How Did a Jewish South Bronx Gang Leader Shape Hip Hop? | Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- Benjamin Melendez, also known as “Yellow Benjy,” was the gang leader of The Ghetto Brothers in the 1970’s Bronx. Descended from Puerto Rican conversos (or anusim), Melendez grew up watching his parents practice Jewish rituals in secret, and only discovered and reclaimed his Jewish heritage as an adult.
Melendez played a pivotal role in creating an historic peace treaty among warring Bronx gangs. This not only mitigated violence between them, but also resulted in the blending of musical styles popular among the various gangs, ultimately leading to the birth of modern hip hop.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:36 Crypto Jewish childhood experience
01:35 Childhood experience in the South Bronx
02:23 1970s South Bronx gangs
02:58 Leader of the Ghetto Brothers
04:04 Acts of service and young leaders-to-be
05:00 Commitment to peace
06:03 The gangs meeting and peace treaty
06:31 Fusion of music styles
07:17 The birth of modern hip hop
08:00 Benjy Melendez's return to Judaism
08:37 Benjy Melendez's legacy
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Image and footage credits:
Mac Miller
Action Bronson
Aubrey Marcus
The Island Def Jam Music Group
Cash Money Records
Doja Cat
Saboteur Digital
City Lore
Eric Wingate
Timeline
CUNY TV
Ric Burns
King Klast
Pacific Arts Entertainment
Plain Sight productions
Perry Kretz
Can You Dig It (Pete Chelala, Bryan Master)
Joe Conzo Jr.
United Bronx Parents Archive
John Lennon
Librado Romero
Alejandro Olivera
Julian Voloj
David Gonzales
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Executive Producer:
- Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
- Shmuel Katz
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Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires, www.livrariasafra.com.br, @safralivraria
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#newyork #history #music
Why is this gang different from all other gangs?
Thank you for this video.
🙏
They have the most political power 😂
0:50 - Inquisition was long over? It depends on how you define that phrase. Little known to most people today, the Inquisition affected Jews even in Latin America up until its end in 1820 - just 130 years before the birth of Benjamin Melendez and only a few generations removed from his parents, who may have been old enough to remember eye-witness stories from their forebears.
I remember my maternal great grandparents observing Jewish rituals in the Dominican Republic. I would ask my other family members what are they doing. And they tell me oh that’s just what old people do.
Viva judea latina
Benjamin Melendez has no Jewish ancestry, he is as Jewish as Black Hebrew Israelites are LMAOOO
This video is quite laughable to insinuate that jews had a hand in shaping hip hop when all the guy did was join a gang and put together a party and that somehow makes him instrumental to the genre of hip hop? Give me a break everyone knows hip hop roots are with black people sure they have been other races that have contributed to the art form over time but the foundation was laid out by black people without us there is no hip hop music period and everyone knows we set the trends and have the swag that other races try to duplicate the same way Elvis Presley learned how to sway his hips from watching Jackie Wilson do it
Drake cave man face knows this.
There's a difference between contributing and participating in. For instance, GM Flash contributed by innovating the quick mix. Many of the people who came along later were merely biting off of it, as it was not their culture. They were benefiting, not contributing. This guy did nothing. Just another minority group trying to claim Black achievement.
I’m a poor Italian Jew that lives in the hood in Philadelphia that raps keeping this tradition alive lol
Good keeping spitting bars
@Chestermcfly420
I am a Silician Jew ✡️
@@tashikoweinstein435 respect to my fellow, Italian Jew
I'm in Philly too. A black Jew. We should connect.
@@bowlerfamilyfor real? Like a Jew Jew, or like a “Black Hebrew Israelite ‘Jew’”? (No disrespect either way, just curious. I’m never sure these days. Most black Jews I’ve known were Ethiopian)
What did this have to do with the creation of Hip Hop. Stop the BS. These guys had nothing to do with the Creation of Hip Hop. People are reaching to the fullest. Word. Lol
The song “Imagine” really began with Yoko Ono, who has now been given co-writing credit with John Lennon. John was inspired by her book entitled “Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings,” first published in 1964.
❤❤❤❤great videos….always looking forward to the next one
I would have never known about this, not in a thousand years! I am not fond of Hip Hop in any way, but this is a most fascinating story!
Latinos lie about being European and that includes Jewish here. This is a lie. Don't be fooled.
