More Than A Stance » Site Stuff

It’s Official: We’re Famous

Paul — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:13:06 +0000

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.

YouTube? What’s a YouTube?

Paul — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 04:30:34 +0000

Did you guys know there’s this neat website where you can upload videos and people can watch them in terrible quality? It’s called YouPube or something.

Anyways we just heard about it so we uploaded all of our old videos so you guys can enjoy them. But instead of watching them on our pretty site with our pretty player, you get to see them on an ugly site with a bunch of advertisements all over the place. Everyone wins!

Just go here to our channel and subscribe. We’re uploading on a delay, so for our most recent stuff (like our brand new Breakumentary: ▲ Episode 1) you’ll have to keep checking our site.

E N J O Y !

Who Do You Want to See Featured on More Than A Stance?

Calvin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:41:26 +0000

I spent more time looking for this image than actually writing this post.

We want to hear your suggestions!

Don’t get me wrong: we have feature ideas for days. We just want to see if there are any people/topics you’d like to see, especially since we got such good feedback about our design. Some of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had started with someone coming up to me and saying, “You know what you guys should do on More Than A Stance?”

If we don’t like your idea, or if you suggest an idea we’ve already done, don’t worry — we’ll ban you from the site. Just kidding. We’ll just start crying in cyphers and make it uncomfortable for everyone.

Leave your comments below!

Letter from the Editor: A Note on “The Lady in Red”

Calvin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:02:59 +0000

The video that started it all.

It’s easy to get riled up about many perpetual arguments that pervade b-boy culture. “Style” vs. “power”? Staying “underground” vs. “selling out”? “Carrying on tradition” or “evolving”?

But when I first met Hanifa McQueen Hudson in 2009, she was only concerned about one thing: finding food for her son.

We were in the Netherlands for Street Science, and workshops and cyphers buzzed from all directions. But like me, she and her son were more concerned about rummaging for some free snacks. (We eventually found some sandwiches. [They were delicious.])

I’m embarrassed to say that at the time, I didn’t know who Hudson was.

It was through chance that I found out that Hudson had corresponded with a friend of mine from Atlanta. It was even later that a local b-boy revealed that Hudson was an icon – b-girls across the globe wore red as a tribute to her.

We never sat down for a formal interview during that trip, but each time I did run into her, I was blown away by her forthrightness. Whether she was telling the DJ to turn up the music or convincing her shy son to pose in a b-boy stance, she carried herself differently than most hip-hop “pioneers” I had met.

It made sense, then, that when we later interviewed, her story and her answers completely opposed the answers I have come to expect.

She said she didn’t know if she was deserving of the title that made her famous in the first place. She liked YouTube. She said she danced, but she didn’t consider herself a b-girl. She said people shouldn’t believe articles they read online (like the one for which I was interviewing her). She liked YouTube. She said she didn’t think it was a good idea to break for a living. She liked YouTube.

It was a refreshing honesty. (She even told me she thought my story about her was “ok…ish.”)

In the feature, Hudson mentions that every dancer needs to stay nourished by seeking out dance pioneers. Hudson’s ideas and opinions probably aren’t for everybody, but they do lend a fresh perspective to some threadbare b-boy maxims. Eat up, suckaz.

Click here for the feature.

You May Have Noticed a Few Changes Around Here

Paul — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:19:49 +0000

As you can tell, we’ve refreshed More Than A Stance with a new look and new feature after many months of slow progress. Life, love, and Demonoid got the best of some of us and severely hindered our productivity.

The new look is designed to help you navigate through our content a little easier, as well as introduce you to stuff you may not have seen before. Bear with us as we go through the old features and update them so that they’ll work with the new layout.

Special thanks to all our readers who commented on this post for their suggestions. We’ll give you something of absolutely no value next time we see you (like a thumbs up)!!

Nuh Uh!

Paul — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:19:21 +0000

Google has us listed as a potential “attack site” right now, but let us assure you that we aren’t in your computers stealin’ yo passwords. We’re not exactly sure what caused the problem (and neither is Google from what they can tell us), but it looks like it may have had something to do with our epic crew name generator.

So for now, the generator is offline. And if you’ve clicked past the warnings and are reading this, thanks for trusting us! We promise we won’t post those embarrassing pictures that we stole from your hard drive labeled SECRET PRIVATE STAY OUT. Well, maybe just that ONE.

Update: Exciting Announcement for 2010

Calvin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:53:32 +0000

Hello everyone!

Apologies for the lack of updates, but we’ve been hard at work at some new projects. We’re especially excited to be able to announce a collaboration that has been a long time coming:

More Than A Stance today issued an announcement of a new urban-themed project in conjunction with McDonald’s Corporation. The project, entitled Got Beef?!, will kick off in August with a 12-country rap tour and breakdance competition featuring big-name “B-Boy” and “B-Girl” Lil Wayne and Lil Mama.

Competition categories are set to include Hottest B-Girl, Shit Talk or Git Popped, and Better Biterz (Flip Tha Skript!).

