Kid Freeze: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a color archival pigment print from the negative. The photograph depicts Kid Freeze of the b-boy group Dynamic Rockers from the waist up, posed standing with his proper right hand throwing a backwards “Rock On” gesture and his proper left arm holding a boom box on his proper left shoulder. He is dressed in an all-dark denim matching attire of jeans and jean jacket. Under his jacket, he appears to be wearing a solid black shirt, possibly with a turtleneck. Kid Freeze is accessorized with red frame glasses, a name belt with the last to two letters visible [OY], (presumably “B-Boy”) and a gold-colored necklace with a pendant. He is posed on a sidewalk with buildings on his proper right and an elevated train platform in the far background.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1998; printed 2021
• Photograph by: Jamel Shabazz, American, born 1960
• Subject of: Kid Freeze, American
• Type: pigment prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: pigment-based ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
• Place depicted: Harlem, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Break dancing
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2021.63.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
• 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: © Jamel Shabazz Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.