

And if you get more opportunities, then you have a greater chance of making this a living.” If you win and do well in battles, then you get known and if you’re known, then you get more opportunities. “Everyone is trying to win now because you can actually make money from this. “I’m doing this for a living, I take it serious,” said 19-year-old Logan Edra, who as B-girl Logistx is the reigning Red Bull BC One Champion and is back in this year’s competition to defend her title. She’s back this year to defend her title. Today, a combination of prize money, corporate sponsorships, commercial gigs and teaching opportunities have helped turn the lifestyle into a personal brand.ī-girl Logistx of the USA celebrates during Red Bull BC One World Final in Gdansk, Poland, on Nov. People were practitioners of a whole culture,” said Kenneth James Gabbert, aka B-boy Ken Swift, an original member of the Rock Steady crew.
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“Like most people at that time when I came in, you knew how to write your name with style, hit the turntables and DJ, and grab a microphone and kick a round about yourself, and you knew how to bust a few moves. All right? You gotta take that out to the park.’ ” They was like, ‘Yo, you gotta take that outside. You couldn’t even break-dance at the clubs. Prior to the spotlight that was put on breaking, it was pretty much just an urban street thing. “But when I started out in hip-hop, like everybody else going to parties, I gravitated towards the dance. “In the formative years we saw the first B-boys and emulated them, and then I went on to other elements in hip-hop until I finally found my niche - and that’s as the emcee on the mic,” he said. He was a member of the seminal hip-hop group The Cold Crush Brothers and known for being the uncredited writer behind Big Bank Hank’s raps on “ Rapper’s Delight.” Brown will open the Red Bull BC One World Final as a DJ and emcee. “I’m not a casual observer, I’m a former B-boy myself,” said Curtis Brown, also known as Grandmaster Caz. In the earliest days, it was common to try your hand at all of them. Prize money and sponsorships are in the mix for those who come out on top, but getting there requires more time, dedication, and potentially dollars spent on training, than ever before.īefore all this professionalization, the boundaries between the five elements of hip-hop - DJ-ing, MC-ing, breaking, writing (graffiti), and knowledge - were more porous.

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Related Story Vikki Tobak’s ‘Ice Cold’ links rap’s gold chains to African traditions Read nowĪs breaking has evolved, the world that was once centered on cyphers, where rappers, beatboxers, and/or breakers gathered in a circle, extemporaneously making music together, and dance battles in parks and parties has given way to professional dance studios, training gyms, a pro tour, and highly produced events run by corporations such as Red Bull or governing bodies such as the World DanceSport Federation, which is overseeing breaking as an Olympic sport. The contest sponsored by Red Bull, now one of the biggest honors in breaking, offers winners a championship belt, an undisclosed amount of prize money, and, of course, bragging rights. Viewers will have an opportunity to take stock of just how far breaking has come in the 50 years since hip-hop culture was born in the Bronx. When the 2022 Red Bull BC One World Final returns to the birthplace of hip-hop - New York City - on Saturday, it will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in midtown Manhattan and livestreamed on ESPN+. In a surprising development at an international competition, Flea Rock’s outlandish style won the battle and for a moment, Old Skool swagger reigned over New Skool pyrotechnics.Īs ever more acrobatic battles occur in the ramp up toward breaking’s debut as an adjudicated event at the 2024 Summer Games, the wide spectrum it straddles between art and sport is increasingly apparent. The matchup put a spotlight on the tension between artistry and athleticism that has always been present in breaking. The crowd erupted and a judge jumped out of his chair. Then he wiggled down to the floor and army crawled toward Shigekix, guns still blazing. After an arsenal of gymnastic moves from Shigekix, Flea Rock responded with a witty retort: making his hands into the shape of guns, he fired off shots as his feet moved to the beat.

In the quarterfinals of Red Bull’s world championship break-dancing competition in Gdansk, Poland, last year, American Flea Rock battled the defending champion, Japanese B-boy Shigekix. Hip Hop at 50 is our yearlong look at the people, sound, art, and impact of hip-hop culture on the world.
