Foundation

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.


The best work ever produced on b-boying. Schloss maps the dance's nuances brilliantly; but it is when he turns his attention to the history and theory of the form that Foundation is at its best. Schloss's insights are wide-ranging and consistently illuminating. A major contribution.--Boston Globe

I highly recommend this book for anyone who claims to be a hip hop historian or hip hop head. Schloss asks some very important questions and applies theories that can be used to discuss the other elements of hip hop culture. Schloss interviews some great b-boys.--Liberator Magazine

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