Mambo and Hip-Hop: Two Bronx Sounds, One Sense of Dignity
From The New York Times
By JON PARELES
Published: September 14, 2006
Neighborhood pride ties together “From Mambo to Hip-Hop: A South Bronx Tale,” a documentary being shown tonight in New York at 9 on WNET as part of the “Voces” series on Latin Americans. The D.J. KaySlay performs his art in a Bronx playground in 1982.
“From Mambo to Hip-Hop” dances through the history of a borough that nurtured two musical movements: the mambo that evolved into salsa, and the hip-hop that arose from the most desperate days of the South Bronx. Produced by Elena Martinez and Steve Zeitlin, who are principals in the New York folklore group City Lore, and directed by Henry Chalfant, a longtime chronicler of the South Bronx who collaborated on the early-1980’s documentary “Style Wars,” “From Mambo” rushes by, driven by rhythms that change through the decades.