To B-Boy Or Not To B-Boy

This is an article from the german hip-hop mag "MZEE" (july/august '93) by Kenny "Ken Swift" Gabbert and Jorge "Fabel" Pabon of the Rock Steady Crew with assistance from Richie "Crazy Legs" Colon and Steve "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente. I know it is bad to take others work, but I think this is so good that I just couldn't leave it....

Clemente: As B-Boy and boogie-boy pioneers of this culture, we feel obligated to preserve and maintain true historic understanding of terms and facts connected with hip-hop. From reading articles and hearing certain rap records, it has become clear to us that the word B-Boy has come to be a catch-all term for a true hip-hop fan and this is incorrect. The term B-Boy was introduced by the innovator of hip-hop culture, Kool DJ Herc, who was referring to the brothers who anticipated the "break" part of a song. These breaks are the same sections of a record that DJs scratch - very percussive, upbeat tempos on a tribal tip. The B-Boys response to these rhythms is a sudden outburst of a specific dance styles: upright stepping movements and a series of fast floor moves that usually end in a freeze.

Adopted by younger members of gangs in the Bronx and Harlem back in the early '70s, B-Boying manifested a wild, roughneck urban spirit. Some of the gangs responsible for this are The Black Spades, The Savage Nomads, The Savage Skulls, The Renegades of Harlem, The Savage Samurais, The Young Lords, The Savage Kings and The Baby Kings. There were particular crews which were noted as pioneers as well, such as The Nigga Twins, The Zulu Kings, The Seven Deadly Sinners, Shanghai Brothers, The Bronx Boys, Rockwell Association, Starchild La Rock, Rock Steady Crew and the Crazy Commanders. The same intensity captured in the lifestyle and dress codes of these crews was also projected through their B-Boying. Many styles and moves seemed threatening to those who watched, and there was always a chance of confrontation. It is a misconception that B-boy battles replaced figthing among individuals and crews. The truth is that the battles sometimes inspired more violence than peace. We acknowledge B-boying as an extension and progression of previous dance forms. There is an obvious tribal essence which takes us back to the earliest African dance movements, and the influence of Brazilian martial arts/dance techniques know as Capoeira is clear.

In the early 1980s "boogaloo" or "popping", a West Coast dance form, made its way to New York City. By the time it reached the East Coast we had no knowledge of the West Coast terminology so we chose our own, "electric boogie" or "boogie" for short. As the B-boys and boogie dancers came together, the term B-boy was shared by the two. Kool DJ Herc was referring to a dance movement and not a hardrock image or fashion statement when he conceived the term B-boy. Those who consider themselves true members of the hip-hop culture need to respect and understand not only our history, but the proper use of our terminology as well.

James Brown had this song named 'The good foot' and he had this crazy wild footwork dance which he did to the song. People took these moves, added more elements to it and called this new dance "the good foot". For a while they danced to the entire song, but after a while they started dancing only in the breaks. DJ Kool Herc started calling these dancers " break boys" . They would start competing trying to outdo each other with more and more advanced moves. Kool Herc started extending the break portion of the record by mixing the breaks together which enabled the Break Boys to dance and be in the spotlight for a longer period of time. In a way we might say that James Brown was one of the inventors of the art we call B-Boying.

During the late 70's, one of the main spots where B Boys would hang out to practice and battle was the 'Happy Warrior' playground on 98th and Amsterdam in he Bronx, NYC, this became the lab where B Boy scientists conceived rhythmic contortions, magical dance positions and lethal injections of deadly moves. Later the Happy Warrior park was renamed and became Rock Steady Park.

Afrika Bambaata was a former gang member who saw that there was no sense in the gang warfare of the late 60's and 70's, he used hip hop to recreat himself , seeing what kind of positive influence the Hip Hop culture had on youngsters in the community, He began to organize the young artists in the hip hop community. BBoys, Graffitti artists, MC's and DJ's all came together under one umbrella to form The Zulu Nation. The Zulu Nation would host parties and events where the hip hop community could battle and show their skills. Rappers, BBoys, and DJ's alike.

These parties a lot of the times were held on school playgrounds. New York City schools are broken down into P.S.(public school where you go to school from around 5 to 10), I.S. (Intermediate School where you go from 10 to 13) and High School(13 to 17,18). The public schools(P.S.) tend to have big playgrounds which provided the perfect venue where many heads could compete and enjoy themselves. Hip Hop parties were held citywide, kids from the Bronx would travel to Jams in Manhattan , Brooklyn, and Queens and vice versa. This led to different BBoy moves being spread. A special danceform which is very often used by B-Boys (during their toprock or/and for battling) is Uprocking and originated in Brooklyn (NYC), was no doubt spread by the travelling dancers.

