Ahhh, the boombox. Boomboxes bring back some great memories for me – 80′s rap, jackets with zippers and funky-ass dudes groovin’ on the sidewalk. At one point, the “boombox wars” got a bit out of hand – companies like JVC and Panasonic were putting out bigger and bigger boomboxes, some even had built-in disco lights.

These party-in-a box tape players disappeared pretty quickly, but this NPR video brings it all back in a fantastic, 11-minute history of boomboxes called “The Rise and Fall of the Boombox“.

Before iPods (or even CDs) there were boomboxes. It’s been 20 years since they disappeared from the streets, but the nostalgia they evoke is about more than stereo equipment. We’ve changed the way we listen to music — and to each other.

So put on your headband, slap Herbie Hancock’s Rockit in the cassette machine, and rock out, it’s definitely worth the watch:

via.

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