Foundation: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York is a book by Joseph G. Schloss which looks at b-boying and the culture surrounding it. It features excerpts from interviews the author did with major figures in the b-boying world such as Ken Swift

Ken Swift

Ken Swift is a second generation B-boy, or breakdancer, and former Vice President of the Rock Steady Crew of which he was a long time member and key figure. He is now President of the Breaklife and VII Gems Hip Hop movement in NYC. Widely known in the B-Boy world as "the Epitome of a B-Boy," Ken...

 of Rock Steady Crew

Rock Steady Crew

Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...

, Alien Ness, and Trac 2.

The author, hip-hop scholar Joseph Schloss (whose previous work on hip-hop won the International Association for the Study of Popular Music’s 2005 book award), attended every b-boy event in New York City for five years, learning b-boying as he researched the book.

The book also makes arguments against other hip-hop non-fiction books, mainly saying they do not engage the actual hip-hop/b-boy communities enough when doing scholarship of this kind.

Reception

The Boston Globe calls it "the best work ever produced on b-boying, and one of the finest books yet to emerge from the swiftly proliferating ranks of hip-hop scholarship". It has also received positive reviews from Liberator Magazine and Jeff Chang

Jeff Chang (journalist)

Jeff Chang is an American journalist and music critic on hip hop music and culture. His 2005 book, Can't Stop Won't Stop, which chronicles the early hip hop scene, won an American Book Award in 2005...

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