Up-Rocking is a dance style formed and shaped in the early 70's in the ghetto of Brooklyn's Bushwick section. The Up-Rock dance style was originally conceived by a fellow named Rubber Band who lived in Bushwick's ghetto. He invented the Up-Rock style of dancing back in the 70's as an alternative to the gang fighting that permeated his neighborhood.

Queens and Manhattan also made huge contributions to BBoying. It seems though that the most props are due to the Bronx BBoys since they seemed to have had the most influence on the early development of BBoying.

The battle scene between RSC & NYCB in "Beat Street" was typical of what happened back in the day, this and other movies of the time inspired many people worldwide and made them crazy about breaking. This however contributed to the over exposure and over commercialization of some elements of the hip hop culture, mainly BBoying. The west coast artforms (popping, locking, etc.) also suffered. Many dancers in the US got tired of the hype and decided to give the scene a break.

At the time when it became less popular in the USA (about '85, '86), it grew more and more in Europe. Nowadays there are dancers all over the world and the scene in New York grows again.

In Europe there are a few crews that have existed for many years [Second To None (England), Actual Force (France), Battle Squad (Germany/ Italy), Enemy Squad (Hungary) and a lot of crews that are changing all the time among a whole lot of upcoming new breed. There are different styles of dancing in Hip Hop. Not only Breakdance. You got Breaking (well known) Brooklyn Rock (Advanced uprock) Popping (More like Electric Boogaloo), and Locking. The Popping and Locking were invented at the West coast while Uprock and Breaking were invented in the ghetto of New York. You could from 1974 watch glimpses of locking, popping and the robot on TV shows like, Soul Train, The Big Show and What's Happening!. In the late 70's there were only a few dancers who practiced these forms in New York except for some dancers that had moved from the West to the East.

Some early and active Poppers: Activity (Kool Keith UMC's) New York Animation (Air Force) California Baby Gap (Tidal Waves) Illinois Bam Bam (New York) Bionic Man (Deceptikonz, Rock Force) California Black Resurgeon (California) Blue City Strutters (California) Boogaloo Patna (Deceptikonz) California Boogaloo Sam (Electric Boogaloo's) California Boogaloo Shrimp (He's an incredible animator. Fantastic Five, Fancy Dancers) California Cartoon (California) Charlie Rock (WC Rock STeady Crew) California Check (Chicago) Chuco (Air Force) California Cosmo (Illinois) Demons Of the Mind (California) Doc (Electric Boogaloo's) Fabel (Magnificent Force, Rock Steady Crew) (New York) Fame Flat Top (California) Fortune Frank (Illinois) H20 (UPS Rockers) California J.D (Street Patrol) Illinois Jerry (Street Patrol) Illinois Jigsaw (C.O.T.A crew) Karl (Cosmic Force) Illinois Kelo (Cosmic Force) Illinois Kid ( Illinois) Kippy Dee (New York) Klown (Full Circle) (New York) Lib Bob (Cosmic Force) Illinois Lil Sput Loc-A-Tron (New York) Lollipop (California) Lok A Tron John (His style were side glides, animation and the shoulder drop style of popping) Loose Bruce (He used more a character and was looser with faster struts and quick, sharp) Loose Bruce (Pop-O-Matics) (New York) Madozza (Illinois) Maduza (California) Marvin (Illinois) Mechanical Device (California) Mechanical man (Mechanical Mens) Illinois Melvin (Venus Electronic) Illinois more robotic.). Mr. Vibe (Wicked Nation) California Mr. Wave (New York City Breakers) (New York) Mr. Wiggles (Magnificent Force, Rock Steady Crew) (New York) Muhammed Muhammed (New York) Playboy Eddie (United Street Force) California Pop 'n' Taco (Fantastic Five)California Pop N Taco (Has been Michael Jackson's personal trainer for the last 13 years.) Poppin' Pete (Electric Boogaloo's) California RE (Air Force) California Robert Taylor (New York) Robotate (California) Rubber Ron (Tidal Waves) Illinois Scarecrow (Illinois) Scooby (Scooby Brothers) California Shabadoo (West Coast) Shabba Doo (California) Short Circuit (New York) Snap Shot (New York) Space Capital (Chicago based popper) SpaceCapital (Cosmic Force) Sugar Pop (West Coast original popper) Supreme (New York) Sweepy (Rock Steady Crew) (New York) T-Bopper (Chain Reaction) California Tommy Boy (Style Elements) California Venom one(Wicked nation) California Weapon-X (New York) Crews: Blue City Strutters (California) Dominos (California) Dynamic Duo (New York) Electric Boogaloos (California) Electric Dominos (Illinois) Illinois Street Patrol (Illinois) Magnificent Force (Wiggels, Fabel) Mechanical Mens (Illinois) Mysterious Poppers (California) Pop-O-Lockers (Illinois) Pop O Matics (Loose Bruce) Robotronics (California) Shak Crew (New York) The Electrickompany Dancers (Wiggels, Fabel) The Loc A Trons (Lock A Tron John) The Shak Crew (New York) Venus Electronics (Illinois)

