Fred Brathwaite (born 1960), more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American Hip hop historian, Hip hop pioneer and former graffiti artist. He was active in New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s. He is credited with helping to broaden the exposure of Hip-hop beyond The Bronx. In late-1980, Freddy was cast along with fellow Lower East Side graffiti writer Lee Quinones in Glen O'Brien's film Downtown 81 (1981). That film showcased artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in his Lower Manhattan environment and the music that surrounded it.