Fab 5 Freddy Biography

Fast Facts

• His graffiti art was featured in the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art's exhibit "Art in the Streets․"
• Began directing music videos in the late 1980s, starting with KRS-ONE's "My Philosophy․"
• Started out as a graffiti artist in the late 1970s and was one of the first to exhibit his paintings internationally
• His name first appeared in the entertainment world in a lyric from Blondie's song "Rapture" in 1980: "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly․"
• Was asked to host "YO! MTV Raps" in the late 1980s, which became the highest-rated show on the channel
• Best known as a visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop artist who produced, composed, and starred in "Wild Style․"
• Has published articles for The New York Times Magazine, Vibe, and XXL, and wrote a book called "Fresh Fly Flavor: Words and Phrases of the Hip Hop Generation
• Met filmmaker Charlie Ahearn, who would later help create "Wild Style," at a Times Square art show
• Was the head of the label Pallas Records and signed and executive produced for the rap group Crucial Conflict