Rock Steady Crew (USA) The original Rock Steady Crew was founded by Jo-Jo, Jimmy Lee and Jimmy Dee.. The second generation of Rock Steady which were and are worldwidely famous, consisted of Crazy Legs (who took the legacy of the old RSC and created a new), Prince Ken Swift, Baby Love, Buck 4, Kuriaki, and Doze. And they began their own travels uptown and around battling and dancing. One of the the crews they loosed the battle were Floor Masters. Other Crews they used to battle, Dynamic Rockers and New York City Breakers. Crazy Legs and Prince Ken Swift are still b-boying as members of Rock Steady Crew. Buck 4 and Kuriaki passed away couple years ago for unfortunate incidents. Doze are still doing some graffiti. The original crew was established 1970s in South Bronx, New York. They are a part of Zulu Nation. Rock Steady Crew has always tried to keep the original foundation of breaking which is footwork. Nowadays, RSC has many chapters all over the places such as West Coast, Japan, UK, and Italy. To be a official member of The Rock Steady Crew, it is necessary to battle with members of Rock Steady Crew in NY and to get props from them. Currently, the main members are Crazy Legs, Prince Ken Swift, Mr. Wiggles, Masami, and Orko. There are many young generation of Rock Steady Crew who will take over the crew in the future.

Baby Love(Daisy Castro) Was the first B Girl to ever get fame beyond the boundaries of her west side Manhattan block during the early 80`s. She featured in films like Beat Street and RSC videos and sang on the crews album. Honey Rockwell has taken over her role in RSC today. When she was 14 years old, she hung out in the park at 98th & Amsterdam Avenue. Her brother was a member of the early Young City Boys, and she learned from them by watching and hanging out with them. In 1985 she started on high school and graduated and later became a gymnast for the US Gymnastics Federation and for Kennedy High School in the Bronx.

Buck 4

Crazy Legs (Rickard Colon) Is one of the original members of the legendary Rock Steady Crew. He has been featured such films as Flashdance, Beat Street, Wild Style and Style Wars. He participated in the Peabody Award winning documentary "Dance in America:Everybody Dance Now" and in the Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special, danced in a tribute to the Nicholas Brothers at the Kennedy Center Honors and the Boston Ballet Gala. He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography and the 1994 hip-hop Pioneer Award from The Source magazine. Crazy Legs' success is a testament of the longevity of hip-hop.

Doze

Fabel Before he started dancing he was a Grafitti writer with his partner Wiggles. One of his early influences were Loc A Tron John (North Carolina) and Loose Bruce (San Diego). He and Wiggles soon got their fame as the two first Puerto Rican boogie boys in New York. And they was first out wearing lee clothes with grafitti on them. Even the Fat Laces were invented by them.

Frosty Freez (Wayne Frost), Joe Joe, Kid Galaxy, Kuriaki, Lenny Len, Lil' Crazy Legs, Mauritzio

Mr. Wiggles (Steve Clemente) He has been inspired by brothers in his hood, The South Bronx. One of his early influences were Loc A Tron John (North Carolina) and Loose Bruce (San Diego).He began dancing in the clubs of New York. Before he started dancing he was a Grafitti writer with his partner Fabel. He and Fabel soon got their fame as the two first Puerto Rican boogie boys in New York. And they was first out wearing lee clothes with grafitti on them. Even the Fat Laces were invented by them. His film appearances include Beat Street and Wild Style. He received artists grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, inc. He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography and is currently distributing a compilation of his work on home video. Orko (Roger Romero) Raised in Los Angeles, he has been popping and breaking since the age of 12. He is also a member of the dance group Air Force Crew.. His television and film credits include "Soul Train" Fox-TV's hip hop documentary special, music videos for El Maestro, an Adidas commercial, and the feature films "Thrashing" and "Electric Boogaloo". Orko participated in the 1995 L.A Funk Festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Big Five sporting expo in Long Beach and as part of the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angels Olympic Games. His 1990 (8 times spins in row) is known as one of the best in the world.