The best was from the 79 to the late 80's. But the more corporate America got a hold of it, the more the spirit of it changed. It began to get really negative in the 90's. And now..... Well.... I stopped listening to it when they started disrespecting women and glorifying violence. That was back in the 90s. It had ceased to be the party music I grew up with in the Bronx in the 70's and early 80's.
Great video. Thank you
Good video
" EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AND An AWESOME CHANNEL "
#ALREADY
💯
Hip hop was created by Blacks. Other groups made contributions too. It’s still a black art form.
White people brought it to the forefront when it was underground.
just like basketball is a white sport
Nope, my man. No.
We Puerto ricans were there from the beginning.
true, tribe of Judah.
Oh, my man, this is a BAD BAD time for us to claim Drake....... 🙄🙄😬
😂 i was thinking that
😂😂😂😂
why because one person slandered him with a public platform, there is no proof of any allegations against him
Mf got bodied
Claim Danny Devito!
Yes...a long history of exploiting hip-hop to get rich while leaving the artist poor.
Prayers for peaceful solutions
that is church.
That dude looks like Miguel Cotto!
great story!
You have great videos
You said it yourself at the beginning ..Benjamin Melendez..."OK THAT LAST ONE MIGHT NOT RING A BELL" 😢
Everyone tells you that Hip Hop belongs to the Black Community and no one else! As a Colombian Jew, I am both honored and grateful that a Latino with Jewish Heritage ✡️ is responsible for such beautiful music! I will carry this newfound knowledge with me for the rest of my life!!
Your crazy
You wish Jewish and Latinos created hip hop 🤣🤣
It belongs to black Americans
😂
Stop the cap.
Yellow Benji looked like John Leguizamo
This gave me a new respect for Hip-Hop. Fun fact, Jews also played a big part in the Rock and Metal industries.
Fun fact: they play a big part in pornography and drug smuggling as well
Exploiting?
@shafsteryellow No, silly. Playing and releasing music. Ozzy Osborne's wife, Sharon, helped him pick himself back together and explode in the industry after being kicked out of Black Sabbath (it's in Ozzy's biography), Kiss, the Ramones, Manowar, and Disturbed all have Jewish band members, and that's just off the top of my head. Just search on Google "Jews in the Rock and Metal industries" and see what you find. We are a musical nation, and justly proud of it.
no your people do that all to themselves , stop blaming others and usurping others cultures
take responsibility
Fun fact, they play a big part in the pornography industry and played a big part in slavery as well.
Benjamin Melendez was a Bnei Anussim (Descendent of crypto-jews). In Brazil and other countries of Latin America have many Bnei Anussim.
I can’t tell if we’re joking or not? “Ben Anus”? What’s a crypto-Jew? Is that like an insufferable crypto-bro? Edit: oh I guess he talks about crypto Jews in the video lol. Oops. Man I speak Hebrew fluently and idk what Ben Anus is lol but it makes me laugh
@@MisterK-YTI’m glad you said it lol I was also like huh?
that is basically most AA.
@@MisterK-YTbnei anusim are the descendants of Jews forced to convert to Christianity during the period of the inquisition, also called crypto-Jews for practicing Judaism in a hidden way.
I always knew those new York Hispanics 🇨🇺🇩🇴🇵🇷🇺🇲 are sefardim.
I have something like 1% levantine, 1% North Africa, in the past the result would show as 1% European Jewish. And my last name is Leiva I think is Iberian Jewish but still not confirmed.
I love old school derogatory gang symbols lol
That's lie. Latinos lie about being European. You're naive.
You're naive. NY Hispanics are not Jewish. They want to be European so bad.
leiva comes from leyva which isnt Jewish LMAOO its a Spanish last name with nothing to do with Jews, you do not have any Jewish ancestry, what you have is Guanche North African roots, that is all, stop self hating its embarrassing
I have Sefardim roots as well through my dna through my forebears..
So what’s the other 97% of you??
(As a full Jew, I dub thee Jewish)
He never did shape hip hop all he did was use it his style.
He was one of the guys featured in the documentary "Flyin' Cut Sleeves".
Bro, stop lying ... that has nothing to do with creating hip hop ...
somebodys wittle feelings are hurt
@brighthought11 didn't rap didn't make a beat, didn't DJ not even break dance like what part of hip hop they help Create.... you people can't stop lying....
