# Benjamin Melendez

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**Benjamin** "**Yellow Benjy**" **Melendez** (August 3, 1952 – May 28, 2017) was best known for brokering [the gang truce](/source/Hoe_Avenue_peace_meeting) in the [Bronx](/source/Bronx) and [Harlem](/source/Harlem) ([New York City](/source/New_York_City)) in 1971.[1] At that time, he was President of the [Ghetto Brothers](/source/Ghetto_Brothers), a mainly ethnically [Puerto Rican](/source/Puerto_Rico) South Bronx gang, and lead [vocalist](/source/Vocal) of a musical group also known as the Ghetto Brothers.

Melendez was heavily involved in the rise of Puerto Rican nationalist consciousness among [Nuyorican](/source/Nuyorican) youth, having forged connections with the [Puerto Rican Socialist Party](/source/Puerto_Rican_Socialist_Party). Melendez's family, including Melendez himself, were [Conversos](/source/Converso) ([Sephardic](/source/Sephardic) [crypto-Jews](/source/Crypto-Judaism)), practicing their religion in secret even in the 1970s while being part of a [Hispanic](/source/Hispanic) community.

Melendez was a subject in the 2015 documentary, *[Rubble Kings](/source/Rubble_Kings)*, which depicts events leading up to and following the [Hoe Avenue peace meeting](/source/Hoe_Avenue_peace_meeting).

Melendez died May 28, 2017, at the age of 64.[2]

## Authored works

- Melendez, Benjamin; Chalfant, Henry; Chang, Jeff (2007). "9 Ghetto Brother Power: The Bronx Gangs, the Beatles, the Aguinaldo, and a Pre-History of Hip-Hop". *Listen Again: A Momentary History of Pop Music*. [Durham, NC](/source/Durham,_NC) US: [Duke University Press](/source/Duke_University_Press). pp. 150–156. [doi:10.1515/9780822390558-010](https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822390558-010). ISBN 9780822390558. [S2CID 192075015](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:192075015)

## References

1. Weisbard, Eric & Project, Experience Music (November 2007). [*Listen again: a momentary history of pop music*](https://archive.org/details/listenagainmomen00weis). Duke University Press. pp. [150](https://archive.org/details/listenagainmomen00weis/page/150)–. ISBN 978-0-8223-4022-5. Retrieved 10 August 2011.

1. [Former Ghetto Brothers Gang Leader & Subject Of "Rubble Kings" Benjy Melendez Has Died](http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.43599/title.former-ghetto-brothers-gang-leader-subject-of-rubble-kings-benjy-melendez-has-died#)

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