Everybody’s Fly: A life of Art, Music, and Changing the Culture by Fab 5 Freddy with Mark Rozzo. Published March 10, 2026 by Viking. 336 pages.
I don’t think there will be a “next thing”. The proliferation of the internet means culture has split off and any new scene, movement or ‘ground zero’ will be a copy of an A.I. copy of a copy. The idealist in me does wonder that if there were another shift in creative leadership (stewardship?), Fab Five Freddy would definitely be involved.
Frederick Brathwaite (a.k.a Fab 5 Freddy) was in the dead center of pretty much everything that was going down in the ’70’s and ’80’s in New York City: The artistic landscape, Punk, New Wave, Subway graffiti, the flourishing Hip-Hop scene, breakdancing, legendary block parties with Mc’s and DJ’s, etc. And in any medium you can think of, Fred was there, expressing himself.
This isn’t your typical memoir. It’s not just Fab 5 Freddy telling the story of his life. It’s bigger than that. It’s the story of a movement, a culture, and a generation that completely changed music. Growing up in Bed-Stuy (Do or Die), Brooklyn – His finger was on the pulse of the cutting edge. Fred saw things that were going to break out before they did and amplified it.
In the 1970’s, Fred cut his teeth alongside Lee Quiñones (a.k.a LEE) as part of the Fabulous 5 Crew moving their subway art to galleries overseas. Homie’s with neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, they influenced each other – recalling where Basquiat drew inspiration for his crown from their visits to the Met. Fred also befriended several other pioneers such as the visionary Futura 2000, pop artist and activist Keith Haring as well as new wave band Blondie’s: Chris Stein and Debby Harry. Blondie’s music video of their 1981 hit song, “Rapture”, features cameo appearances of Fred, LEE and SAMO (Basquiat’s tagging pseudonym) as well as a lyrical shout out to Fab 5.
Fred co-produced the 1982 film, Wild Style, with writer/director Charlie Ahern. While some of the Hip-Hop community dismissed it due to it being too commercial, it is a bonafide classic. It explores all facets of Hip-Hop culture and shows the sheer vibrancy of the nascent scene. It really had it all – Double Trouble freestyling on the stoop, Grand Master Flash cutting & mixing records in the kitchen, breakers in the park and graf artists ‘bombing’ trains in railway yards. It was the absolute pinnacle of raw, unmediated cool.
And of course, Fred became the first Hip-Hop VJ hosting bringing rap music to the masses with Yo! MTV RAPS. Sure, at the time Rapper’s Delight seemed like a novelty, but Follow the Leader by Eric B. & Rakim (the first video premiered on Yo!) was one of those electrifying records where you instantly knew everything had changed forever.
I really appreciate the texture and tone of the book. Written in a compulsive, propulsive style (with assistance from Mark Rozzo), It allowed me to clearly visualize and feel the various NYC settings, train yards and tunnels, clubs and parties, art establishments and museums, as well as the diverse groups of people he interacted with.
Fab 5 Freddy is not only an ambassador for all things cool – his story serves as a testament that he is perhaps the most influential tastemaker of our time and well, the freshest individual that has ever walked the planet earth. READ THIS ASAP. This memoir is fly.
-Dagobot