Foundation

FOUNDATION
b-boys, b-girls, and
hip hop culture in new york

by joseph schloss

In the late 1970s and early 80s, B-Boying (mistakenly known as breakdancing) along with DJ'ing, rapping, and graffiti art, soared to national recognition and popularity. While the latter three have gone on to varying degrees of success and lasting impact, b-boying has largely been dismissed as just another I Love the '80s fad, along with the Rubik's Cube and Wham! Now, for the first time, the Hip-Hop staple, which has flourished in the underground scene for more than thirty years, receives some due credit.

In his new book FOUNDATION: B-Boys, B-Girls, and Hip-Hop Culture in New York author Joseph Schloss has researched the art of the b-boy, and the b-girl, from the ground level. Based on interviews with many significant figures in the dance's movement, Schloss examines the genre's afterlife in underground venues in New York and around the world. From African tradition to professional gymnastics; from the Incredible Bongo Band's 1973 dance hit "Apache" to the iconic martial artist Bruce Lee, FOUNDATION illustrates the unique history and influences of the b-boy, and b-girl, culture.

FOUNDATION: B-Boys, B-Girls, and Hip-Hop Culture in New York by Joseph Schloss, will be published, as a paperback original, by Oxford University Press on March 12, 2009 ($19.95 | 192 pages | ISBN: 9780195334067)


Interviewees Include:

Alien Ness
Amigo Rock
Character
Phantom
B-Girl Emiko
BOM5
Buz
Anthony Colon
DJ DV-One
GeoMatrix
Michael Holman
Kaotic Blaze
King Uprock
Eddie Luna
PJay 7
DJ Mr. Supreme
Pop Master Fabel
B-Boy Ru
Break Easy
B-Girl SeoulSonyk
Ken Swift
Tiny Love
Trac 2
Waaak One

Press and Educators, for review copies, examination copies, and interviews please contact:

Justin Hargett
Associate Publicist
212.726.6278
justin.hargett@oup.com

UK/Europe Contact:
music.uk@oup.com

About the Author:

Joseph Schloss is a Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at New York University. He is the author of Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop , which won the 2005 Book Award from the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. His writing has appeared in URB, Vibe, The Seattle Weekly, The Flavor , and the anthologies Classic Material and Total Chaos .
Good Words!

Reviews:

"Joe Schloss doesn't just talk the talk, he rocks the rock. In the rapidly expanding field of hip-hop studies, he is without peer--a careful observer, a committed floor-rocker, a brilliant historian, a scholar's scholar, and a true b-boy. Foundation is his first masterpiece. "
--Jeff Chang, author Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of The Hip-Hop Generation

"Joseph Schloss documents the path of the B-boy with the precision of a swordsman and the love of shaman. It took a great deal of courage and patience to make a book on Hip-Hop as inspirational as it is accurate. After reading it I made Foundation required reading for our organization."
--Adisa Banjoko, CEO, Hip-Hop Chess Federation

"There is no richer example of tradition in Hip-Hop culture, than the legacy of B-Boys and B-Girls. Foundation gives voice to these often forgotten actors in hip-hop history, giving us all a clue about the genius that literally sits at the Foundation of Hip-Hop. Joe Schloss cannot be dismissed as some disconnected Ivory-Tower critic and with Foundation he simply ups the ante on hip-hop scholarship in a major way."
--Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University