Before reggaeton, before Big Pun, before "Latin rap" was even a category, there was The Mean Machine.

In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Rivera, better known as Mr. Schick, the hip-hop pioneer known as the first MC to rap in Spanish on a commercial record. As a member of The Mean Machine, a group of Puerto Rican MCs out of New York City, he made history on the 1981 single "Disco Dream," released on the legendary Sugar Hill Records. The Mean Machine is widely cited as the first bilingual rap group, and one of the first to blend English and Spanish on wax. They helped open the door for every Latino artist in hip-hop who came after.

We get into: 🎤 How Latin music shaped The Mean Machine's sound 🇵🇷 Being Puerto Rican in the Bronx-born culture of hip-hop 🗣️ Latino and Afro-Latino identity in hip-hop 📼 The group's 1986 follow-up, "At The Party," and the legacy they left behind This is a history lesson from someone who lived it. Hip-hop's story has always been bilingual.

Mr Schick IG: @mr.schick_tmm

Race Of Your Own IG: @raceofyourown

This week on Race of Your Own, actress and storyteller Adargiza De Los Santos joins us to talk about identity, Hollywood, and what it means to take up space when the room was never built for you. Adargiza grew up in Brooklyn straddling two worlds: a Dominican household and American everything else. She was code-switching before there was even a word for it. Her mother, an immigrant, raised 8 kids sola y sin ayuda, and that strength runs through everything Adargiza does. Somewhere between those two worlds she found storytelling, the one thing that made sense in both languages. Today you've seen her in The Pitt, Ted, The Lincoln Lawyer, Abbott Elementary, The Horror of Dolores Roach, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Grey's Anatomy, This Is Us, Shameless, Bosch, Criminal Minds, and Castle. Before Hollywood she was a Museum Educator at El Museo del Barrio, The Museum of the City of New York, and The Queens Museum of Art. There she used storytelling to give people access to art and history that was never meant for them. Her motto: build the door if it doesn't exist. Ya tú sabes.

In this episode: 🔸 Growing up Afro-Dominican in Brooklyn and learning to live in two cultures 🔸 How Afro-Latinas are seen, and too often overlooked, in Hollywood 🔸 Lessons from a mother who raised 8 kids on her own 🔸 Turning museums and classrooms into spaces of belonging 🔸 Living in New York, Houston, Puerto Rico, and Spain, and reconnecting with her Dominican roots 🔸 Her work as a mental health advocate and why being different is never being wrong 📲

Follow Adargiza: Instagram @adargizadelossantos

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#AfroLatina #Dominicana #AfroLatino #LatinaActress #ThePitt #AbbottElementary #LatinoStories #Representation #DominicanAmerican #RaceOfYourOwn

Choreographer and creative director Noel Bajandas breaks down the real work behind the biggest stages in pop culture, from Madonna to Miley Cyrus and Kim Petras. In this episode, the mind behind Kim Petras's viral "Future Starts Now" debut and "Coconuts" EMA performance opens up about 25+ years in dance, choreography, and creative direction. Noel Bajandas has choreographed and performed with Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Adam Lambert, and Thalía and his film work includes the Oscar-winning "La La Land," the Michael Jackson biopic "Michael," "In The Heights," and "SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run." On TV, he's brought his choreography to "Dancing With The Stars," "So You Think You Can Dance," and the Emmy-winning Hulu series "East Los High." He spent time performing with Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium." A World Choreography Award winner for SuperFruit's "The Sweet Life" and a top-three finisher on "Every Single Step," Noel now works with rising pop artists Bryce Xavier, Alice Chater, Kaitlin Butts, and Frankie Grande, all while training dancers worldwide as a sought-after master teacher. This episode goes beyond the highlight reel. Noel talks candidly about the grind behind the glamour, how he built a career as a choreographer and creative director, and what it really takes to survive and thrive in the entertainment industry. 🎬 Watch now to hear Noel Bajandas tell all. Noel Bajandas Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/noelbajanda... RSS FEED : https://rss.com/podcasts/araceofyourown/ SUBSCRIBE to our Substack : https://raceofyourown.substack.com/ Race Of Your Own Instagram: / raceofyourown