@@corey1time897 prove what you say, wheres your proof?
best rapper and best beat maker are Jews
@@brighthought11 you guys levels of delusion never cease to amaze me 😂 if you guys created hip hop then how come I don't see jewish people in other places around the world hip hop dancing, rapping, and making beats? Not even the orthodox jews are doing anything remotely close to this you know why? Because yall don't have no rhythm at all, every dance move, and beat you guys do is copied off of a black person same way Elvis Presley learned how to move his hips from Jackie Wilson another black man we are the trend setters every body copies us because we have natural swag
This a great vid.
😒 I done more research and this is mostly bs. Stop giving hip hop origin to other group besides FBA 🤦🏾♂️ every want a piece of us.
tribe of Judah, Shalawam.
Amazing story. Would have love to know him.
The fact that that absolutely god-awful corny-ass nonsensical bullshit John Lennon song actually inspired someone to do good in the world fills me with strong yet conflicting emotions.
Thanks for another beautiful history lesson and introduction to a good lesson in history where people can decide to do good even when everything else around them tries to pull them aside ✌️
Uh oh here we go. Now they’re gna accuse us of trying to take credit for hip hop and control the industry and blah blah blah.
These history videos are the best videos you guys do I heard about him never knew he was jewish they say gangs like the ghetto brothers and the black spades and others were the basis of the movie the warriors
Glad you liked it!
@UNPACKED what are your thoughts on the warriors the movie loosely based on these gangs like the black spades ghetto brothers and others
Is the movie the warriors based on this guy?
Close…. He knew he was an Israelite. Puerto Rico is known for having Hebrew roots. Nothing to do with euro Jews who simply converted. Hip hop was created by American blacks, with help from Puerto Ricans and euro Jews ofcourse marketed it cuz somehow records labels are mostly… so yea
I've seen a few hip hop documentaries and ghetto brothers has never Been mentioned...DJ KOOL HERC IS part of the beginning but don't tell us it was because of the reunions ghetto brothers did.. they played FOLK MUSIC!!!
😒😒😒😒😒 straight BS.
Shaped Hip hop? You must be smoking one of the drugs you are talking about.
we patent a artform
If you believe the part of your story when it comes to hip hop I have the golden gate and the Brooklyn bridge on sale for $2. Part of being a good journalist is fact checking that sh$&! Bogus. It was a beautiful story that should not have included hip hop at the end.
What about Serch?
So what happened to him? I'm assuming he died but how and when?
We did not know about it ⁉
I’m familiar with South Bronx.
Let's never forget...the Spanish Inquisition was led by the Roman Catholic Church. The same religious institution that exists today. This is a historical fact. And again, I'll remind you, this institution still exists today.
Okay... And...
@@goyonman9655 Point is obvious....the Roman Catholic Church is notorious for persecuting and murdering Jews. And it still exists today....the point is obvious.
This why I always say our real enemies our Christians and not the Muslims. We have been fooled by these Christians who donate to Israel they want our destruction or to convert all us in the end times they all support Israel to fulfill a prophecy of the "new testament" while we kill each other for the holy land we're being played. To criticize my government is not un-American and to criticize Israeli government as a Jew for how it's handling the war Gaza is not anti semitic. The Torah teaches us a better way let's live up those teachings and not the teachings of hate. We must be like Abraham when he asked God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if they're are 10 righteous people there. Are we to destroy them all? Why can we live together? End the wars everywhere I know in my heart the messiah is among us and world will know of the God of Israel soon I know this because I have faith that the world will have peace God bless and watch over all us
Thank God for the inquisition it was needed.
@@dassolosyndikat5113 One of these comments never fail. The Roman Catholic Church agrees with you, and it's still covertly persecuting Jews and Israel.
I cannot believe that you made an 8 minute video trying to disprove that the Black community started Hip-Hop only to further prove that the Black community started Hip-Hop and influenced others. Smh
Nyc back then looked like a war grounds
Lies
I mean ain't all of Spanish homies part Jewish...I heard my grandfather family.were converso Jews from majorca
What does him being a Jew gotta do with anything though ?
Why are you even watching a Jewish video tho?
@@ClickbaitMotorsportsYou mean Turki Khazri, the indigenous Jews of Iran and Iraq
I mention the Hebrew Spaniard connection to my Puerto Rican friends all the time. They enjoy learning about it
It’s like the bronx now. What’s old is new.
