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Ghetto Brothers | |
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| Also known as | The Ghetto Brothers |
| Origin | United States Puerto Rico |
| Genres | Funk Soul Latin Latin rock Psychedelic rock Salsa Garage rock Rock en Español |
| Years active | 1964-Present |
| Labels | Salsa Records |
| Members | Benjamin "Yellow Benjy" Melendez (lead vocals) Victor Melendez (bass) Luis Bristo (drums) Franky Valentin(timbales) Chiqui Concepcion (Congas) Angelo Garcia (Bongos) David Silva (lead guitar) Robert Melendez (rhythm guitar) |
TheGhetto Brothers were agang andmusic group[1] founded in New York City's SouthBronx in the late 1960s with the motivation to uplift young Latino and Black men in their community.
Founded in New York City's SouthBronx in the late 1960s, the gang eventually spread to much of the Northeastern United States. Like theYoung Lords, they were involved in politics, particularly thePuerto Rico independence movement, and were associated with the then-newPuerto Rican Socialist Party. Its members had political motivation to uplift young Latino and Black men in the community.[2]
UnderBenjamin Melendez's leadership, the Ghetto Brothers represented one end of the spectrum in terms of how they treated the women involved with the gang. Referred to as the Ghetto Sisters—the respectful term contrasted sharply with the names used for the women attached to other New York gangs of the period—the women were generally viewed as organization members and as girlfriends, whereas many other gangs treated women almost entirely as sexual property.
FormerHartford, Connecticut mayorEddie Perez was a member of the Ghetto Brothers when young.New York Daily News columnist Robert Dominguez was the leader of a Ghetto Brothers division in the Bronx when he was a teen. In the Connecticut prison system, during the 1990s, the Ghetto Brothers and the Savage Nomads joined to form Los Solidos (the Solid Ones), which is now one of the most powerful Puerto Rican gangs in the state.
The name Ghetto Brothers was chosen by Hui Cambrelen one of the original founders along with Ray DelaVega and Benji Melendez.
Benjamin Melendez, who left the organization in 1976, was also known as aguitarist. He led a band, also known as theGhetto Brothers, which included his late brother Victor Melendez onbass. They released one albumGhetto Brothers - Power-Fuerza in 1971, which had only informal, local distribution. It has since been re-released on CD.[3][4]
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