Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution IK development site for ODI
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Museum Maps
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Stories
    • Podcasts
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

Boombox, used by Fab 5 Freddy

American History Museum

Boombox used by Fab 5 Freddy
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
  • Boombox used by Fab 5 Freddy

    Object Details

    maker

    Sharp

    Description

    This boombox was made by Sharp Electronics, circa 1985. It is a portable music system, model HK-9000, with its dual tape decks, detachable speakers, built-in equalizer, AM/FM radio, and 2-fader microphone mixing was one of the largest boomboxes of the era.

    This boombox was used by hip hop pioneer, visual artist, filmmaker, and cable television host, Fab 5 Freddy, (born Fred Braithwaite). He was the first host of the groundbreaking hip hop music video show, "Yo! MTV Raps," in the late 1980s . Freddy has been forever immortalized on the American New Wave group Blondie’s hit single “Rapture,” when lead singer Debbie Harry rapped, “Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody’s fly.”

    Credit Line

    Gift of Fred (Fab 5 Freddy) Brathwaite

    date made

    ca 1985

    ID Number

    2006.0059.01

    accession number

    2006.0059

    catalog number

    2006.0059.01

    Object Name

    boombox

    Physical Description

    metal (overall material)
    plastic (overall material)
    non-ferrous metal, eletrical wire (overall material)

    Measurements

    overall: 11 1/2 in x 34 in x 9 in; 29.21 cm x 86.36 cm x 22.86 cm
    overall: 11 3/4 in x 33 3/4 in x 10 1/4 in; 29.845 cm x 85.725 cm x 26.035 cm

    See more items in

    Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
    Music & Musical Instruments
    Popular Entertainment
    Family & Social Life
    Highlights from the Culture and the Arts Collection
    Electronic Musical Instruments

    Exhibition

    Entertainment Nation

    Exhibition Location

    National Museum of American History

    Data Source

    National Museum of American History

    Subject

    Hip-Hop

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-83fd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

    Record ID

    nmah_1322612

    Discover More

    radio

    Radio, Radio

    Trumpet used by Dizzy Gillespie

    Musical Treasures at the Smithsonian

    Minimoog Voyager synthesizer used by J Dilla

    James Dewitt Yancey: J Dilla

    Grand Master Flash's turntable

    Hip-Hop and Rap Across the Smithsonian

    arrow-up Back to top
    Home
    • Facebook facebook
    • Instagram instagram
    • LinkedIn linkedin
    • YouTube youtube

    • Contact Us
    • Get Involved
    • Shop Online
    • Job Opportunities
    • Equal Opportunity
    • Inspector General
    • Records Requests
    • Accessibility
    • Host Your Event
    • Press Room
    • Privacy
    • Terms of Use