More Than A Stance » Interview

Thesis: B-Boys Are Artists, Not Athletes

Calvin — Tue, 31 May 2011 08:29:26 +0000

Not everyone’s a Strife.tv, so it’s always an interesting to see how non-b-boy media outlets fare with b-boy interviews. Luckily for you, Detooz Films does an impressively slick job with the infamous b-boy Thesis (click here to read our previous Thesis feature).

Among other things, Thesis discusses some interesting points about the pitfalls of watching too much YouTube, his reasons for prefering cyphers over big shows, and the beauty of taking moves from a three-legged dog.

Yeah, you’ll probably just need to watch it.

Flo Master Calls for Respect to Krumpers

Calvin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:08:47 +0000

Well, he is a legend.

But the real surprise here is how how obscure BlackBerry has gotten in its campaign.

“Among B-Boys” Showcases Hmong B-Boy Community

Calvin — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 23:05:44 +0000

“Among B-Boys” has been on my radar since I first saw its short film version a few years back when I lived in Oklahoma. My interest in the topic itself was complemented by the fact that at jams, I’d often run into the Tulsa-based Hmong crew Soul Rivals, of which one member was featured prominently in the film.

Several years later, I’m now in Minnesota, another hub for the Hmong community, and the film has blossomed into a full-length documentary. In that time, the pun-tastically named project has inspired not only a synonymous jam but also collaborative Hmong crew with members across the country.

Shot in a number of of those locations in the West Coast and Midwest, “Among B-Boys” takes a peek into the impact of b-boying on the Hmong community. It’s always pretty fascinating to see how hip-hop can almost universally empower a struggling minority groups, and coupled with the already-fascinating history of the Hmong people, it should be a interesting watch.

“Among B-Boys” premieres May 4 at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. For more information, click here.

Check out the original short below.

Fast and Fly: Ken Swift Discusses the Nike Cortez

Calvin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:58:22 +0000

In celebration of their upgraded line of Cortezes, Nike Sportswear dropped a nice three-part series of videos showing the shoes’ history, evolution, and adoption by various cultures.

Ken Swift holds down the fort for the b-boys and the East Coast, explaining how the shoe’s unique shape and fabrics made it ideal for doing fast footwork and looking fresh.

Other featured artists include Mister Cartoon and Estevan Oriol.

Check out more Nike videos here.

Crazy Legs’s Cooking Show

Calvin — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:00:54 +0000

The New York Times did a nice little write-up on Crazy Legs’s webcast where he features hip-hop and healthy meals.

From the article:

“Putting a healthy meal on my plate is important for me as a dancer. Not being the youngest dude in the world, I have to keep a healthy perspective as I get older.”

Oh, and remember, falling is not an option.

LINK (NYT): Webcast by a Hip-Hopper Who Cooks

LINK: Crazy Legs Workshop

Neguin’s Secret Revealed

Paul — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:06:12 +0000

Photo by Nika Kramer

I practice Capoeira, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t smoke, and I have a lot of sex.
- Neguin

Full interview here.

B-Boy Network Channel Features Killa Bee, G.I. Jane, More

Calvin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:13:32 +0000

B-Boy Network Channel is an up-and-coming, straight-to-the-point channel that highlights upcoming events, feature battles, and an impressive “Strictly B-Girl” series.

Since the inception of its YouTube page, the channel has regularly interviewed the likes of Nadia, Queen N.V., G.I. Jane, MisLee, and Killa Bee (shown above). There are nuggets of b-girl knowledge and wisdom to fuel inspirational Facebook quotes for days, like,

Just be a dancer. Don’t try to be a girl dancing… Do whatever your body tells to you.

Click the following links to follow the channel on YouTube and Facebook.

Asia One, Peppa, and Others Discuss “What is a B-Girl?”

Calvin — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:09:52 +0000

From what I can tell, it’s not easy being a b-girl.

Emulate the styles of your favorite b-boys, and people say you dance too much like a dude. Don’t dance enough like a dude, and people say you’re being too girly. It’s complicated enough explaining infinitives like “to b-boy,” so is it worth taking it a step further with “to b-girl”?