Damn 🙏🏾I would hv loved to see that NY .. Warriors lol.May that memory continue to a blessing baby hahaha .. Mr.Softy 🤪 Mad luv to ALL 5 Boroughs . Tato Sephardic💙🤍❤️
So the warriors was based on them
What an amazing story
could you do this , we must stop calling ourselves ish , i once had a person that we were talking about history he is a sfrican tinidadian i am a sephadic jamaican , yeah combination , so when i told his i was jewish because the word sephidim didnt ring a bell , so he said that we are jewish and not jews , because according to him every thing is black , so that day i realize we must stop saying ish and that we are not ish be real.
I hate the song Imagine! There is a GOD!
You need to relisten to the song
I blame Gump😂
I find it funny that Benji took inspiration from a "Wife Beater"
I'm muslim and drakes the best jewish artist... ppl shouldn't call him a plant because he's jewish...
Nope the best is Rakim from tribe of Judah.
Lame paid propaganda piece.
haha
I am of jewish descend, a big part of my family follows the jewish religion and the talmud, I don't because my grandfather is a goy of italian descend, not only I descend from jews I descend from the converted egyptians that escaped with Moses from egypt
I can tell you all without a doubt, if your ancestors failed thousands of years ago, you will fail again today and in the future as well, this "Judaism" which is not real Judaism as the one Abraham wanted will fail, and the reason why is not because of "whites", or because of the Arabs, or the chinese, or the black people that realize what you are doing, the reason you will fail is because your main enemy is God, and what is God? God is Verb, humans adapt, humans evolve, the poison of the past doesn't work today and the poison of today won't work in the future because that's how Humans work, our consciousness comes from God and God guides all our actions, eventually you will run out of lies and whoever is your enemy at the time will defeat you and all this will end, or you can repent and start changing things for good so God doesn't punish you in the future, call it Karma, call it nature, but God is unavoidable
Typical of you shaping the narrative to steal, you didn't even say he HELPED, no, you said he SHAPED, that is a lie. The Ghetto Brothers got involved in Hip Hop that was already shaped, they are not credited with shaping Hip Hop, which was shaped by a Jamaican-American Dj DJ Kool Herc and a Barbadian-American Dj, Rapper and Producer Grandmaster Flash (I am Barbadian).
Sephardim (Spanish) are European, a mixture of Crusading Europeans and Africans and Arabs. Europeans invaded N.E. Africa starting with the Greeks and Romans, and then the official crusades. The Torah is Patriarchal, this is why the land was promised to Abram/Abraham who was not a Jew, in fact, Jew is NOT a Nationality or a Bloodline, it is a religious title of anyone who has Judaism as their faith, which is a European construct, there is no religion in the Torah. Jew is derivative of Judah originally, it couldn't stick, so now a Jew is from Judea, but Judea is Greek from "Hebrew" Judah, and Judah is 1 out of 12 Tribes of Israel, and in the Book of Numbers, God said you are not to mix, every tribe must preserve there inheritance. So now, how is it possible for some Europeans with a made up religion can overrule God ? Such a joke.
why is it stealing? he didn't say they invented it, he said 'shaped' it like how murica "shaped" sushi.
many of the hip hops were coded with revolutions or war, as many ppl didn't understand the african languahes and used that as beats and sounds in the songs. making hip hops that talks about togetherness and perhaps love wasn't so popular at that time? learn your own history
for your other antisemitic delulu theory - the bible is a TRADITION of jewish tribes, who were expelled from their land Judea, to learn and inspire ourself to become a free sociaty after running away from slavery/executions/traumas since we know ourselves. the bible is our values of life and how to not hate ppl like you who are obsessed with us or other ppl who try to convert/k*ll us, something you might need to learn to understand. you can start with our 10 commandments -
you should learn not to spread lies and shit you don't actually know.
Jew as in Judea...so you wanna use the title "Judean" instead? Go ahead. It's the same thing. Being a "Jew" is more than a religious title.
@@ClickbaitMotorsports, Jew is more than a religious title, fine, it is NOT a Nationality, it is NOT a Bloodline, period.
This man is speaking absolute truth.
Good on you brother, go and educate more people.
@@BBWahoo What part? The Hip-Hop part? I personally don't care for Hip-Hop, so whatever. The Jew part? The Jew part is completely wrong.
Black America Y'all see this bull💩. We knew this would happen. 🤷🏿♂️
Yep. Next thing you know they will say Tupac is one of them
You tellin' me there aren't any black Jews?
