Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, Bull99 Becomes Fred Fab 5

Read the rest of the Hip Hop Family Tree comics!

• [wizardru]

  DIG:  
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/chunk2/442658413/

  • [Ed Piskor]

     Word up. For sticklers of accuracy, the train that I drew in the comic was Fred’s first Campbell’s Soup Train. The one that’s on the inside front cover of “Subway Art”. Which is also where I got Lee’s, Martha’s and Henry’s reference for attire.

    • [blueelm]

      I love this series. I look forward to the next one ever time they’re posted.

    • [Pedantic Douchebag]

      Fantastic work, Ed.

• [jarmstrong]

  This is killer, Ed.  I’ve been anticipating that other branch of art to wind its way in to the story.  I’m so pumped to see the rest!

• [william shannon]

  epic

• [Heidi HighandMighty King]

  love this series! thank you! I just sent the link to Mark Bode (Vaughn’s son) and to Raoul Roach(Max’s son). They’ll love it too.

• [Val A Lindsay]

  Yay, Vaughn Bode! :)

  • [Preston Sturges]

    Issues 1 to 5 of Junkwaffel are on line

    http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/search/label/Junkwaffel

• [grs]

  Was his name originally “Fred Fab 5″ as stated in this strip? I’ve always known him as “Fab 5 Freddy” or “Fab 5 Fred”.

  Edit: Or maybe people just refereed to him as “Fab 5″ when he was beginning this movement?

  • [Ed Piskor]

    ” Fab 5 Freddy” was a misinterpretation by Blondie, that was presented in that “Rapture” song, and stuck.

    • [grs]

      Huh. No shit. That’s pretty funny actually. You create a moniker all on your own. Someone else comes in and because they messed it up while reaching a wider audience, you change your moniker and embrace the change.

      Maybe it’s not the same in hip-hop as other subcultures, where you build around your name or rather something is built while known by an alias. I was watching a local dance/hip-hop show and after a couple people/groups performed, there was a short chat segment. The host asked the guests how many names they had gone by and all the people on this show had between 3 or 5 other “stage” names before their current incarnations. And as I just learned, Bull99 became Fred Fab 5, so maybe it was no big deal to change to Fab 5 Freddy. Interesting. I’d say you don’t see many major acts changing names, but then there’s Sean Combs. Even Snoop was once Snoop Doggy Dogg and then Snoop Dogg. So what do I know. I’ve seen many bands change names as members come and go, but the band member themselves usually don’t their individual identity.

      /End Rambling.

      Thanks again Ed for these Tuesday strips. Keep ‘em coming!

      • [Preston Sturges]

        Well “Blondie” had similar problems

• [James Eichelberger]

  Bode’ would be proud to be included.

• [Jonathan Roberts]

  (Standing in an art gallery) “Man, the stuff this Lichtenstein did… (goes home, gets changed and goes out again) …ain’t no different than when a cat paints a fly Vaughn Bode character on their burner”. Looks like Fred can hold a train of thought pretty well!

  • [JCR]

    He also held a can to a train pretty well.

• [JCR]

  Get out of my Brain! This is greatest story ever told.

• [noah django]

  this is in reference to a commenter in a different thread.  Brood X said: “Kind of makes me wonder if perhaps they developed their warped ethical compass by listening to too much rap music.”
  s/he said it here:  http://boingboing.net/2012/02/28/backyard-brains-at-ted2012-n.html

  i have logged a response.  anyone else?

• [WesternQueensLand]

  My big interests/
  Brought together in panels/
  Of drawings and words/
  #haiku

• [Pathduck]

  Graff artists always paranoid :D