Ghetto Blaster

Recorded music has been around for centuries. In order to compose and listen to recorded music, one has to have the necessary means in order to hear the creations of the artist(s). One of the most significant artifacts that enabled people to enjoy recorded music was the boombox. The boombox, or ghetto blaster, was the first portable music player that allowed multiple people, without headphones, to hear the music at one time. The origins of the break dancing and hip-hop movements are so deeply rooted in the boombox that without its conception, these music-related developments would have never been possible.

Hip-hop music can be traced directly to urban areas, mainly New York City, in the 1970s and 1980s. The source of distribution that allowed the masses to hear the hip-hop music being produced was none other than the boombox. With the help of the boombox, the hip-hop revolution found its legs and is now a world-wide phenomenon. Heard by tens of millions of people each day, hip-hop music is an all-encompassing force in today’s media.

Another movement that is the product of the boombox is break dancing, or breaking. During the beginning of the break dancing movement, parks, parties, and street corners were hot spots for breaking. However, in the twenty-first century breaking can be found not only in the above mentioned areas, but on nationally broadcasted television as well. Networks such as MTV, VH1, and even NBC habitually televise programs that have breaking in nearly every episode, such as America's Got Talent and America's Best Dance Crew. Through the millions and millions of televisions viewers, breaking has become a medium through which people can express themselves to a nation-wide audience.

Although break dancing and hip-hop music are only two of the products of the boombox, it is clear that the effect of the boombox on society is immense. From the urban projects of New York City to the screens of millions of televisions world-wide, the boombox has created two mediums that are irreplaceable in today’s society. So pay your respects, and go turn up your ghetto blaster.

From the 1974 movie "Breakin'", a sample of break dancing to a hip-hop beat on a city street corner(notice the boombox against the wall):

Breakin'