time for a new topic here guys, ok i was wandering what actually defines the term Boombox/Ghettoblaster??
i sometimes laugh when i see an epay auction for a small radio and the seller describes it as a Boombox/Ghettoblaster.
i thought it would be nice to get some opinions on what some members term as a Boombox/Ghettoblaster.
to me it has to be atleast the size of a sharp 9191 or a sanyo m9994 or something on them lines, it also has to have 2way four speaker system and bass and treble controls, led,s or needle meters are a must if a box does,nt have these additions then to me it is just a radio, not a Ghettoblaster, thats how i see it anyhow.
i might be wrong myself to term the 9191 as a Ghettoblaster, i mean does it really look as though it was made for the streets??
when you compare the likes of the 9191 to a conion c100f, then to me the 9191 just looks like an everyday radio.
i thought id put this thread up after seeing a number of small crappy radios on epay being advertised as Ghettoblasters, it,s quiet annoying surely these guys know a kitchen radio from a proper street box

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i sometimes laugh when i see an epay auction for a small radio and the seller describes it as a Boombox/Ghettoblaster.

Thought the same.
Trash eggs, miniradios and so...
But they only uses the therm, because of better finding.
And the exact discription what a boombox is, is very difficould.

To me, it's OK to call a kitchen egg a boombox, no matter how small or cheap it is. Boombox is just a generic word. The term ghettoblaster however, should be reserved for boxes that were actually built for the streets. A Telefunken Studio 1 was not built for the streets, so it is not a ghettoblaster, even though Germans always call it that. Nor is a Panasonic 5350 a ghettoblaster, it is meant to stay at home. A true ghettoblaster has its controls near the top of the box, not at the bottom. A true ghettoblaster must also have styling made for the streets. For example, a Crown 850 is a ghettoblaster, but a Crown 980 is just a boombox, because its styling was not made for the streets.

ye things are getting a bit clearer here now i would say that the gf 9000 is a street box then, because of the chrome bars over the woofers, im starting to see what a proper street box is now, although i think there will be a lot of divided opinions here

Back when I was carrying boxes from 1985 to 1989, I never heard any of these boxes called "boombox" or "ghettoblaster". It was just a "radio", which is the simplest term you could use. Where those other terms came from is beyond me.

Personally, I don't even like calling most of these boxes boomboxes 'cause if they can't reproduce an 808 kick at least somewhat convincingly, there is no "boom".

personally i love the name Ghettoblaster i think it is just an iconic name for huge one piece boxes, for me the name Ghettoblaster just seems to fit perfectly

Same here Mono..when i was carrying boxes about in the 80s,til early 90s,we never called them ghettoblasters or boomboxes either,the name was hardly ever hurd of then..we used to just call them stereo's..i think its only since ebay started,people listing there stereos needed a title name so people could easily find there items..

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Originally posted by MONOLITHIC:
Back when I was carrying boxes from 1985 to 1989, I never heard any of these boxes called "boombox" or "ghettoblaster". It was just a "radio", which is the simplest term you could use. Where those other terms came from is beyond me.

Personally, I don't even like calling most of these boxes boomboxes 'cause if they can't reproduce an 808 kick at least somewhat convincingly, there is no "boom".

It was pretty much the same in New York, we called them radio's or boxes, never derogatory terms like Ghettoblasters or brixton briefcases. We'll, then again, maybe the local media...

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The Boombox Project

A Visual Timeline of the Era of the Boombox

Exactly when the term ‘boombox’ hit the streets is not known for sure. In the United States, department stores apparently began using the term in marketing and advertising as early as 1983. Street slang linguists pin the term down at 1981, and define the boombox as “a large portable radio and tape player with two attached speakers.” Initially, it became identified with certain segments of urban society, hence adopting epithetic nicknames, like ‘ghetto blaster,’ and ‘jam box.’ But as the masses began to embrace these gargantuan conglomerations of electronics, lights and chrome plated gadgetry an inherent form of portable entertainment and expression was born. The boombox as it has evolved is now an icon of popular culture, it has been referenced by rockers, poppers, hip-hoppers, and graffers alike. It is a symbol of rebellion and a way to shout your message at the system. Turn up the volume on your boombox, whatever the size, and let the capstan wheels of the tape deck drive a favorite mix-tape to life… As the defiant voice of punk rock legend, Joe Strummer sang “This is radio clash using audio ammunition…”

