Editing Fab Five Freddy

{{short description|American artist}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| honorific_prefix    = 
| name                = Fab 5 Freddy
| honorific_suffix    = 
| image               = Fab 5 Freddy at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
| image_size          = 
| landscape           = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Fab 5 Freddy at the 2009 [[Tribeca Film Festival]]
| background          = solo_singer
| native_name         = 
| native_name_lang    = 
| birth_name          = Fred Brathwaite
| alias               = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1959|8|31}}
| birth_place         = 
| origin              = [[Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford–Stuyvesant]], New York City, New York, U.S.<ref name="allmusic-bio">{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fab-5-freddy-mn0000165003 | title=Fab 5 Freddy | website=[[Allmusic]] | access-date=March 5, 2016 | author=Kurutz, Steve}}</ref>
| death_date          = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date 1st) -->
| death_place         = 
| genre               = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
*Visual artist
*filmmaker
*musician
*DJ
*multi-instrumentalist
*master of ceremonies
}}
| instrument          = 
| years_active        = 1978–present
| label               = 
| associated_acts     = The Fabulous 5
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->

| module              = 
| module2             = 
| module3             = 
}}

'''Fred Brathwaite''' (born August 31, 1959), more popularly known as '''Fab 5 Freddy''', is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and [[hip hop music|hip hop]] pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the [[street art]] movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown underground creative scene in the late 1970s as a [[graffiti]] artist. He was the bridge between the burgeoning uptown [[rapping|rap]] scene and the downtown [[No Wave]] art scene. He gained wider recognition in 1981 when [[Debbie Harry]] rapped "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly" on the [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] song "[[Rapture (Blondie song)|Rapture]]". In the late 1980s, Freddy became the first host of the groundbreaking hip-hop music video show ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/06/17/living-large|title=Fab Five Freddy, the Coolest Person in New York|last=Orlean|first=Susan|magazine=The New Yorker|date=1991-06-10|access-date=2019-06-13|language=en|issn=0028-792X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.birthofhiphop.com/fab-5-freddy-and-the-rise-of-street-art-in-fine-art/|title=Fab 5 Freddy and the Rise of Street Art in Fine Art|website=Birth Of Hip Hop|date=29 October 2019 }}</ref>

==Career==
In the late 1970s, Freddy became a member of the Brooklyn-based graffiti group the Fabulous 5, known for painting the entire side of [[New York City Subway]] cars. Along with other Fabulous 5 member [[Lee Quiñones]], under his direction they began to shift from street graffiti to transition into the art world and in 1979 they both exhibited in a prestigious gallery in Rome, Italy, Galleria LaMedusa. In 1980, he painted a subway train with cartoon style depictions of giant [[Campbell's Soup]] cans,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.at149st.com/images/fred.jpg|format=JPG|title=Picture of Campbell Soup Cans train with his tag|date=1980|website=At149st.com}}</ref> after [[Andy Warhol]].

Freddy became a regular guest on [[Glenn O'Brien]]'s public access cable show ''[[TV Party]]''. As a frequent attendant at the [[Mudd Club]] and a participant in seminal ''[[The Times Square Show]]'',<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boch|first=Richard|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/972429558|title=The Mudd Club|publisher=[[Feral House]]|year=2017|isbn=978-1-62731-051-2|location=Port Townsend, WA|pages=298|language=English|oclc=972429558}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Boch|first=Richard|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/972429558|title=The Mudd Club|publisher=[[Feral House]]|year=2017|isbn=978-1-62731-051-2|location=Port Townsend, WA|pages=332|language=English|oclc=972429558}}</ref> Freddy was a bridge between the New York uptown graffiti and early [[rapping|rap]] scene and the downtown [[No Wave]] art scene. "I was bringing the whole music, hip-hop, art, break dancing, and urban cultural thing to the downtown table", he said.<ref>"Rapping with Fab 5 Freddy" [interview] in Deitch, O'Brien and Cortez, ''Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981''. Milan: Charta, 2007, page 119.</ref>

In late 1980, Glenn O'Brien cast Freddy, along with fellow [[Lower East Side]] graffiti writer Quiñones, in the film ''New York Beat'' (later released as ''[[Downtown 81]]''). The film showcased artist [[Jean-Michel Basquiat]] in his [[Lower Manhattan]] environment and the culture that surrounded it. Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry also appeared in the film and in early 1981, Freddy made a cameo in the [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] music video for "[[Rapture (Blondie song)|Rapture]]."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://inspiringcity.com/2024/12/27/blondies-rapture-the-song-that-brought-graffiti-to-the-world/ | title=Blondie's 'Rapture' the Song that Brought Graffiti to the World | date=27 December 2024 }}</ref> As recounted in the 1999 TV documentary ''[[The Hip Hop Years]]'', the "Rapture" video featured Freddy in a cameo role painting graffiti art in the background. ([[Grandmaster Flash]], who was also name-checked in the song, did not show up on the day of the shoot, so Basquiat took his place behind the turntables). "Rapture" was the first hip hop video to be shown on [[MTV]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://inspiringcity.com/2024/12/27/blondies-rapture-the-song-that-brought-graffiti-to-the-world/ | title=Blondie's 'Rapture' the Song that Brought Graffiti to the World | date=27 December 2024 }}</ref>