The announcement also detailed the revamping of longtime breakdance magazine More Than A Stance as the new hip-hop lifestyle website Got Beef?! Breakdance Station. The new website is set to feature interviews, music videos, and an online version of Shit Talk or Git Popped entitled Flame Warz.

In making the announcement, More Than A Stance co-founder Calvin Son said, “This is how we always imagined the path that More Than A Stance would take, and we couldn’t ask for a better end. I’m confident that Got Beef?! will provide the support and sustenance that the breakdance community wants and needs. We look forward to more fun, funkiness, and fries.”

For more information, visit the official More Than A Stance blog at http://morethanastance.com/blog/.

###

Thanks so much to everyone for your support! We couldn’t have done it without you. And be sure click the image above to check out the McDonald’s BBoy Battle game!

Happy April Fools’ Day!

New Feature By Bustopher Jonez + Banners Are Back

Paul — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:30:53 +0000

Photo by Steve Believe

In case you didn’t see already, we’ve added a new feature by Bustopher Jonez on how to find and keep the perfect practice spot, along with 10 Practice Spot Dos and Don’ts. There are few places more sacred to b-boys and b-girls than where they practice, and this is a great guide for those of you who aren’t blessed with an already established spot. Click here to read.

We’ve also added Google Ads to the top of every page. If you guys hate them or think that they are intrusive, drop us a comment. As most of you know, we don’t make any money from MTAS and this is just an experiment to see if it’s possible to bring in a few bucks a month.

Help Us Redesign MTAS!

Paul — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:46:37 +0000

More Than A Stance is coming up on its second anniversary in April (yes, we’re open to you buying us huge and expensive birthday presents or donating your frequent flier miles), and we’ve been toying around with the idea of updating the design of the site.

We were really lucky to have the awesomely talented Stephanie Foo design the site that you are looking at now, and she will continue to be the designer for our update.

What we need from you are your ideas. Is there something you want to see on the site? Does the navigation confuse you? Do you hate the layout of our blog or features pages? Also, tell us what you want us to keep — we’d hate to change something that’s already working perfectly for you guys.

Give us your thoughts in the comments!

Minor Updates, Major SATISFACTION!

Paul — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:59:28 +0000

We’ve had some great responses to our latest feature: Editorial: Top 10 B-Boys of the 2000s. Some of you have even posted your own top 10 lists in the comments.

And now, if you click on the names in the lists, you will be directed to either a video clip or MTAS feature. Also, Tyrone sent us an update with detailed explanations for his top 10 picks.

The SWOTTEAM was kind enough to fix the broken links to their free mixtapes too, which we blogged about here.

Headspin Hat Winners Announced: Everyone Wins!

Paul — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:20:11 +0000

A few days ago, we asked our readers to send us pictures of their “headspin bald spots” for the chance to win one of CypherStyles.com’s Headspin Hats with Triple Padding.

After looking at all the entries with us, Barry, the owner of CypherStyles.com, told us that he couldn’t live with the guilt of letting some of these guys continue to go bald all because they wanted better headspins. So we’re going to be giving one Headspin Hat to everyone who entered (you can see them above).

Entrants: check your e-mails for instructions on how to claim your prize. Check your spam folder if you haven’t received it yet.

New Feature: Top B-Boys of the 2000s

Paul — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:11:22 +0000

Have you ever wondered who your favorite b-boys would pick as their favorite b-boys? We asked a few of our friends to help us compile a list of the b-boys and b-girls that they consider to be the top b-boys of the last decade, based on whatever criteria they wanted.

Click here to read the results.

P.S. – Did anyone notice that the b-boys in the image on our homepage form the number 10? Yeah, we’re that cool.

“Headspin Bald Spot” Contest Still Open *NOW CLOSED

Paul — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:13:27 +0000

Just a reminder that our contest to win a free Headspin Hat with Triple Padding from CypherStyles.com is still open. All you have to do is send us a photo of your “headspin bald spot” to bald-contest@morethanastance.com. We’ll be selecting the winner soon, so get your entries in.

EDIT: Contest is now closed. We will announce the winners on Christmas Day!

Show Us Your Bald Spot To Win A Free Headspin Beanie! *NOW CLOSED

Paul — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:35:32 +0000

For some b-boys, it’s a badge of honor; for others, it’s the reason you never see them without a hat on. Either way, the “headspin bald spot” is no joke. Even Amy Winehouse is a recent victim.

So during the process of reviewing the Headspin Hat with Triple Padding from CypherStyles.com, owner Barry Rabkin told us that he’d be willing to donate one of the beanies to some needy b-boy. He suggested we hold a contest where our readers send us photos of their bald spot, and so that’s exactly what we’re doing.

Send your photo to bald-contest@morethanastance.com and we’ll select the b-boy or b-girl who we determine has the most pathetic bald spot. The winner will receiver one Triple Thick Headspin Beanie from CypherStyles.com and a bagful of our pity.

EDIT: Contest is now closed. We will announce the winners on Christmas Day!

