noun Music Slang

B-Boy

/ˈbiːˌbɔɪ/ · noun · slang

A break-boy who lived for the breaks, throwing down on cardboard with footwork and freezes.

0

Definitions

1

An adjective-like descriptor for the look and attitude of that scene.

“He had that classic b-boy stance, arms crossed, fresh from head to toe.”
by community
0
2

By extension, a young person fully immersed in original hip-hop culture and style.

“Dude's a real b-boy, lives and breathes the culture.”
by community
0
3

A male breakdancer who dances to the break sections of records, central to hip-hop's four elements.

“He was the illest b-boy in the borough, untouchable in a cipher.”
by community
0

B-Boy In A Sentence

The b-boys battled all night while the DJ looped the breaks.
She trained for years to hold her own among the b-boys.
His windmills made every other b-boy step back.

Origin & Usage

Coined in the early-to-mid 1970s Bronx scene, where DJ Kool Herc reportedly called the kids who danced to the 'breaks' break-boys; it became the foundational term for hip-hop's dancers.

Variants bboybreak-boybreakerb-girl
Tags #hip-hop#old-school#1980s#vintage#breakdancing#dance

People Also Ask

What does b-boy mean in slang?

It refers to a breakdancer, specifically one who dances to the break of a record, and by extension someone deep in hip-hop culture.

Where did b-boy come from?

From the 1970s Bronx, where the 'b' stands for 'break'; DJ Kool Herc is credited with naming the dancers who went off during the breaks.

What is a b-girl?

A b-girl is the female counterpart, a woman who breakdances within hip-hop culture.

Comments 0