Freddy connected with New York underground filmmaker [[Charlie Ahearn]], who he had met at ''The'' ''Times Square Show'', and they began production on the film ''[[Wild Style]]'' (1983) in 1981, which showcased artist Quiñones in the [[Uptown, Manhattan]], environment of [[the Bronx]] and the burgeoning hip-hop culture.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Canby|first=Vincent|date=March 18, 1983|title='WILD STYLE,' RAPPING AND PAINTING GRAFFITI|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/18/movies/wild-style-rapping-and-painting-graffiti.html|access-date=2021-07-17|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The movie ''Wild Style'', the first film to illustrate hip hop culture, grew from an idea Freddy had to refute the negative depiction of New York City's urban youth and to link for the first time break dancing, rapping, DJing and graffiti under one umbrella or branches from the same tree. Freddy created the film's original music, co-produced and ended up in one of the leading roles as the charismatic Bronx hip hop club promoter and former graffiti artist, Phade.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

In April 1981, Freddy co-curated with [[Futura 2000]] the graffiti-related art show Beyond Words, at the Mudd Club which contained their own work along with Basquiat, [[Rammellzee]], [[Keith Haring]], Kenny Scharf and others. This was the first time the many members of the Bronx [[hip hop]] scene had appeared in the downtown New York City art world. On his relationship with art dealers, Freddy said, <blockquote>They didn't know me, but they had heard of graffiti. But they didn't understand the importance and the significance of what happened because, see, really what this comes down to is that my background basically is that of a vandal. I vandalize public property ... . In the real world, in New York, what made graffiti what it is, was the marriage which was the placing of the individual's mark on that blank surface. But that blank surface that the individual graffiti person tags on, belongs to someone.<ref>Mosset, Olivier; Brathwaite, Fred. [https://bombmagazine.org/articles/clinton-street-olivier-mosset-and-fred-brathwaite/ "Clinton Street"], ''[[Bomb (magazine)|Bomb]]'', Fall, 1982. Retrieved on March 6, 2013</ref></blockquote>  In May 1981, Freddy was booked on [[Henry Chalfant]]'s "Graffiti Rock" performance with [[Rock Steady Crew]] at Common Ground gallery in [[SoHo]] (not to be confused with Holman's ''[[Graffiti Rock]]'' TV show pilot). The 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 for [[Bow Wow Wow]] at [[The Ritz (rock club)|The Ritz]] nightclub in September 1981, Ruza Blue decided to book them at [[Negril]] 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 (New York City)|The Roxy Roller Rink]] in NYC, which gained national fame once used in the film ''[[Beat Street]]'' (1984).{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 1982 the single "[[Change the Beat]]" produced by [[Bill Laswell]]’s band [[Material (band)|Material]] had an A-side featuring Freddy rapping the song in both English and French, while the B-side was a shorter version of the same song, this time performed entirely in French by female rapper Beside of the band [[Time Zone (band)|Time Zone]], who was credited on the initial pressings of the record as Fab 5 Betty. Freddy utilized a [[vocoder]] with a white noise carrier during the chorus and at the end of the B-side track. When the beat stops in Beside's version of the song, it is disputed<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwmmDe53nSU  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/HwmmDe53nSU |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|title=The Celluloid Records Story (part 1 of 2) |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=2013-03-11 |accessdate=2016-10-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Graves |first=Jen |url=http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2010/11/02/the-origins-of-that-aaaaahhhh-fresssshhhhh-sample |title=The Origins of That "Aaaaahhhh... Fresssshhhhh!" Sample - Line Out - The Stranger |website=Lineout.thestranger.com |date=2010-11-02 |accessdate=2016-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925144007/http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2010/11/02/the-origins-of-that-aaaaahhhh-fresssshhhhh-sample |archive-date=2016-09-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as to whether Freddy or Laswell’s manager says "Ahhhhh, this stuff is really fresh", a line which is quite possibly the most scratched sample in the history of hip-hop music. It was first utilized as a scratch sample on the 1983 [[Herbie Hancock]] single "[[Rockit (song)|Rockit]]", featuring scratching by legendary DJ and [[turntablist]] [[Grand Mixer DXT]], and has been used in over 2000 hip-hop tracks since.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Fab%205%20Freddy/|title=Tracks that Sampled Fab 5 Freddy |website=Whosampled.com|access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref>

