Black Benjie, The Hoe Avenue Peace Treaty & The Birth of Hip-hop

Today, August 11, 2023 will mark the official 50th anniversary of the founding of Hip-Hop.

By next year, brands & culture vultures alike (often one the in same) will move on to some other cultural milestone to attach themselves to, leaving Hip-hop in its rearview mirror.

BUT AS FOR NOW…

Let’s talk about the culture that is Hip-Hop.

The founding of it is usually told from the lens of DJ Kool Herc showcasing a technique known as “breaking” at a house party on Sedgwick ave. Ultimately that day gave birth to the culture that we know and love.

That’s all true, but today let’s talk about an individual that history rarely talks about (who I’ve also just learned about) that helped pave the way for Hip-Hop to be founded.

His name was Black Benjie.

Without Black Benjie, the stage might not have been set for Kool Herc to launch the famous party in the Bronx that led to the creation of Hip-Hop.

There would be no B-boys. No graffiti artists. No Emcees. No DJs.

The world would look very different.

So, what better to talk about on the weekend of Hip-hop’s birthday than an uknown (but highly important part) of Hip-hop’s heritage.

Let’s go back the early 70s…

THE BRONX WAS ON FIRE… LITERALLY

Poverty was tearing the city apart and between Gentrification, White Flight, and institutional racism The Bronx was in rough shape.

To cap things off, landlords were even committing arson to get tenants out of buildings they owned with zero repercussions. Sh*t, in some cases the arsonists even gave families a heads up so they could be prepared to move out.

It was nasty business.

In fact, According to The Bronx River Alliance, over 80% of the housing in the South Bronx was lost to fires and 250,000 people were displaced.

Yea, you read that right.

A quarter million people displaced.

Between the economic disenfranchisement and gang wars, the Bronx was more dangerous than ever.

While the sixties was a time where groups like The Black Panther Party helped secure the needs of the people — specifically the needs of Black and Puerto Rican youth, their influence dwindled by the end of the decade and their presence all but disappeared.

By 1971, there were reportedly over 100 recorded street gangs in the Bronx and each had various colors and territories. Although the gangs were initially created to help protect the community (thus filling the gap left by the Panthers), the sociopolitical climate led to a shift.

Things quickly turned violent.

Gangs life became more vicious, and it was practically impossible for anyone (especially from a rival gang) to leave their own neighborhood without risking their lives in the process.

But that would soon change because of the Black Benjie…

WHO WAS BLACK BENJIE?

Cornell Benjamin aka Black Benjie was a member of a gang-turned-community organization in the South Bronx that sprung up in the late 1960s and early 1970s named the Ghetto Brothers.

The Ghetto Brothers also doubled as a musical group and with those aspirations fueling them, they pivoted away from violence and at one point even elicited support from the Mayor’s office for what they were doing in the community.

Bringing it back to Benjie…

After a stint in rehab, Benjie joined the organization as a peace counselor and activist with the hope of creating a more peaceful version of the Bronx for all to live in.

However, his mission was cut short on December 2nd, 1971.

3 Rival gangs were involved in an attack on civilians on Ghetto Brothers turf, and Benjie was asked to intervene to try to bring peace between the parties. Unfortunately, his plea for peace was met with violence and as a result his life taken.

At the time of his death, Benjie was unarmed, outmanned, and there with purest of intents. Because of that, his death sparked massive outrage.

Many wanted retaliation on his behalf, but at the behest of Benjie’s mother The Ghetto Brothers opted for peace instead.

The move towards peace ultimately led to a pivotal moment in history…

THE HOE AVENUE PEACE MEETING

The Ghetto Brothers decided that it was time for a meeting.

They didn’t want the Mayor around, or any other authorities. They just wanted to sit in a room and discuss their issues.

On December 8, 1971 at the Hoe Avenue Boys Club that meeting took place.

The man who was credited with brokering the peace?

Yellow Benjy — not to be confused with Black Benjie.

Yellow Benjie aka Benjamin Melendez was the VP & co-founder of the Ghetto Brothers, and central to brokering the peace between gangs.

Over 40 gang leaders were in attendance at the Hoe Avenue meeting, and a treaty was created behind closed doors.

Below is a clip from the documentary “Rubble Kings” where Youth Services Agency Chief Ted Gross talks about the meeting, but if you go to the 4:30 min mark you can hear Yellow Benjy speak to the other gang leaders during the meeting.

THE AFTERMATH

One of the agreements of the treaty made during the Hoe Avenue meeting was the rival gangs could now walk through each other’s territories without fear of retaliation.

It took some time, but the violence eventually died down, and many youth who were swept up in gang life were now allowed to broaden their horizons and visit other parts of the city unencumbered.

The gang fights eventually turned into dance battles, and house parties started to attract more people.

Within 2 years, Kool Herc introduced a new technique of DJ’ing at a house party on Sedgwick Ave which led to the birth of what we call Hip-hop.

However, it’s fair to say that it wouldn’t have been possible without the Hoe Avenue Peace Treaty, or without Black Benjie.

Happy 50th to the culture. Let’s focus on more peace, more good vibes, and another 50 years of greatness.

Peace.

Source(s): The City, Youtube, The New York Times, Opensiuc