If you walk around New York City lately, you will see more people with earphones listening to their mp3 players. This is a far cry from about 20 years ago when boomboxes dominated the city streets. Boomboxes were portable cassette or CD players with built in loud speakers. A typical boom box had a handle, a center component for cassette tapes and a CD player. There were speakers on each side.

Boomboxes were so popular back in the 80s. There were neighborhoods in Harlem, the Bronx and in Queens that had streets filled with boom boxes. Normally young men would carry around their boomboxes filled with would pumping music. They would meet up with their friends and hang out while their boomboxes blared rap music at their feet. Boom boxes served as a catalyst for the street dancing style.