NUYORICAN

Mateo baby
Daddy
El David
Nuyorico, Nuyorico
Hey

No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoricqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno

Many struggles ago
Africa landed on Puerto Rico
Shackled bodies held on to life
Through turbulent suffering
Guarding the light
The Ashé in their hearts and Ori
Midnight blue beautiful
Onyx magic
Suppressed, outlawed, but never destroyed
Africa wed Boriken
West Alkebulan lips shared sacred Oriki
Taught Ifá behind masks and porcelain dolls
Built Ilés in shadows
Crowning Iyawos in twilight misas
Risking life to preserve la cultura
Spread roots of la regla to beat down tenements
And section hate halls
In Boogie Down projects
In Spanish Harlem casitas
Somewhere along the way
It was forgotten
That Santa Barbara was a facade
It was forgotten that the statues with white faces
Were merely veils
Concealing true Black Magic from predatory eyes
It was forgotten that our antepasados
Danced with Gods
Soared with ancestor spirits
On cohoba vision trips
Before rosaries and crucifixion monologues
But even so
A balance was forged
And a small bandera
Was draped over la mesa blanca
Ensuring the light of Africa
Of Boriken
Never went out

No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoricqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno

New York
Where I walk with Eggun
The spirits of the dead
Where Rican, Taino
Africano antepasados, and Orisha watch over my head
I revel in sofrito blessed meals
Keeping tradiciones
And ancient customs alive
Rationing crumbs
Between a family of eight to survive
I love being Nuyorican
And no matter what the islanders might say that I am
I know I am defined by blood
Not language, image, beach, earth or sands
I was not born on the island
But trust, that acknowledgement
Validation and acceptance
From its nativos, are not things that I am seeking
My DNA, and heart already confirms me
And in this country where I grew up struggling
Blocking blows from hoods of snow
Rest assured
I grew up Rican
Pa' que tu lo sepa

No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoricqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno

Nuyorican families, be they close or distant
Remain united in the rhythm of their hearts
We share a soulful bond
Much deeper than our last names
We keep a place for that Rican camaraderie
Intangible raíces connect us all
Nomadic Ricans reunite on celebrated occasions
Where heartfelt songs coast the air
To the heartbeat of la pandereta, bomba or conga drums
The reverberated tambores
Lift on the edge spirits
A piece of African magic
That just makes everything mejor
Even wakes are celebrations of life
Food, sharing cuentos
And that black bat rum
Tres caminos intertwined
Into a savory sancocho
Stewed to perfection
Taíno, Alkebulan and Latin DNA
Dances in our sangre
To evolved rhythms of Salsa, Hip Hop
Reggaeton and House
Eternal Arawak imprints
In the bodies of a new breed
Born through rejection, struggle
And the grit of inner-city culture
Cultura electrica
Cultura Nuyoriqueño

No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno
No soy natural de la isla
No me importa
Soy Boricua
Soy el Nuyoricqueno
Soy el Nuyoriqueno