The Crew: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a color archival pigment print from the negative. The photograph depicts a group of eleven members of the TML Breakers, ranging in age. They are posed in various hip hop stances around a boom box, with seven standing behind it on a platform. They are all dressed in hip hop fashion, wearing sweaters, vests, and leather jackets with low-top sneakers with fat laces. For accessories, they have hats, jewelry, and Cazal-like glasses.

There are three TML Breakers custom garments being showcased by the members: a red crewneck on the left with white printed [T.M.L. / (silhouette of a pose) / BREAKERS], a denim jacket painted with [LiL / STEVE] held at the center by a young child wearing a large [FRESH] necklace, and a second denim jacket painted with [TML] on the right. The background is a graffitied wall.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1985; printed 2021
• Photograph by: Jamel Shabazz, American, born 1960
• 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: Brooklyn, New York City, Kings County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Break dancing
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Urban life
• Topic: Youth
• Object number: 2021.63.4
• 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.