Back 'in the day' we just referred to them as 'cassette player' or 'radio' never boombox, occasionally a 'ghetto'. Ghettoblaster isn't/wasn't ever derogatory in the UK unlike 'wogbox' which most certainly was/is. I'd never heard the term 'brixton briefcase' until a few years ago.

interesting stuff guys, i don,t know how or where i first heard the term Ghettoblaster, but that,s what iv,e always called them and known them as, the only place i ever call them anything different is on here, where it,s just simply ...box

I was 12 when the boombox era started and we refered to them as a "radio" or "box". I never heard anybody in my hood say boombox or ghettoblaster, those terms were manufactured by the media.

ye i see where your coming from here the media and likes associated big radios with poor people from the ghetto,s!! hence the name ghetto blaster

quote:

Originally posted by mellymelsr:
I was 12 when the boombox era started and we refered to them as a "radio" or "box". I never heard anybody in my hood say boombox or ghettoblaster, those terms were manufactured by the media.

"The media"... Yeah, that sounds right to me.

Still, I heard Rakim use the term "ghettoblaster" on "The R" back in 1988. But then, it's like a parallel from "breakdancing" and "b-boying"... True B-Boys don't use the term "breakdancing" 'cause it's a media made term but everybody else (outsiders/those who don't know any better) knows that term because of the media, so a false term becomes an acceptable term.

well i suppose it does,nt really matter when all said and done radios, ghetto blasters, boomboxes, we call them whatever we feel comfortable with but to me the name ghetto blaster just says big blingy street style radios, whereas the term radio kind of puts me in mind of a small thing you have in the kitchen or something if someone says ghetto blaster to me, straight away i associate it with big 80,s street style radios, but if someone says radio, it could kind of mean any number of am/fm recievers from any decade.
thats just how i see it

In the early 1980's I also only referred to my radio as..."MY RADIO". Ghettoblaster was some racial term that I would have NEVER used back then. I didn't live in a ghetto and would never have felt comfortable using that kind of slang.

Keeping in mind, this was long before it was cool for white kids to act like urban "OG" gangsters and long before suburban dentist's put on their "Hells Angel's Costumes" to ride their Harleys acting like wanna be white trash on Saturdays.

For me, I wasn't trying to attach my self to the Hop Hop scene, I was / am a Heavy Metal fan. So "Ghettoblaster" or even "Boombox" was a term I would have never used back in the day.

Today, "Ghettoblaster" and "Boombox" are terms recognized the world over by what you all are describing. AND there is no doubt that a "Ghettoblaster" is built for the street regardless of what a "Boombox" is.

It's sounding like once again, Corporate America found a marketing scheme that worked and pressed those words into our minds.

But I agree, A "Ghettoblaster" or "Boombox" is a stereo unit, cassette player, tuner, battery powered, carrying handle and the bigger the unit the closer it gets to the name.

, you say your into heavy metal LASONIC, i like rock music among other stuff and i like to blast out a bit of BON JOVI, VAN HALEN, DEF LEPPARD, THIN LIZZY, and stuff like this too, it sounds great on your box

I'm not convinced that the US marketing and media corporates came up with the terms boombox/Ghettoblaster. In order for the rest of the world to catch wind of the phenomena occurring on the streets, and lets be honest in a lot of ghetto's, the rest of the world had to "coin a phrase" to make it clear to us not in the US to understand what these things were about.
As a kid when these things appeared, I only ever knew them as a ghettoblaster, a blaster or a soundbox. But above all those names they were simply marketed as a stereo, yet those in the swing of the phenomena (like me as a competitive B-Boy or breaker), ie: not those selling the stereos or trying to market them, referred to them as ghettoblasters so they had some sort of connection to the streets of the USA at that time. That's how I remember it, though I have slept since then.

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Originally posted by LAV LOO:
, you say your into heavy metal LASONIC, i like rock music among other stuff and i like to blast out a bit of BON JOVI, VAN HALEN, DEF LEPPARD, THIN LIZZY, and stuff like this too, it sounds great on your box

DOKKEN

quote:

Keeping in mind, this was long before it was cool for white kids to act like urban "OG" gangsters and long before suburban dentist's put on their "Hells Angel's Costumes" to ride their Harleys acting like wanna be white trash on Saturdays.