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Do you accept compliments for doing moves that tend to be more difficult for girls? Or do you keep a strict No Easy Props mentality, even if it means admitting you lost a battle after judges give you a win? How do you put up with all the sweaty dudes constantly hitting on you because you’re the only girl at practice?

The answer is — well, everyone has his or her own answer.

In S. Allman‘s “What is a B-Girl,” West Coast b-girls Asia One, Catfox, Chronic, L-Boogie, and Peppa provide their own perspectives on their identities and the dance. It’s a solid piece that provides some nice insights without getting too preachy. Click here or check it out below.

BBoy Magazine Interviews Kid David, Ata, and More

Calvin — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:13:58 +0000

I’ve got love for most b-boy magazines, but there’s a special place in my heart for the sites and publications that still feature the written word. It takes a certain kind of person and a specific type of hunger to want to read when there are countless videos clamoring for attention.

The Poland-based b-boy magazine called, uh, BBoy Magazine doesn’t disappoint. After reading their interviews, you might be surprised to find out that a lot of better b-boys:

have pretty stringent diets (lots of smoothies, apparently),
tend to think their local scenes suck, and
have a really weird taste in books.

Some more highlights:

“The wackest bboy clothes is the trendy stuff, like foam caps, puma suade, and bboy or die t-shirts lol condom beanies. I hate it when young bboys dress like its the eighties even though its 2010.” – Kareem

“…What are the wackest bboy clothes? Tight ass jeans – punk style.” – Tuffkid

“Please don´t just look at battles as the only place you could perform your skill. The world is too big for that. Your talent and all the work you put into it deserves more. Dance wherever you could be yourself. In competitions sometimes you won´t even get the right recognition just because the judges have closed their eyes on you or they look for a different format.” – Storm

“A lot of us often went to another neighborhood and smoked someone in front of his girl, mom, sister and all of girls from his neighborhood. It was all about the girls. You go to another neighborhood to see other girls. So if I smoked someone in front all those girls it’s extra prop. It was the reality. ;)” – Mr. Wiggles (Also worth mentioning: his explanation of 52 blocks and his argument against “four elements” view of hip-hop.)

“WARM UP. STRETCH. AND DON’T DO TOO MUCH FOOTWORK WHEN U DONT HAVE TO.” – Kid David

“Witch one is better- you win a jam or everyone says you smoked this guy in the cypher but you did not do what you have been feeling or you did not look like you want. Or you loose in the first round or some big name gave you a lesson in the cypher but you look at the tape and you are like yeah thats how i want to look like and damn it felt good. Witch one will give you the energy to move on???” – Ata

“It’s rare to see me acting like I have anger problems like half of the world does when they battle haha. It’s just a way to show confidence. But I don’t need to push people or curse at them during the battle to make it look like I’m so much better then you … I remember at bboyhodown in texas when we battled free and orb from circle of fire and [Toyz] was talking to free while he was going out telling him he liked his shirt and was asking where he got it from and how much he paid for it haha.” – Domkey

Click here to visit BBoy Magazine.

Breaker NYC Interviews Honey Rockwell. Talks about Rainbows

Paul — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:00:59 +0000

Breaker NYC has stepped up their interview game with a really dope feature on Honey Rockwell of NYC.

16 years in the game, she shares some interesting stories of her early days training with the likes of Flowmaster, Crazy Legs, and Rockafella.

There’s also a little story about rainbows somewhere in there.

LINK: Honey Rockwell: Past, Present, Future by Janice Yang

Jiggz Interview at TheCypher

Paul — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:21:12 +0000

TheCypher, the wiki project by the man behind BreakerNYC, has a new interview with Jiggz from NYC. Among other things, he gives his opinion on the NY scene and tells how a trip to Florida in 2000 helped influence his approach to the dance. Good stuff.

Have Questions for DOMkey? Ask Him Yourself

Calvin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:00:52 +0000

I could talk here about how much of an honor it is when interview subjects say we ask the right questions. Or I could comment on how social networking sites like this democratize the interview process by eliminating the middle man between “celebrities” and their fans.

