Disciplines
African American Studies
Abstract
Abstract by Serena Vasquez
Interviewer: Mark Naison, Stephanie Robinson-Ramirez, Ryan Purcell
Interviewee: Rocky Bucano
Rocky Bucano, founder of the Hip-Hop Museum, a longtime music producer, and an administrator for the Gauchos AAU basketball program, as well as having worked in television, multimedia, artist management, DJing, promotion, radio, and marketing grew up in the Valley. Born in the US, Bucano’s father, Ernesto, was a merchant seaman from Panama who worked on steamships as a stoker, and his mother, Dorothy, was a high press operator in the fashion district from Saint Kitts. Bucano describes the monumental occurrence of when his family moved from Spanish Harlem to the Northeast section of the Bronx, specifically to Tiemann Avenue, where they lived in a two-family home. This environment, Co-Op City, became a place where Bucano pursued his aspirations and passion for the industry of music. Bucano shares this impact his family and the places he lived had on his life story and what he was able to create there, such as his successes in music and production, highlighting the collective ingenuity of the Northeast Bronx, especially the influence and cultural creativity that is harnessed by Bucano in this area that is often overlooked when it comes to music.
Bucano’s ability to create and maintain a meaningful force such as the Hip-Hop Museum can be directly attributed to his life experiences, not just in the field of music, but signified as being the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Gauchos. During Bucano’s tenure, he claims to have put around 800-900 kids into top colleges and universities on full athletics scholarships. This incessant determination, along with the multifaceted skills that he equipped from his multicultural and multidimensional background allowed him to accomplish the creation of the Hip-Hop Museum. With these decades of adaptability and tenacious, organizational experience, Bucano’s shared details of his upbringing in the Bronx, his family's migration from Spanish Harlem, his father's career as a merchant seaman, as well as many other adventurous, familial stories, have directly contributed to his career, as well as his profound role in history and his involvement in production, Hip-Hop, and the artistry of the Bronx.
Bucano reveals his early exposure to music, where his sisters and community had a direct effect. He also shares about his career and the lessons he learned living in the South, specifically Texas,, and his transition from DJing at local clubs to founding Strong City Records in the Bronx. He emphasizes the importance of versatility and experience in achieving long-term success. Rocky Bucano and his story truly signify the perpetual adaptability, versatility, and creativity that can be attributed to his experiences and agency to pursue multiple passions, and succeed in doing so. Bucano has paved the way for future generations to achieve their goals, but most importantly, his multifaceted creativity and ability to organize and cultivate a museum of Hip-Hop has allowed him to educate and reverberate a profound message for future generations.
Recommended Citation
Naison, Mark, "Rocky Bucano" (2025). Oral Histories. 374.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/baahp_oralhist/374
