Foundation: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York

by Joseph G. Schloss

B-boying is a form of Afro-diasporic competitive dance that developed in the Bronx, NY in the early 1970s. Widely - though incorrectly - known as "breakdancing," it is often dismissed as a form of urban acrobatics set to music. In reality, however, b-boying is a deeply traditional and profoundly expressive art form that has been passed down from teacher to student for almost four decades. Foundation: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York offers the first serious study of b-boying as both unique dance form and a manifestation of the most fundamental principles of hip-hop culture. Drawing on anthropological and historical research, interviews and personal experience as a student of the dance, Joseph Schloss presents a nuanced picture of b-boying and its social context. From the dance's distinctive musical repertoire and traditional educational approaches to its complex stylistic principles and secret battle strategies, Foundation illuminates a previously unexamined thread in the complex tapestry that is contemporary hip-hop.

Genres: Music, Hip Hop, Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2009

Reviews

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious and nutritious hip hop scholarship. Schloss does participant observation and lots of interviews, builds on other work in the field, draws some fascinating conclusions and delivers one of the best books on hip hop and THE best book on b-boying/b-girling.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any Break head! From the roots of Rocking to Bboying, it includes testimonials from old school bboys like Ken Swift and Alien Ness.