But none of that means much when you’re hit in the face with some tough, hard-hitting questions like:

penis?

3 feet long

That’s right. If you’ve ever watched an interview and thought, “I could do a way better job than these guys,” or “Why didn’t they ask this question?” — well, here’s your chance.

Don’t worry. DOMkey‘s Formspring page isn’t all cock-talk — there are already plenty of interesting and insightful tidbits on the famed b-boy’s favorite musicians, inspirations, and reasons why he doesn’t care that you can airchair better than him. Just be ready to dig through pages of questions about girlfriends, crushes, and other online stalking in general.

Click here to check it out.

Nasty Ray Lets Loose The Hate

Paul — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:16:48 +0000

The thing about talking shit… is that it’s hilarious.

What pisses you guys off in the b-boy scene right now?

Jimmy Castor Interview on Super B-beat Show

Paul — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:37:27 +0000

“I don’t care what song you’re breakin’ to. But when you’re breaking, subconsciously you’re singing ‘Just Begun’ in your head.” – Alien Ness (Foundation)

I remember being in NYC a few years ago and hearing about a session somewhere in Harlem. I got directions from some girl whose name I can’t remember (thank you random NYC b-girl!) and I printed out directions from Google Maps just in case.

I ended up lost in Harlem, doing what most b-boys would do: investigating every source of loud music I heard. I turned a corner next to a park, and suddenly I heard the opening horns of Just Begun by The Jimmy Castor Bunch. I literally ran to the building with a huge smile on my face.

Only a song as universally respected by b-boys could have that effect on me. There was no doubt that wherever that song was playing there were b-boys getting down.

And while the effect of music is often discussed amongst b-boys, it’s not often that we get the opportunity to hear the effect that b-boys have on the musicians themselves.

The Super B-beat Show got the opportunity to interview Jimmy Castor on what it means to have created what is arguably the most important song in b-boy history, and why he’s known as “Everything Man”.

As always, the episode is part mixtape part radio show, so click here to get it.

B-Girl Audition Footage with Every B-Boy Ever

Paul — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:33:14 +0000

At least it seems like every b-boy ever. Elizabeth Dell, producer of B-Girl, talked about this audition in our interview with her, her sister, and Lady Jules last year (see the 3:30 mark in the clip below), calling it “one of my top 10 days in my whole life.”

B-boys featured in this clip include Incredible Josh, Legacy, Spee-D, Flea, Venum, Luigi, K-Mel, Remedy, Do Knock, and Rainen. And probably some others I missed.

Rawbzilla’s Tips for Inspiration

Calvin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:14:54 +0000

I talk about Rawbzilla a lot on this site, but it’s hard not to when his moves in a clip like this are still as relevant now as they were a decade ago.

In this recent interview with MikeyIce, the self-proclaimed “Lizard King” spends a lot of time talking about his inspirations and his thoughts on foundation, judging and biting. The audio and video quality aren’t the best, but depending on your level of patience and your willingness to sit and learn, this interview has the potential to be a game-changer.

Take, for instance, Rawbzilla’s stories about finding inspiration from carousels, cockroaches, Godzilla movies, the Grinch, and even tow trucks — apparently, after driving past a tow truck lift a car, he pulled over and immediately came up with a move on the concrete. “That’s zoning out and pretending you’re something you’re not,” he says.

He goes on to explain how foundation should equip b-boys to tap their creativity, rather than stifling it, and how he won’t repeat moves he’s done in cyphers in battles.

Oh, and he tries not to make any noise when he dances. Uh, just watch it!

“Copyright Criminals” Features James Brown’s Original Funky Drummer

Calvin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:19:14 +0000

UPDATE: You can watch the entire thing streaming online here (and it has an introduction by Maggie Gyllenhaal).

If we choose to believe Kool Herc (which is generally a good idea in my book [oh, and he was mentioned here in the New York Times today]), then the “b” in “b-boying” came as a result of the “break” in music that was looped and extended for the dancers.