Prince Ken Swift (Kenneth Gabbert) He still remembers the first time he saw somebody drop to the ground. He and his friend Dante was walking outside this record store on 96th Street and Broadway. There was a speaker outside the store with music from the inside. All of a sudden his frind started bopping on his head, he spun around and dropped down in a split. People started looking, and Ken wondered, what the f**k was he doing ??. Dante then told him that he was 'Vibing'. Then he suddenly understood it, to hell with the people that were watching. The music sounded so good. That was in 1977. His start with Hip Hop was Graffiti, DJ, and MC'ing. (With Doze) between 78-79. Swift then learned his first moves from Doze that had a cousin that did some breaking. As a natural born breaker he learned the moves fast and then complicated them. He and Doze became a crew and got them their own T-shirts with the names, B-Boy 1 and B-Boy 2 on it. His first crew was The Young City Boys. Later Swift and YCB got connected with this Bronx kid named Crazy Legs. After battleing each other they soon joined forces to re-form a Bronx B Boy crew from the '70s that had been passed down to Crazy Legs by its founders - Jo Jo, Jimmy Lee and Jimmy Dee. It's name was 'Rock Steady'. And from then on the Happy Warrior park was known as Rock Steady Park. As a member of Rock Steady Crew, Swift participated in the first hip-hop international tour, New York City Rap. His documentary and film credits include Wild Style, Style Wars, Beat Street, and Flashdance. He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography. He continues to create and name new moves -1990's Kaboom, air babies and flowing downstream -adding to the vocabulary of b-boying worldwide. Today he is still active and most respected. He is married to Lady Rock a former B Girl in RSC.

Q-Unique, Spy, Take One

Nowadays, RSC has many chapters all over the places such as West Coast, Japan, UK, and Italy.

New York City Breakers (USA) Michael Holman picked up some good breakers from different crews and put them into one group and named it "New York City Breakers". The group consisted of Kid Nice, MR. Wave, Action, Lil Lep, Glide Master, Icey Ice, Powerful Pexter, and Flip Rock . New York City Breaker used to be considered a rival crew of RockSteady Crew back in the days.. Their battle against Rock Steady Crew in the movie "Beat Street" is legendary. Kid Nice (Noel Mangual), is known for his good breakdance choreography. Mr. Wave (Tony Draughon) A master elecrtric boogie dancer. The most cheered for dancer in the film "Beat Street." Action (Chino Lopez) the leader of the crew. Lil Lep (Ray Ramos) is the head spin and old school master. Glide Master (Matthew Caban) grand master of the fist glide. Icey Ice (Corey Montalvo) does air moves like no human can. His freeze poses are very unique. Powerful Pexter (Tony Lopez) His moves is powerful and fast!! Flip Rock (Bobby Potts) Master aerialist who flips higher and meaner than any other breaker. Floor Freaks (UK) Evo, Bryan and Archie all started with breakin' round 82. One of the most styleish crew today. They don't like powermoves that much, but are more into style.

B Boy Crews

#1 Sure Shot Boys 3D (Akanni, Speedy) B Boys In Action (Scott LaRock as DJ) Crazy Breakers (Akanni, Tic Master) Dynamic Rockers (Kid Freeze) Floor Lords (Akanni, Tic Master) Floor Masters (Fast Break) Freeze Force (Kid Freeze) Ghettooriginals (Akanni, Crazy Legs, Zulu Gremlin, Flow Master) Incredible Breakers (Chino) Magnificent Force ( Icey Ice, Fast Break) Quick In Action Rock Steady Crew (Jo Jo,TC5,Doze, Crazy Legs) Scrambelin' Feet The Fresh Kids The New York City Breakers (Kid Freeze, Isey Ice, Powerful Pexter, Flip Rock, Glide Master, Lil Lep, Action, Mr. Wave, Kid Nice) The Young City Boys United States Breakers (Jo Jo, Speedy, Tic Master) B Girl Crews (Members throughout the history) Eternal Two Creations (Asia One)USA Full Circle (Roc A Fella)USA Lady Rockers USA Rock Steady Crew (Baby Love, Asia One, Honey Rockwell, Lady Doze, Lady Rock, China, Lisette, Leslie)USA 7 Gems (Honey Rock Well)USA Waseba University Breakers (Koroll)Japan

BBoy Breakbeats

* Apache - The Incredible Bongo Band (1973) * Blow your head - Fred Wesley & The JB's (1974) * Boogie Down Bronx - Man Parrish (1985) * Breakers Revenge - Arthur Baker (1984) * Breakers Revenge 93 - Zeb Rok Ski & Steber Twins (1993) * Champ - The Mohawks (1975) * Dance to the drummers beat - Herman Kelly & Life (1978) * Gimme some more - The JB's (1971) * Give it up and turnit a loose (In The Jungle Groove Remix) - James Brown (1970) * I believe in miracles - The Jackson Sisters (1986) * I know you got soul - James Brown * It's just begun - The Jimmy Castor Bunch (1972) * Melting Pot - Booker T & The MG's (1971) * RockCreek park - The Blackbyrds (1978) * Scorpio - Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band (1971) * Theme From S.W.A.T.- Rhythm Heritage (1975)