Scope and arrangement
The Mr. Freeze collection dates from 1968 to 2014 (bulk dates 1980s-1990s) and communicates his role in the formation of break dancing. While it reflects significant moments, the collection is not a comprehensive record of Mr. Freeze's career. It predominately demonstrates the legacy he has built through his work in more recent years. The collection contains awards, posters, fliers, sound recordings, moving images, publications, letters, photographs, clippings, and a few artifacts. Audiovisual materials are unavailable pending digitization, and electronic records are currently unavailable.
Sound recordings and moving images comprise the bulk of the collection. Break dancing competitions, including the Ultimate B-Boy Championship (UBC); Rock Steady Crew reunions; instructional videos; interviews; Mr. Freeze's street miming work; and various events in Las Vegas are documented. There are also two hip hop albums Mr. Freeze created in 1989 and 1991. The 2010 and 2014 Ultimate B-Boy Championships are also documented through photographs and video clips held on electronic media.
The few letters present convey how young many of the contributors to hip hop were at that time. An example is the KLB Productions preparatory letter for parents of the Rock Steady Crew and the Fantastic Four Double Dutch team. This letter relates to the New York City Rap Tour of 1982. There is also a freelance contract with Paramount Pictures Corporation for the Flashdance gig that sparked RSC's career; and letters of recommendation for Mr. Freeze's later marketing and performance work.
A stickered portfolio holds clippings and a few more letters of recommendation. There are some loose clippings about hip hop and break dancing; and a few magazine issues that focused on hip hop history. Other publications present include Break Dancing: Step-By-Step Instructions (1984); and Breaking and the New York City Breakers (1984).
There are a few photographs from different time periods in Mr. Freeze's life, including images from his childhood in Paris (1968); photographic slides of his break dancing (1983); a Polaroid with rapper and actor Ice-T, Ice-T's first wife, and him (1989); headshot negatives; and a few images of Mr. Freeze as an older adult.
The fliers and posters in the collection predominately relate to Mr. Freeze's weekly Slide party at Tabú Ultra Lounge and his events at The Beatles Revolution Lounge. Most of the posters are signed by the artists, such as an Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force "Don't Stop...Planet Rock" poster.
The collection also contains awards from the president of the borough of the Bronx and the Universal Zulu Nation; three nameplate belt buckles; and cutouts from silk screened t-shirts that portray hip hop themed archival prints.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by format or subject.