Yep. Gotta love all the white boys wearing beanies when it's 80 degrees out, trying to look like they are street-wise or something

Back in the day, my friends would just say, "bring out the JVC" for my M90

quote:

Originally posted by LAV LOO:
, you say your into heavy metal LASONIC, i like rock music among other stuff and i like to blast out a bit of BON JOVI, VAN HALEN, DEF LEPPARD, THIN LIZZY, and stuff like this too, it sounds great on your box

Oh, yeah, I still do up the classic Metal on my 920. AC/DC, Y&T, Triumph! Got to love em!

O-F-F - T-H-E - S-U-B-J-E-C-T
Docs: The Sharp VZ in your Avatar is one Bad A$$ dream box!!

I,too,liked these radios for guitar centered music more so than for heavy bassy music.This is why I love the term "blaster" so much.Bassy music naturally should come from a box that is designed for "booming" lows (thus the term "boombox").Guitar rock and metal should come from a box that "blasts"(thus the term "blaster") because the term more accurately refers to music that fills the air more densely with mids and highs.Anyone who has heard a boltbox or a Panasonic 5050 knows that nothing since those days screams the mids (particularly) and the highs of these boxes and some others from the classic era.These boxes were perfect for metal in particular to be sure.

As for the various terms to describe these "portable radio cassette recorders",all for me are inoffensive.It drives me nuts how some whiney types like to say ghettoblaster,wogbox,brixton briefcase,etc. are offensive terms.Perhaps there's some light hearted humor to be associated with these words.However,anyone offended by them is either not O.K. with themselves or into the political power that such "accusations" carry with political correctness.

"Ghettoblaster" in particular for me is a term of high praise.It was in the inner cities that creative types came up with a new form of dance.Since the '80s,I have always been in awe of those who could do those sorts of moves.This is an integral and probably the most important part of the boxes history.Its not like the VCR has made a similar contribution to society.It just resulted in a bunch of passive shut-ins.

Totally agree with you Jovie, Metal on a good BLASTER rocks! Back in the day when I was lighting up the streets with my TRC-920 playing Iron Maiden and Judas Priest it did and still does deliver Hard Rock and Heavy Metal really well. Probably better then even my 777.

Hard Rock and Heavy Metal has always been about Good Highs and Good Lows. You don't even need mids. In Metal we call it "Scooping The Mids". "F" the mids!

Since the 777 really lacks in highs, but does have great subs, it delivers other styles of music better then the 920 does. But for a ROCK BOX, just like in the 80's, I still put my money on my 920!

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Originally posted by Lasonic TRC-920:

Hard Rock and Heavy Metal has always been about Good Highs and Good Lows. You don't even need mids. In Metal we call it "Scooping The Mids". "F" the mids!

But isn't guitar all mids?

Ok, the first time i heard the term "ghettoblaster" was from the Commodore 64 game with the same name. Released 1985. You had to shoot notes (or music) out of your radio on your shoulder to make people dance... Cool...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...0voE&feature=related

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Originally posted by peter griffin:
Back in the day, my friends would just say, "bring out the JVC" for my M90

Funny, we too refered to the the M-90 as the "JVC", but for my uncle, it was the RC-550 when he was a teen A behemoth at that time...

quote:

Originally posted by Lasonic TRC-920:

quote:

Originally posted by LAV LOO:
, you say your into heavy metal LASONIC, i like rock music among other stuff and i like to blast out a bit of BON JOVI, VAN HALEN, DEF LEPPARD, THIN LIZZY, and stuff like this too, it sounds great on your box

Oh, yeah, I still do up the classic Metal on my 920. AC/DC, Y&T, Triumph! Got to love em!

O-F-F - T-H-E - S-U-B-J-E-C-T
Docs: The Sharp VZ in your Avatar is one Bad A$$ dream box!!

Thanks man that VZ is what I would call a static street boomer hehe but I agree, love it to bits. As for your Lasonic in the pic, I love that unit's looks and it certainly would be worthy of any notable name on the street that anyone would wish to call it, its perfect.

that 920 is nearly as nice as mine