Praise for Ariel Fernández Díaz

“Ariel Fernández does everything but rhyme. He’s a DJ, radio personality, promoter, manager and journalist. If you want to know everything about Cuban Hip-Hop, ask him. His drive and dedication to the movement is relentless.”
Mimi Valdés: Former Editor in Chief of Vibe Magazine

“To manage the hip-hop beast the Cuban state had chosen someone who fit the demographic. And someone with credibility on the street: Ariel had been one of the hip-hop’s Cuban pioneers…. I began to understand why he has been chosen for this job. As a diplomat, he had mad skillz and righteous flow”.
Eugene Robinson: Associate Editor and columnist for The Washington Post.
Author of Last Dance in Havana. Free Press.

“Mr. Ariel Fernández’s information and work on the development of the Hip-Hop Movement in Cuba has added scholarly insight, understanding and vision to the history and contemporary development of this art form on the island. His first hand experience and analysis of the growth of Hip-Hop in Cuba, methods of entry, survival and continued force as a voice of the new youth generation brings rich first hand research to a subject area that is yet to be fully understood and researched by scholars.  Mr. Fernández thorough in his mapping of the trajectory of Hip-Hop in Cuba linking it to the global African Diaspora cultures that are rooted in similar histories yet each having a unique cultural contribution connected to the cultural realities of each society.  He appears in the documentary When the Spirits Dance Mambo as one of the scholars interviewed in Cuba providing historical context to the survival and practice of African-based traditions that have had world influence.”
Martha Moreno Vega: Founder and Director of Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute.
Author of When the Spirits Dance Mambo.

“Mr. Ariel Fernández Díaz is a vital resource on any issue having to do with contemporary Cuba, and especially the history and significance of Hip-Hop in present-day Cuban culture.  He is fluent and articulate in Spanish or English, and speaks on the basis of first-hand knowledge of the Cuban cultural and musical experience. Having spoken with him individually at great length, and been present at many public events at which he spoke, I have been consistently impressed by his range of knowledge and sharp critical intelligence.  His presence enriches any public event, and contributes to the historical and cultural knowledge of contemporary students and the general public.”
Professor Juan Flores: Department of Social Cultural Knowledge, New York University.
Co- Director of Afro-Latino Forum.

“It’s not often in this country that we find academics or intellectuals who are able to wax about Hip-Hop, and Cuba- who are actually from the Hip-Hop generation, but Ariel Fernández is more than just a product of Hip-Hop and Cuba. Without a doubt he is the only definitive expert in the United States on contemporary Cuban culture, Cuban racial politics and Cuban Hip-Hop. He has not only spent his entire life studying it, analyzing it, and documenting it- he has lived it.”
Danny Hoch: Actor, Playwright, and founder Hip-Hop Theater Festival.

“Ariel Fernández Díaz is a Hip-Hop luminary whose work crosses disciplines, and forms the foundation of rap cubano’s journalistic canon.  An organic intellectual and cultural activist molded by his definitive role in nurturing Cuban Hip-Hop -and Cuban youth culture and communities, by extension- Ariel is a dynamic voice worth engaging on either side of the Florida Straits.”
Marinieves Alba:  Cultural Activist, Changemaker & Social Entrepreneur  (The Zol Lab)
Co-founder, International Hip-Hop Exchange (IHX).

“Cuban cultural representatives and music producers have played a vital role in the development of Cuban hip-hop and have acted as intermediaries between rappers and the state. The state increasingly came to see the value of Rap promoters such Ariel Fernández, who had official positions in state institutions, but also significant credibility among Cuban rappers and in international circles. Fernández himself was one of Cuba’s best DJ’s and at concerts he was something of a local star, in comparison with the cultural bureaucrats… Fernández has impressive international connections and is aware of the influence he wields at the local and international level. He attempts to use his influence and the strength of the Hip-Hop movement as bargaining chips in negotiating with the state. Fernández uses his credibility at the base to push for change, but is willing to see hip-hop movement work in critical alliance with official institutions”.
Sujatha Fernandes: Author of Cuba Represent! Cuban Arts, State Power, And the Making of New Revolutionary Cultures. Duke University Press.

“Ariel Fernández Díaz offers a vivid account of changes occurring over the past two decades in Cuba. He fills a major gap in the study of contemporary Cuban social, political, and cultural history with his first-hand accounts of race and representation. As we look for new ways to reclaim, reframe and reevaluate the narrative among and about minority groups from the Global South, Fernández Díaz generously offers his first-hand analysis and unique life lessons.  From Cuba’s “periodo especial,” the emergence of Hip-Hop, to the resurgence of cultural affirmation of Black identity among youth, Fernández Díaz sparks in-depth dialogues, challenging conventional notions of how an over-looked citizenry can participate as agents of change in their respective societies. Fernández Díaz advances our understanding of the complexities of the Cuban experience and ably relates these to our ever-changing world.”
Neyda L. Martinez: MONSERRAT Ltd. Founder & Executive Producer, HABANA| HARLEM ™.