The Bboysounds Cassette

The cassette tape holds a special significance in Hip-Hop and Bboy Culture, as one of the most recognizable symbols of the movement.

Cassette tapes were the original medium through which early Hip-Hop culture was shared from one to another, as the underground movement wasn’t being pressed en masse, and the music couldn’t be found on the radio or in the record store.

This meant that Hip-Hop Culture had to grow through direct connection to others involved in the movement, and as MCing, DJing, and Breakin’ – as the musical elements of the new culture – spread throughout New York and eventually the world, it was through these cassette tapes that bboys and bgirls could share the experience with others.

Throughout the 1970s, Hip-Hop pioneer DJs like DJ Hollywood, Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, and others were known for selling taped recordings of their party and club performances, as well as custom-made mixes at top dollar prices.

As recording equipment and, ultimately, digital recording and mp3 technology made cassette tapes and their often bulky and lower-quality players all but obsolete, tapes were no longer a practical option for transmitting sounds. Despite this, you can still find companies producing cassette tapes and artists selling their music on them.

The cassette tape serves as a living relic of the early Hip-Hop movement, and we found that this would be the most sensible symbol of our mission at Bboysounds.

Peep the Bboysounds cassette around the world!