- Fab Five Freddy
:"This article is on the
Yo! MTV Raps host. For theNHL player, seeFred Brathwaite ."Fred Brathwaite (born 1959), more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American Hip hop historian, Hip hop pioneer and former
graffiti artist. He was active inNew York City in the 1970s and early 1980s. He is credited with helping to broaden the exposure ofHip-hop beyondThe Bronx .Biography
Art career
In 1981, Freddy was cast along with fellow
Lower East Side graffiti writerLee Quinones in Glen O'Brien's film "Downtown 81 ". That film showcased artistJean-Michel Basquiat in hisLower Manhattan environment and the music that surrounded it. Shortly after, Freddy began production along with filmmakerCharlie Ahearn on his film "Wild Style " (1982), which showcased artistLee Quinones in theUptown, Manhattan environment ofthe Bronx and the music that surrounded it. In April 1981, Freddy was booked onMichael Holman andKeith Haring 's art show "Beyond Words" at theMudd Club , which also featuredAfrika Bambaataa . This was the first time the Bronxhip-hop scene appeared in the Downtown NYC art-scene. The following month, Freddy was booked onHenry Chalfant 's "Graffiti Rock" performance withRock Steady Crew at Common Ground gallery inSoHo (not to be confused with Holman'sGraffiti Rock TV show pilot). That show was cancelled due to violence, but was rescheduled in October at another venue called "The Kitchen". After the Rock Steady Crew and Afrika Bambaataa were booked as the opening act forBow Wow Wow at The Ritz nightclub in September 1981, Ruza Blue decided to book them atNegril and begin a night called "Wheels of Steel". That became so popular that it was closed down by the fire department for over-capacity, and Freddy helped Blue (whom he dubbed "Kool Lady Blue") find another home for the party. Together they chose The Roxy roller rink in NYC, which gained national fame once used in the film "Beat Street " (1984).Media work
Fab 5 Freddy was referenced in Blondie's 1981 hit song "Rapture". The "Rapture" video, in which Freddy has a brief cameo, (actually, Fab 5 Freddy was ill the day of the shoot, so artist Jean-Michel Basquiat took his place behind the turntables) was the first hip-hop video to be shown on
MTV . In 1983, Fab 5 Freddy produced a hip-hop version of "Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder " called "Hip Hop Bommi Bop"together with German punk rock bandDie Toten Hosen which is said to be the very first co-production of Punk and Hip Hop. In 1988 Freddy became the first hip-hop VJ by hosting the MTVmusic video show entitled "Yo! MTV Raps ." He later went on to be an associate producer on 1991 hitNew Jack City and also appeared in the movie. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102526/fullcredits#writers New Jack City (1991) - Full cast and crew ] ] In 1994 he directed the music video "One Love" by emceeNas . [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0292735/ Fab 5 Freddy ] ]A graffiti art piece titled "Mr. Potato head" (1983) by Fab 5 Freddy has been displayed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art as part of their 2006 "Graffiti" exhibit. [ [http://www.amny.com/entertainment/galleriesandmuseums/ny-ffartgraffiti1-pic,0,5574511.photo "Mr. Potato Head" - amNY.com ] ]
Fab 5 Freddy had a guest appearance on the
February 13 ,2007 , episode of "" titled "Flipped."Fab 5 Freddy's 1982 single "Change The Beat" ends with the processed vocalization: "Aah this stuff is really fresh." This is arguably the most important sample in turntablism/scratch DJ history as most aspiring DJs (and most accomplished DJs) regularly use it to scratch with due to its versatility. The line shows up in hits such as
Herbie Hancock 's "Rockit ".Community Work
Both in real life and in the film
Wild Style (1983), Braithwaite was a catalyst for action and change in the hip hop community. In the bookYes Yes Ya’ll (2002), Braithwaite is described as a “hip-hop renaissance man who helped bring graffiti and hip-hop culture to the downtown art scene” (Frick & Ahearn xiii). He strived to connect the artistic elements and participants within the hip hop community of which he was part. Not only did Braithwaite participate in hip hop culture as a graffiti artist, he also frequently participated in the lower side’s avant-garde art scene. He started to notice connections between the art and music scene in lower Manhattan and the hip hop scene in theSouth Bronx . Braithwaite’s passion for synthesizing diverse aspects of art and culture formed as a major building block for hip hop's development in mainstream culture.Music Videos
Fab Five Freddy also directed numerous music videos, including “My Philosophy” by
Boogie Down Productions and both cuts of “Wake Up” byBrand Nubian , and “Who Am I (What's My Name)? ” bySnoop Dogg .Further reading
*Jeff Chang, "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation" (ISBN 0-312-42579-1 2005)
Trivia
Fab 5 Freddy has a small cameo role in the movie "American Gangster".
He has also designed clothes for the hip-hop clothes company
Fifty24SF .The group
Blondie gave a shout out to Fab 5 Freddy in the rap section of their songRapture .References
*Fricke, Jim, and Ahearn, Charlie. Yes Yes Y’all. Cambridge: Perseus, 2002.
External links
* [http://www.fab5freddy.com/ Official Homepage]
* [http://oldschoolhiphop.com/artists/others/fab5freddy.htm Biography on OldSchoolHipHop.com]
* [http://www.beastiemania.com/whois/fab_five_freddy/ Biography on BeastieMania]
* [http://www.foodbanknyc.org/index.cfm?objectid=89A07360-3473-0E4E-C32A928AD260DA92#whatsyourexcuse Food Bank For New York City public service announcement]
* [http://www.formatmag.com/features/fab-5-freddy/ Interview with Format Mag]
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