Fab Five Freddy

Fab Fred Brathwaite, known as Fab 5 Freddy, was born on August 31, 1959. He is an American artist, filmmaker, TV personality, and a pioneer of hip hop. He helped start the street art movement.

In the late 1970s, Fab 5 Freddy became well known in New York's art world. He connected the rap world with the No Wave art world. His big break came in 1981, when Debbie Harry mentioned him in the Blondie song "Rapture."

Later, in the late 1980s, he was the first host of the hip-hop music video show, Yo! MTV Raps. In 2026, he wrote a book about his life called Everybody's Fly: A Life of Art, Music and Changing the Culture with Mark Rozzo, a writer for Vanity Fair.

Career

In the late 1970s, Freddy joined a Brooklyn group called the Fabulous 5. They were known for painting whole sides of New York City Subway cars. With another member, Lee Quiñones, they moved from street painting to showing art in galleries. In 1979, they had an exhibition in Rome, Italy.

Freddy was a regular guest on a public access TV show called TV Party. He helped connect different art scenes in New York City. In 1980, he acted in a film called New York Beat, later named Downtown 81. The film showed the city's art and music culture. He also appeared in a music video for the band Blondie called "Rapture", the first hip hop video shown on MTV.

Freddy worked with filmmaker Charlie Ahearn on the 1983 film Wild Style. The film showed the early days of hip hop culture. He also helped organize art shows and events that brought together different artists and musicians. Later, he became the first hip hop host on MTV's Yo! MTV Raps and continued to work in film and television.