Fast forward a few decades, and many those same breaks — whether sampled or otherwise — still get played as anthems for b-boys and for hip-hop in general. But how does that impact the original artists who played those songs?

While it’s focused more on the production-side of hip-hop, the parallels to b-boying in Copyright Criminals are hard to miss. Adding to an already-impressive list of interviewees is Clyde Stubblefield, the original “funky drummer,” arguably the most sampled man ever, and a guy whose rhythms you’ve probably b-boyed to whether you know it or not. And, according to this trailer, he’s not getting paid squat.

It’s a delicate issue that can be argued either way. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Click here for more information.

SOURCE: Creative Loafing

Sneaker History and Cleaning Tips from Ken Swift

Calvin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:34:07 +0000

What’s the deal with Pro-Keds? What about with Adidas Superstars? How do I keep my [insert material type here] sneakers clean? How do I match my sneakers to my outfit? Is it true that keeping your shoes clean is part of b-boying?

Ken Swift goes above and beyond by exhaustively answering the most trivial of these questions and more in this four-part (!) interview from reptank. No detail is overlooked, from the importance of light-colored midsole to improve footwork visibility to advice on keeping stitching and laces fresh. He even talks about using cologne to keep your Adidas stripes shiny. (Consider this fair warning that the average person will find this inexplicably boring, but I watched it all in one sitting.)

The interview itself is nothing too fancy, but there’s definitely something endearing about informal knowledge-dropping sessions like these. Factor in the fact that Ken Swift is still rocking floors, and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone that he’d be a shoo-in on our list of the top b-boys of the 2000s.

Hit the jump to see more of the interview.

Easy Rock (RSC) on Karmaloop TV

Paul — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:24:16 +0000

I like Karmaloop, even though I don’t really have the money to buy from there very often. And I’ve been watching Karmaloop TV ever since I saw this crazy interview with Bigfoot One.

So I was pretty excited to see that they’d posted up an interview with Easy Rock from Rock Steady Crew. And even though I was disappointed at how short it was, I think he touched on some interesting and important subjects — most notably the fact that it’s alright to have hobbies outside of b-boying, saying:

“I’m not trying to be Mr. New York, Mr. Hip Hop or Mr. This, I’m just me and this is what we do. So there’s no fear of having to put yourself in one category. You can pretty much just do it all.”

Phew, now I don’t have to feel so self conscious about my floral-based stamp collection. I’M JUST BEIN ME!

History: New York City Breakers Interview from 1997

Calvin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:04:26 +0000

After long-term media exposure to b-boying, it can become a tendency to polarize b-boying history. There are the super-old interviews and originators from before people were even calling it “b-boying” or “hip-hop,” and then there are the fresh new cats who represent the future.

However, this interview with the New York City Breakers (who are shown above) from Bomb Hip-Hop (who got it from Subculture Magazine) is intriguing and insightfulbecause it comes from that gray area in the ’90s — an era whose history often seems to get overlooked because it fell in the gap between the more dynamic ages of Beat Street and You Got Served.

It really is amazing to see how in just over a decade, so much about b-boying has changed — as well as how little as changed.

Take, for instance, how London answers a question about b-boy music:

…We used to dance to James Brown or Apache. Those beats were somewhat fast, but now beats have slowed down. Now the average tempo is between 95 and 110. Back then, it was like 120.

Wait, what? A jam today without James Brown or Apache would raise more eyebrows. They go on to discuss the scene’s lack of foundation (a sharp contrast with the present, when b-boys complain that others are relying too much on basic foundation without being well-rounded) as well as their doubts that b-boys will ever “sell out” again:

…What’s happened is a lot of people in a lot of crews are gaining control of their own artistic views. The first time around people kinda got swept up into the storm and didn’t realize what was going on and went along with the flow. They said, “Hey, you’ll pay me to do this, sure, you’ll pay me to do that, okay.” They just went along with the program, but with us , we are more in control and have learned from our mistakes.

Ah, if only that were true. Then again, as Action points out, some gripes about newbie-b-boys will never change.

…It’s 1997 and the only thing that bothers me is that these kids are very repetitious.

