Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E Los Angeles, 1990: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of six DeVoux brothers of the hip hop group, the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. Taken in Los Angeles, California, the DeVoux brothers are variously posed in front of an exterior white wall with a diagonal edge. Four of the brothers are standing against the wall. The brother on the far left wears a white tank with a cross necklace and stands facing forward with his chin pointed up. Next to him, another brother stands facing the wall, with a plaid button up shirt removed from around his shoulders to expose a large tattoo reading [DEVOUX]. The two brothers standing on the right both wear denim overalls over white tank tops and hats. Two brothers are posed in the foreground on the right side of the photograph, squatting and facing each other, their right hands clasped together in a gesture.The brother on the right raises his left hand to make a gesture of his middle and ring finger crossed together, index and pinky finger spread wide. All six brothers wear dark-colored bandanas tied around their foreheads. On the front is an inscription written by Janette Beckman with the title, date, and her name. On the back is an inscription written by Bill Adler with the subject and photographer's name.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1990
• Photograph by: Janette Beckman, English, born 1950
• Subject of: Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., American, founded 1988
• Subject of: Gawtti, American, born 1970
• Subject of: The Godfather, American, 1962 - 2018
• Subject of: Kobra, American, born 1965
• Subject of: Monsta O, American, born 1966
• Subject of: Ganxsta Ridd, American, 1968 - 2020
• Subject of: E.K.A., American, born 1965
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 14 × 10 15/16 in. (35.5 × 27.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 1/8 × 8 1/8 in. (20.6 × 20.6 cm)
• Place captured: Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Gesture
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.62
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Janette Beckman Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.