Skip to main content

Search

❤ My Visit  Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Hours and Locations
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Mall Museum Map
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • Accessibility
    • Group Visits
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • Art & Design
    • History & Culture
    • Science & Conservation
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer and Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
  • Learn
    • For Kids and Teens
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
      • Events
    • Youth Programs
    • Fellowships and Internships
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Citizen Science
    • Work with Us
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • About Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Organization
      • Leadership
        • Secretary Bunch
        • Advancement
        • Communications
        • Administration
        • Education
        • Museums and Culture
        • Science and Research
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Boombox, used by Fab 5 Freddy

National Museum of American History

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

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
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
National Museum of American History
subject
Hip-Hop
Record ID
nmah_1322612
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-83fd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Hip-Hop and Rap

  • James Dewitt Yancey: J Dilla

  • Musical Treasures

    Smithsonian Music
  • Radio, Radio

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

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Human Resources
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top