Mining the cypher: branding and breakdance

Abstract

Purpose

This paper is a companion piece to the short documentary Breakin' Away. The paper aims to touch on Texas b‐boy culture and tourism, the hip‐hop industry at large, book publishing, intra‐industry media‐synergy, the Hollywood film industry and related aspects of pop culture.

Design/methodology/approach

Part ethnographic memoir, part confessional, part anecdotal how‐to, the article is written in the first person and fits within the tradition of autoethnography.

Findings

Given its autoethnographic focus, the paper follows several unique cases rather than attempting to abstract generalizable principles.

Originality/value

The paper provides an inside view of Texas b‐boy subculture and reveals specific aspects of the hip‐hop industry.

Citation

Dalecki, L. (2011), "Mining the cypher: branding and breakdance", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 5 No. 4, pp. 364-375. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181111174646