Word. Click here to read the full interview.

Lady Jules, Emily and Elizabeth Dell talk B-GIRL

Paul — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:44:34 +0000

By now you’ve probably either seen the clips or heard the chatter about the movie B-GIRL, starring Mighty 4 2006 champ Lady Jules. We had the opportunity to sit down with her as well as Emily Dell, the writer and director, and her sister Elizabeth Dell, the producer.

They address everything from the struggle to get the film made to dealing with negative feedback from b-boys and b-girls.

There will be a special advance preview screening of B-GIRL as part of the Evolution pre-party in Atlanta this Thursday, December 3rd. The screening is at 7:30pm at the Plaza Theater (1049 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, 30306).

Here’s the rundown:

“Tickets are $10 in advance and can be purchased at www.bgirlmovie.com/events, or $15 at the door. The one ticket price includes the screening, Q&A with the Director, Emily Dell, and local ATL b-girls VENDETTA and SEVERE, and the afterparty.” EDIT: Just got word that the screening is now free.

Many thanks to Jules, Emily, and Elizabeth for taking the time to talk to us.

Give Thanks for $10 Pro-Keds and Words of Wisdom

Paul — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:19:08 +0000

We’ve always let you know when to get your hands on cheap Pro-Keds, and thanks to a tip from Harold we’re letting you know that you States-side readers can get your hands on them for just $10.35. Click above to go to the sale page.

Also don’t miss our Cypherside Chat with Poe One. It might just blow your mind. Here’s one of my personal favorite quotes:

“Style is an approach. It’s not anything else. They’re trying to say a style guy is a footwork guy. I’ve seen footwork guys with no style.”

Peace, and happy Thanksgiving!

Wu Tang Gran – Chinese Grandma B-Girl

Paul — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:23:44 +0000

We’ve seen a 73-year-old b-boy and an 83-year-old woman doing freezes, but I have to say that this 70-year-old woman from China seems the most legit of all those.

The video, found on the Old School Scholar blog, shows more than just the gimmick of an old woman dancing. It touches on issues of culture, politics, and mutual respect between the generations in its short eight minutes. It’s framed around a pretty manufactured “battle” between the crew of old ladies and a crew of young b-boys, but we do get the pleasure of seeing the grandmas discover how to give props.

LINK: Wu Tang Gran – SnagFilms.com

“I Like Kites” — Full Interview with Kool Herc is Up

Calvin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:09:09 +0000

We had to sit on this one for a while because we weren’t sure we–or anyone else–could handle it. Given the delicate nature of the economy and political tensions in the world right now, we didn’t want to throw the globe into a state of fiery spinning chaos by introducing a full clip that would make heads explode from too much rawness. But the time has come.

So, click here here for our interview with the father of hip-hop.

It’s unedited and uncut for your viewing pleasure. Filmed at Street Science earlier this year, Kool Herc discusses his thoughts on the current state of b-boying and hip-hop, thoroughly intimidates us and, as the title of this blog post implies, drops some eye-opening surprises.

To see the final Breakumentary: Old to the New featuring this footage as well as interviews with Focus, Differ, Toyz, Menno, Katsu and others, click here.

Oh, and no making fun of my voice or my usage of the word “sir.” Okay, maybe just a little bit.

James Brown Drops Dancing Knowledge

Calvin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:26:52 +0000

Time and time again, original b-boys have espoused the dancing styles of James Brown as a major pillar of b-boying.

Unfortunately, we live in an age where Brown’s influence and character aren’t as prevalent as it was for those OGs. It really isn’t that rare that a beginner b-boy can recite the runs and outfits of their favorite Korean b-boys but respond with “Huh? Who’s that?” when hearing the name James Brown. Even more unfortunately, there was never a definitive interview where Brown was asked about his thoughts on his influence over b-boying (not that I know of, anyway).

On the flip side, we do have access to some video gems of Brown talking about his favorite dances and the motivations behind them. Above is a video of Brown breaking down his favorite moves.

Click the jump to hear Brown talk about originality, freestyling and only dancing in ways that match his emotions at the time. Sound familiar?