Three New Reviews: Headspin Beanie, Mixtape, and DVD

Paul — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:21:11 +0000

Photo by Tammy Tso

Head on over to our features section to catch our newest reviews. I give the first mixtape by the Deck Brothers a listen, while AlphaTrion takes a look at the DVD for R16 2008. And don’t miss our field test of CypherStyles.com’s Headspin Hat with Triple Padding, brought to you with the help of Fathom and Carnage from Risen From The Ashes.

Check them all out here.

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!

“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.

Massive Update: IBE Edition

Calvin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:36:39 +0000

If you haven’t already noticed, we’ve been rolling out lots of new stuff from this year’s Notorious IBE.

Click here for the photo gallery, and click here for our Breakumentary featuring the likes of Poe One, Thesis, Ducky and more. Check back soon; we’ll be debuting more exciting stuff in the next few weeks.

As always, if you like what you see, please post and share this at all your favorite b-boy/b-girl watering holes, both online and in the real world.

Much love to all our fans worldwide, and special thanks to all the IBE heads who showed us love.

Breakumentary Featured on DutchBboy, Key City, angry asian man and more

Calvin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:01:33 +0000

Everyone at More Than A Stance — and B-boy Baby Bear, pictured above — sends thanks to everyone who’s helped spread the word about our new Breakumentary!

A special thanks to DutchBboy, Key City and angry asian man for jumping on it early. Everyone go check out those sites and click around a bunch!

If you haven’t helped us out — shame on you! Just kidding. We appreciate any and all support we get; it gives us power to do more dope stuff, and we have some really dope stuff coming up soon, if I say so myself. Yeah!

This Is Why We Exist (aka The “Ronnie Is Hot” Post)

Paul — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:35:59 +0000

In case you didn’t know, we have a Facebook page. And in case you didn’t know, Ronnie is apparently hot, with a smiley face.

This is the kind of feedback we live for.

Have You Seen This B-Boy?

Calvin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:40:23 +0000

We’re looking for Mr. Dus10, who came up with the winning name for our new Breakumentary. We’re not sure what he looks like, but we’re pretty sure that’s him in the picture above.

Anyway, he won a free More Than A Stance shirt and bag. Dus10 — hit us up! If you know Dus10 — tell him to redeem his prize! Everyone else — keep your eyes peeled for more chances to win stuff in the future … !

Updates: New Features from Street Science and More!

Calvin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:17:39 +0000

Hey all. We know it’s been a while since the last features update. But now we’re debuting the new stuff we’ve been working on, and we hope you think the wait’s been worth it.

Did we mention we went overseas for this? A very special thanks to the whole HipHopHuis crew and everyone who showed us love.

The trip was amazing, and accordingly, our content is some of the best and most exciting stuff we’ve ever, ever gotten.

So a special thanks so much to all who have given us props, whether online or in person (especially to Dus10, who will score some free gear for helping us name this project).

A common thing we hear is, “I want to help contribute to More Than A Stance, but I’m not sure how I can help.” Your time has come! It’d mean a lot to us if you could help just by spreading the word in whatever way you feel is appropriate, whether it’s telling a friend or posting up on your favorite b-boy forum. Really. It goes a super long way in equipping us to do bigger and better things for the site — and for you. Sorry, that sounded super cheesy.

Of course, a great place to start is with our brand new Breakumentary featuring Kool Herc, Focus, Menno, Differ and more.

Think of it as a the online version of giving us a soul clap.

Thanks, and much love.

P.S. We’ve started tweeting. Follow us here.

We Need Your Help Naming Something

Calvin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:33:41 +0000

Anyone have any ideas for a catchy name for a short b-boy documentary?

As you can probably tell from some of our features, we’re big fans of puns. Toprockumentary, cockumentary, spinema, and More-something have all been suggested.

If we use your suggestion, we’ll send you some free gear or buy you a meal or something.

Thanks!

Update: New Feature and Branching Out

Calvin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:04:52 +0000

Picture jacked from Eye of the Cypher

We let it slide by quietly because we’re cool and humble like that, but we actually saw the first birthday of More Than A Stance in late April of this year.

It’s been a fun and crazy trip thus far. We’ve met a lot of neat people and learned a lot, doing our best to improve as we go. One such change you might notice is that we’ve expanded our list of contributors, especially since the response to our call for volunteers has been so encouraging (thanks to all who hit us up).

So take a minute to enjoy our newest feature by the multi-talented Bustopher Jonez, who provides a clever guide to navigating the world of academia as a b-boy or b-girl. Not to sound old, but I really wish I had been able to read this when I was in college, as it would’ve helped me from coming off as a bitter asshole.

Also take note of the stock pictures that we (meaning Paul) paid for. Then think about how professional we are for paying for them.

As for the future, be on the lookout for further collaborations from contributors including videos and reviews from b-boy homies as well as pieces by the infamous Skeme Richards. We promise we’re not selling out, getting too lazy or selling our baby — we’re just sharing the microphone.

Menno Interview Now Online

Paul — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:20:08 +0000

Just a quick note that Calvin Son’s newest work of genius is now online, with the impressive headline The Flying Dutchman: An Interview with Menno.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on in the head of the wild haired man known as Menno, here’s your chance.