“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.
Alright, these Nike Skateboarding commercials are a) kind of old and b) not about b-boying.
But they are hilarious, and their relevance toward b-boying is readily obvious.
It doesn’t take too much of a stretch of the imagination to see the word “skaterboarders” replaced by “b-boys” — especially when you consider that manyb-boys are hoping to see professional b-boying emulate the model set by professional skateboarding.
First, a brief history: light painting — otherwise known as light graffiti or “that stuff that your photographer friends do that made you ask, ‘How did you do that?’” — has actually been around since the 1930s. Typically, a light is moved during a long exposure shot, creating a streak of color.
Can you multitask like Ken Swift and Zulu Gremlin?
It’s been long said that the original hip-hoppers rarely restricted themselves to one “element” of hip-hop. It wasn’t uncommon for a b-boy to also dig records and catch a quick tag on the way home.
The funny thing about b-boys MCing or rapping, however, is that b-boys aren’t always the most articulate guys. And oftentimes, fans are surprised by their favorite dancers having voices that don’t seem to match up with their dance styles.
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.
Paris-based graphic designer Zroy Roy makes amazing comic book covers featuring b-boys like Crazy Legs, Born, Taisuke, RoxRite, and Wicket (shown above).
As RoxRite recently blogged, it’s getting more and more difficult to have your b-boy clips stand out when there are so many dancers with cameras and computers constantly uploading new content.
Just in case you were having one of those rare Mondays where you actually feel pretty good about yourself, Cloud reminds us that some people will inexplicably be better at everything than you will ever be.
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.”
Re-popularized by big name b-boys who spin across country in them, these sweaters have arguably been the biggest and most surprising trend in b-boy fashion from 2010 through the present.
This is not our shirt, we didn't make it, don't buy it. I mean, you can if you want.
If getting ripped off is any sign of success, then we’ve finally hit the big time.
We found this shirt on accident through a random Google search. Whoever designed it really knows who we are. I mean, they got all the elements right: we love cities, we only speak through a megaphone (which we share), we listen to our music on cassettes, and we like to stack up our water bottles sideways until they reach a height of 70 feet.
I suppose it’s our fault for dragging our feet on our official shirts. Don’t worry, the store really will be up soon.
The German consumer products company Braun recently debuted a line of YouTube advertisements featuring the ever-popular b-boy Ronnie and the infamousbreaksDJLeanRock.
What makes this especially awesome is that a lot of the mentioned stereotypes are either a) actually true or b) untrue, but a lot of b-boys themselves still think they’re true.
The lesson from this? Never trust a man named Doug Curlee.
