Benjy Melendez's guest appearances

Benjy Melendez

The Cipher

Oh No! Not...

Shea Serrano

Marty Sklar

Paul Wall

Ras Kass

Jack Thriller

Talib Kweli

Robert Greene

Ursula K. Le Guin

Ben Westhoff

David Banner

Boots Riley

Joe Budden

Vinnie Paz

Barry Crimmins

Sophia Chang

OwlTail

Denis Johnson

Jim Bunning

On this week's episode we discuss a beloved Rhode Islander, a Hall of Fame pitcher who turned into a terrible politician, the author of Jesus' Son and the inspiration behind the Warriors.

Episode 20 - Oh No! Not Saucy Sylvia, Jim Bunning, Denis Johnson and Benjy Melendez!

This week, our guest is Benjy Melendez, founder, President, and singer of the Ghetto Brothers. He is joined by his co-author and friend, Amir Said.The Ghetto Brothers were one of the largest and most powerful street gangs in the Bronx in the late 1960s and early 70s - a time when the borough, and New York City as a whole, had plenty to choose from. At its height, the organization had around 2,000 members city-wide. But after one of their key figures got killed by rival gangs, Benjy devoted his efforts to peace, and held a now-famous peace treaty meeting at the Hoe Avenue center in the Bronx in 1971 - a gathering that set the stage for the ending of the gang era and the beginnings of hip-hop.In addition to being a powerful organization, the Ghetto Brothers were also a rock and roll band. They only released one album, 1971’s Power Fuerza, but it became a prized collectors item, notable for its surprisingly sweet lyrics and Beatle-esque melodies, Latin percussion, and unique backstory.While parts of Benjy’s story have been shared in the new documentary Rubble Kings and even in a graphic novel, the new book by Benjy and Amir Said, Ghetto Brother: How I Found Peace in the South Bronx Street Gang Wars, is the first place Benjy shares his entire life story.See http://theciphershow.com/episode/114/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, our guest is Benjy Melendez, founder, President, and singer of the Ghetto Brothers. He is joined by his co-author and friend, Amir Said.The Ghetto Brothers were one of the largest and most powerful street gangs in the Bronx in the late 1960s and early 70s - a time when the borough, and New York City as a whole, had plenty to choose from. At its height, the organization had around 2,000 members city-wide. But after one of their key figures got killed by rival gangs, Benjy devoted his efforts to peace, and held a now-famous peace treaty meeting at the Hoe Avenue center in the Bronx in 1971 - a gathering that set the stage for the ending of the gang era and the beginnings of hip-hop.In addition to being a powerful organization, the Ghetto Brothers were also a rock and roll band. They only released one album, 1971’s Power Fuerza, but it became a prized collectors item, notable for its surprisingly sweet lyrics and Beatle-esque melodies, Latin percussion, and unique backstory.While parts of Benjy’s story have been shared in the new documentary <a href="http://rubblekings.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rubble Kings</a> and even in a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Brother-Peacemaker-Julian-Voloj/dp/1561639486" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">graphic novel</a>, the new book by Benjy and Amir Said, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghetto-Brother-Found-Peace-Street/dp/0974970468/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1428522188&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=Ghetto+Brother" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ghetto Brother: How I Found Peace in the South Bronx Street Gang Wars</a>, is the first place Benjy shares his entire life story.See <a href="http://theciphershow.com/episode/114/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://theciphershow.com/episode/114/</a> for full show notes and comments.

114: Benjy Melendez of the Ghetto Brothers