Freddy's "Change the Beat" for Celluloid Records would also lead to four other records, including a song about graffiti painting by Futura 2000 with music performed by [[The Clash]], and all were released together first in France and was soon followed by the first hip hop tour in Europe billed as "New York City Rap", in 1982.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 1983, Freddy produced a hip-hop version of ''"[[Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder]]"'' called ''"[[Hip Hop Bommi Bop]]"'' together with German punk rock band [[Die Toten Hosen]] which is said to be the very first co-production of Punk and Hip Hop.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 1988, Freddy became the first hip hop [[VJ (media personality)|VJ]] by hosting the MTV [[music video]] show entitled ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]''. He later went on to be an associate producer on the 1991 film ''[[New Jack City]]'' in which he also made an appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102526/fullcredits|title=New Jack City (1991)|website=IMDb.com}}</ref> That year he was the subject of an extensive profile by [[Susan Orlean]] in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' which began with the sentence "The coolest person in New York at the moment is a man named Fred Brathwaite."<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/06/17/living-large | title=Fab Five Freddy, the Coolest Person in New York | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | date=10 June 1991 }}</ref> In 1994, he directed the music video "One Love" by rapper [[Nas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0292735/|title=Fab 5 Freddy|website=IMDb}}</ref> In 2007, he played a murdered rap artist named Terrence 'Fulla T' Smith on the TV series "[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]" in the episode "Flipped". The same year, he made a small cameo in the film ''[[American Gangster (film)|American Gangster]]'' directed by [[Ridley Scott]]. In 2008, he appears as a special wedding guest in the film ''[[Rachel Getting Married]]'', along with other notable musicians, as conceived by producer [[Jonathan Demme]] to enhance the expansive and varied soundtrack and wedding members, in contrast with the normal duality of a traditional wedding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonyclassics.com/rachelgettingmarried |title=Rachel Getting Married |publisher=Sonyclassics.com |access-date=2011-01-29}}</ref> In 2016, he played the role of Atticus Howard in "[[Blue Bloods (season 7)#ep137|Mob Rules]]" the fourth episode of the seventh season of the [[CBS]] police procedural drama ''[[Blue Bloods (TV series)|Blue Bloods]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20160922cbs03/|title=Listings - TheFutonCritic.com - The Web's Best Television Resource|website=Thefutoncritic.com}}</ref>

On August 11, 2017, an animated version of Freddy appeared in a [[Google Doodle]] as a narrator, which observed the 44th anniversary of [[DJ Kool Herc]]'s pioneering use of the hip-hop [[Break (music)|break]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/08/11/google-creates-a-truly-epic-interactive-doodle-to-celebrate-hip-hops-44th-birthday-jam/ |title=Hip-hop history: Google creates epic musical Doodle to kick off 44th birthday jam|website=Washingtonpost.com |date=2017-08-11 |access-date=2017-08-12}}</ref>

In 2019, coinciding with the release of his Netflix film ''[[Grass Is Greener]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/video/grass-is-greener-trailer-fab-5-freddy-snoop-dogg-cannabis-marijuana-netflix/|title='Grass Is Greener' Trailer: Netflix Docu Is Lit With Facts About America's Relationship With Cannabis|first1=Dino-Ray|last1=Ramos|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=15 April 2019}}</ref> Freddy served as creative director for the full-size hip hop photography and culture exhibit entitled, [[Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/history-hip-hop-1383856|title=A stark, new exhibit at the Annenberg take us on a visual historical journey of Hip-Hop|first=Paula|last= Froelich|date=4 April 2019|website=Newsweek.com}}</ref> based on the 2018 book of the same name created and written by [[Vikki Tobak]] (published by [[Clarkson Potter]]). The exhibit was hosted by [[The Annenberg Space for Photography]] in Los Angeles. Freddy served on several group discussion and lecture panels regarding the show in the months before and during the exhibition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://calendar.usc.edu/event/contact_high_a_visual_history_of_hip-hop|title=Contact High: A visual history of hip-hop|website=UCalendar.usc.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/HTVIS|title=Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop: Book Talk, Panel Discussion, and Signing featuring Chuck D and special guests - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|website=Kennedy-center.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://annenbergphotospace.org/events/contact-high-summer-film-series-at-delicious-pizza-presents/|title=CONTACT HIGH Summer Film Series at Delicious Pizza Presents|website=Annenbergphotospace.org}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.fab5freddy.com}}
*{{IMDb name|0292735}}


{{Yo! MTV Raps}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freddy, Fab 5}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American video jockeys]]
[[Category:Rappers from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Artists from New York City]]
[[Category:Filmmakers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:African-American artists]]
[[Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American graffiti artists]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American artists]]
[[Category:Calligraffiti artists]]