Yup its not enough that they own most of the record labels now they got to insert themselves and take all the credit like they were the ones in the streets beat boxing and rapping
@@kevinsamuelsghost685 Oh lord. Ya need to stop istening to that Communist propaganda from the NOI. Communism is inherently racist against Jews, and Communism has hijacked the legitimate black American struggle. Just as the foxy, white Liberals used the black American struggle to gain votes, this whole new Communist/Progressive movement has done the same. Open your eyes.
@@ClickbaitMotorsports what makes you think I listened to the NOI? 😂 most hip hop labels are owned by jews that's just a fact nothing antisemitic about it but what I find hilarious is they made this video to insinuate that this Puerto Rican guy was instrumental in shaping hip hop and he wasn't I never heard of him or any songs he produced when they ask any famous rappers who were their influences and idols growing up not one of them ever mentions this guy's name hmmmm I wonder why that is
👍 👌 💯 % frm 🇿🇦 ✌️ ☮️ 🕊 🏳️
The mentioning of Drake... meh...
Halachically Jew - yes, But as far as getting into the culture, look for his people... nope.
only uses the Jewish Card to gain points, just as he uses his Black Card.
Yes, he's a hitmaker, songwriter, superstar, right
But that's it (or maybe some more allegations 🤷♂)
Blood of Abraham & Necro 👀
There's tons of converso's reawakening to their Jewish roots in the American southwest and Mexico
very inspirational. it's important to always make ground up organic changes based on the situation and the culture that you're in. anyone who belittles it or judges it based on antieemitic feelings is ignorant. jews have done a lot more than others, wherever they lived and often times because the movement gets taken to a bad place, they get blamed for it.
My son Aaron miles is a man jew im Chinese David
This has got to be the most asinine thing I have ever witness this guy did not shape hip hop if you would have said he "contributed" or "participated" in it than that would have been acceptable but to say he help "shaped" hip hop is a reach. Name me one song he did that was impactful or that people know him for? Better yet find me any rapper in the modern era (late 90's to present) that mention this guy's name as an inspiration and an influence to their music? Truth is you won't find anything about him because he wasn't that impactful to the genre of hip hop and I feel like you guys are trying to take credit for a genre of music that was created by black people
God bless Israel and IDF!!!
Hip Hop is for EVERYBODY.
So is land. One group can't claim a magic book gives them ownership
Hip hop brought everybody together.
Its Black Culture....
@@dassolosyndikat5113 Yeah right
@@dassolosyndikat5113 it's for everybody now because its been heavily commercialized and bastardized but let's not pretend like white people openly embraced the art form from the beginning MTV in the early days wouldn't play music videos that featured black artist
Forgot Lenny Kravitz
With respect,LK is not part of the hip-hop culture just because he's mixed with Black and Jewish
@@daughterofeveandhateroflil2683 BS
@@HK-ve1wg why do you think that's BS? 🤔
@@daughterofeveandhateroflil2683 because it is. Lenny Kravitz has many contributions to organizations, and all music genres. Prove me wrong!!! 🤨
@@HK-ve1wg he's a singer,not a rapper,that's why he's not part of the hip-hop world.
Wikipedia: "Lenny Kravitz" and it'll tell you what he is
YW!
He may have had an influence but Jamaicans started Hip Hop.......
Absolutely absurd. And a lie.
prove it
Only way to have peace is by Jesus Christ.
Such a positive story 🙏❤️🇮🇱
I'm so proud of my ancestors, Sephardic Jews from Spain and then we became crypto Jews, the traditions was keeping in every holidays even do we was catholic. Today I embraces the traditions and our identity very openly Im Jew and proud to all of my order's.
Los Abrazo a todos mis hermanos Judios del Mundo ❤️🇮🇱✡️🫂
Jews are so talented in everything!!!!!!! Who says they are not the chosen people?????
all their haters
Spanish brothers✡️💪💯❤️
🇮🇱♥️🇮🇱🙏
that for me is being jewish in a nutshell
Stop the Genocide
Stop your lying.
The Arab genocide in Darfur?
Stop the Taqiyya 🤥
stop islamism
@@jps0117 stop the genocide marrano
Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick blues is also called First Rap Song....Bob Dylan is also a Jewish Guy.
shhh people dont like inconvenient truths
just like a ton of blues and motown was written by Jews for black artists
shhhh too much truth
What this got to do with black American people nothing