band from the early days at Cornell) and Mike Angel on guitar. The album fused various styles of music from a blues/jazz feeling and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
rhythms. "Project Blues" brought sharply relevant lyrics and left behind it a musical foot print that hearkened back to the Last Poets, Gil Scott Heron and the like. Project Blues contains 15 songs, relentless poetry/rhyming coming from the inner city of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(El Barrio
El Barrio
El Barrio can refer to the following:* The Spanish Harlem district of New York* Parts of East Los Angeles* El Barrio , a flamenco band...
).
Rhymes For Treason Era
- Fall of 2000 - to the Summer of 2005
The Welfare Poets second effort was released in May 2005. After "Project Blues", the Welfare Poets membership and sound grew, giving more diversity to the type of music performed and venues they could be featured at. From Hip Hop to Jazz, to many Afro-Caribbean musical forms(Bomba
Bomba
Bomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
, Plena
Plena
Plena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
, Rumba
Rumba
Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...
), this new sound allowed the music of the welfare poets to be heard around the world as they traveled to latin america
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
for the 1st time. During this time the welfare poets were also recipients of the Union Square Award.
Warn Them Era
- Fall of 2005 - Summer of 2009
The Welfare Poets sound continued to evolve over this period. The core band was changing but the Co-founder and lead Emcee/Poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
of the band Ray Ramirez remained to steer the course and shape the new landscape of the collective sound. The Cadre expanded with the youngest member, emcee/producer and Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
Puerto Rican, The Legendary MIC (M. Pacheco) joining the collective. In 2007 the band made the first trip to Europe visiting the U.K, Holland and Germany.
Two compilations/fundraisers for social justice where released by the welfare poets during this time. The first of these was "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" a Hip Hop album against the death penalty featuring over 20 artists from around the country and the world released in 2006. All proceeds from that album went to death row prisoners and to help fund various Anti-Death Penalty campaigns. The Second compilation released in September 2009, "The Puerto Rican Freedom Album," was a dual CD of Puerto Rican
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...
artists used to raise funds and awareness for the current Puerto Rican political prisoners and their families.
In august of 2009, 10 years since the release of their first independent album, “Project Blues,” The Welfare Poets released their third album, “Warn Them.” The WP's first Purely Hip Hop release. With Rayzer and The Legendary holding down the collective vocal duties the welfare poets delivered 16 tracks that are a throwback to the days of hard drums, soulful samples and, compelling messages. Ushering a new age of socially responsible Hip Hop. The title track and first major video release from the album, “Warn Them,” is a 6 minute-plus tirade by Rayzer with his non-apologetic, slicing lyrics warning everyone from fake emcees, the pseudo-revolutionaries, to the individual capitalists, multinational corporations and right-wing governments that make it possible for a worldwide system of exploitation to exist.
Still On Welfare? Era
- Spring of 2010 -
The Band Continues To tour, teach and organize.
They are gearing up to drop their 4th independent album "Still On Welfare?".
Discography
- Studio albums
- Project Blues (2000)
- Rhymes for treason (2005)
- Warn Them (2009)
- Compilation Fundraisers
- Cruel and Unusual Punishment (2007)
- The Freedom Album (2009)
Their Symbol
It embodies the union of the founding members of the group. The Red, Black and Green flag represents the struggle for self- determination by African Americans here in the United States, and the LaresLares
Lares , archaically Lases, were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries or fruitfulness, hero-ancestors, or an amalgam of these....
flag represents the independence of Puerto Rico, but more specifically a war to end Spanish colonialism and abolish slavery (El Grito de Lares). Together they stand for the unification of all oppressed people, in particular those of the African Diaspora and the Indigenous in the Americas. It also echoes a voice from our ancestors of resistance in the understanding that we must yield a weapon of justice (the two headed ax of Chango
Chango
Chango may refer to:People*José de Jesús Méndez Vargas , nickname El Chango, alleged Mexican drug cartel leader*Chango Spasiuk , Argentine chamamé musician and accordion player...
).
Current Line-Up
- Ray Ramirez (Rayzer Sharp) - Founder/Emcee/percussion (cua/barilles)
- Mike Pacheco (The Legendary M.I.C.) - Emcee/production/percussion (barilles)
- Dahu Ala - vocals/trumpet
- John Maurice Restrepo - flute/sax
- Lillian Marrero (Storm) - vocals
- Yelimara Concepcion (Beba) - dance/vocals
- Matt Snow - bass
- Nelson Cabassa - drums (barilles)/ vocals
- Ines Mangual Cabassa - drums (barriles), dance, vocals
- Kaila Paulino - vocals, drums (barriles)
"Forever Fam"
- Hector Rivera
- Djibril Toure
- Jamaki Knight
- Emi Augustin
- Fidel Paulino
- Jorge Vazquez
- Camilo Molina
- Alkebulan
Past Venues
Colleges and Universities: Boricua College; Brown University; Buffalo State University;Central Connecticut State; Columbia University; Cornell University, CUNY – BMCC, City College Hunter, Queens College; Dartmouth University; D'youville College; Eastern Connecticut State University, Harvard University, Haverford College, Hostos, Ithaca College, Johnson and Wales; Marymount Manhattan College; Middlebury College; Mountclair State; Mt. Holyoke; New York University; New Jersey Institute of Technology; Pratt University;Northern Illinois University; Princeton University; Rutgers University; Smith College; Stevenson College; Stonybrook University; SUNY Albany; SUNY Binghamton SUNY Buffalo, SUNY New Paltz; SUNY Old Westbury; SUNY Purchase; Swathmore; Syracuse University; Union College; UC Berkeley; University of Maryland; U Mass at Amherst; University of Nevada - Las Vegas; University of St. Thomas—Houston, Texas; Vassar; Wesleyan University and Yale University.Some of the Café's/Clubs/Restaurants/ Theaters/Halls: The Beal Bodtch Cafe; The Bourboun Street Blues Cafe (Amsterdam, Netherlands); Bowery Poetry Club; Bronx Academy of Art and Dance; Brooklyn Moon Cafe, Café Creole; Café Largo; Cafe Zapata (Berlin); Club Cielo; CBGB Gallery; Como Cocoa Café; Cooper Union Great Hall; The Cotton Club; The Culture Project Theater (45 Bleecker); The Flying Sauvage (Berlin); Frank's Place; Jamm – Speaker's Coner (London); Joloff's Café; The Living Project (Iowa); Lot 51; The Harold Washington Cultural Center (Chicago, Ill.), The Newsroom Bar, The Nia Bar (London); Nuyorican Poets Café, The Nuyorican Café (Puerto Rico); Plan B Bar (London); The Rainbow Pub (Birmingham, England); Rockwells Bar, Sista's Place; The Puffin Room; Sounds of Brazil (SOBs); Strictly Roots Café; The Temple Bar (Cali) and Taller Puertoriqueno (Philadelphia).