U.N.I.T.Y. - Hip-Hop, Reconnection, and the Latinx Community
EP. 02: U.N.I.T.Y. - Hip-Hop, Reconnection, and the Latinx Community
Music has the ability to bring us all together. For some, hip-hop is where it all started in the Boogie Down Bronx with the Black and Latino community. At some point a split happened and our guest on this episode wants to foster reconnection between these communities for the love of hip-hop culture. But how can that happen with the Latino community is so divided itself? In this episode, Community Director and Hip-Hop Cultural Specialist Jeffrey Roe talks about how he found belonging, barriers to reconnection between the Black and Latino community, and how hip-hop just might help bridge the gap.
Listen to the full episode:
About the guest:
Jeffrey Roe builds community for a podcast called The Rap Dads Show as well as the Sway in the Morning Show on SiriusXM. The Rap Dads Show explores the journey of fatherhood through the lens of Hip-Hop in an effort to correct the narrative of Black and Brown fathers and Sway in the Morning in a morning drive radio show hosted by Sway Calloway on Shade 45, a SiriusXM channel by Executive Producer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Eminem.
Over the course of his 13 year journey as a community professional, Jeff has had the privilege to work with dozens of brands in roles leading teams of community managers that helped empower organizations to achieve measurable business growth by building meaningful relationships with their customers. This included the strategizing, execution, and measurement of community programs for brands like SiriusXM, Facebook, Best Buy, H&R Block, Meta Quest, Red Table Talk, and Bayer.
Outside of his 9 to 5, Jeff also serves as a Donor Member of PRS Fest / Puerto Rock Steady. The PRS Festival is an annual multi-genre music, dance, and arts festival that brings together the finest talents in music, dance, art, and culture with a meaningful purpose: To preserve the stories and honor the contributions of the Latino Community in the four elements of Hip-Hop - DJs, Rappers, Graffiti artists, and Dancers.
Jeff is an Irish Nuyorican who was raised in Jersey City, NJ and he currently resides in St. Petersburg, FL. He also spent a few years living in Austin, TX during his tenure at Khoros. In his spare time, Jeff loves going to concerts, watching movies and TV. He also fancy himself a video production aficionado and enjoy connecting with members of the film community in his local area.
Links referenced in the show:
K7 of TKA on the origins of Freestyle
John Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons Official Trailer
Leguizamo Does America Official Trailer
Voces American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos Extended Preview
Leguizamo Does America Caguana Ceremonial Grounds Clip
Photos from Jeff's visit to Caguana
KRS-One on Latinos in Hip Hop
Where Jeff has been quoted:
Documentary - The Latin Breakdown: Hip Hop's Latino Connection (clip audio is used at the very end of the doc in the last scene before the credits roll)
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