Roberto

01. alias:
Hispanic Panic aka. HPMC

02. legal name:
Roberto Rivera

03. affiliation:
Elements of Change is my crew, Youth Soul is a
cultural/spiritual group I help facilitate.

04. category:
Emcee and Entreprenuer

05. hometown:
I was born in Madison, but grew up in Galveston, Texas
(from age 10 to 18).

06. why do you live in madison:
The Divine has me in Madison to finish my undergrad degree at the University, to support my fam, to get experience working with youth, and to realize and implement the vision he's given me.

07. goals:
My Goals are to first of all finish school at the U.W. Then I want to start a Spiritual-Cultural School of Arts for Urban disadvantaged youth. To help them realize their gifts, use their intelligence and walk
in purpose. In addition, I would like Hip-Hop to move in the direction of representing truth and empowering it's people. I want to also get married soon to my girl Jennifer. I want to see my brother and Mother
doing well, and see more unity in the Hip-Hop community.

08. hip hop influences:
My Hip-Hop influences are: Krs One, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, The Roots, Urban D, Mars Ill, Narrative Heirs, and Nappy J.

09. most memorable hip hop moment:
My most memorable Hip-Hop moment was when my group Life Eternal and I got to rock it at the Coliseum. I got to share my story, perform some songs,freestyle, and motivate the crowd. That day hundreds of kids made a decision to pursue truth, and understand their purpose in life.

10. what do you love about madisons hip hop scene:
I love the Madison Hip-Hop scene in that, everytime I think I know everybody, I meet someone new who is doing stuff within Hip-Hop.

11. what would you change about madisons hip hop scene:
What I would like to see change with the Hip-Hop scene in Madison would be for cats not to be so isolated. I think that makes the cultural overall weak when everyone feels that to be "real" they have to be practicing by themselves all the time. Also, I would
like to see emcees be original, tell the truth and share insight. (Not just in Madison but everywhere.)

12. describe the first time you “felt” hip hop:
I first felt Hip-Hop when I was about eight and was breaking with some latino, black, and white kids in my friends garage. We were listening to Run Dmc, drinking Kool-aid and breaking all day.

13. philosophy on life:
Hip-Hop is a culture containing powerful and expressive elements centered around a series of beliefs. Like any other culture, those beliefs or spirituality if you will, is what manifests through the various forms of expression. With the rise of Hip-Pop, people like Cash Money, Juvenile, Jay-Z, and Nelly are making money, sex and power their gods and it is being expressed in their raps. These words are fed to the youth and become their core of beliefs, thats why youth are being locked up, dropping out of school, and having babies. I believe that Hip-Hop is a gift from the Creator, and when we start to exalt self and leave him out of the picture, we are headed towards trouble. There needs to be a movement involving redefinition, in which we break the false idols put up by big business and reconnect with the Creator. Light and dark cannot dwell in the same tent, I think that the time is here for the real heads to reclaim their culture, their purpose, and walk in power We got to start making a change while breaking the chains. We must understand that we are interconnected and the decisions we make effect our culture and our youth.

14. other interests beyond hip hop:
Other interests beyond Hip-Hop are education, supporting my family, working with kids, and sharing my experience and life with the community.

15. additonal comments:
I am looking to start an open mic where all the heads can come together express and start rebuilding the scene in Madison. I learned by doing Good Life that when cats come together, big things can happen that wouldn't if we were doing stuff separate. If you are a deejay, emcee, breaker, or a writer contact me for more info.

16. contact information:
agapesphere@yahoo.com
663-8467