The Freshest Kids Study Guide 1. Afrika Bambaataa is subtitled the Godfather of Hip Hop, but Kool Herc is known as the first big DJ of Hip Hop/Godfather of Hip Hop. Kool Herc did graffiti, threw popular parties where he played the best music, and his crew brought the dancing, so he strongly embodied Hip Hop and was known as the first big DJ. 2. There are many different stories about where the term Bboy came from. Some of them relate the term to the music, saying that DJs would put a “break” in a record which was a part in the song where all the music cut out and then the beat would drop and on this beat drop everyone would throw down. Since the Bboys were dancing to this break in the music, the B stands for break and the dancers are breaking boys. Another story was that the Bboys were dancing to these beats and so they were “breaking beats” and that’s why they’re the breaking boys. Others also said the term came from “beat boys” because the boys were dancing on the beat of the music. On the other hand, some stories relate the term to the dancers themselves. Someone said that the B is for breaking because the man dancing is “broke” or “on his breaking point” and he’s channeling that energy into the dance. Another story interprets the word “breaking” as acting crazy or causing trouble because people said the expression “why you breaking on me.” So, when the Bboys were break dancing up in the clubs or functions they were “breaking” and causing a scene or acting extra. It’s neat how different Bboys have different stories behind the term Bboy which in a way makes it such an all-encompassing term for the dance style itself. 3. Keith and Kevin, titled as the “Nigga Twins,” were known as the original Bboys or the “real Bboys” back in the day. They had their own style that everyone could recognize them when they walked up into a club or function and they danced on cement. 4. The Rocksteady Crew formed in 1977 and was comprised of a lot of all-star BBoys from the Bronx such as Ken Swift, Mr. Freeze, Jo Jo, and Crazy Legs, to name a few. They formed the crew, because they noticed a lot of people stopped Bboying, especially around 1979 when there was a big disco scene on the rise. Furthermore, they noticed some Bboys were dead or locked up, so they could not continue practicing the art form either. Thus, the Rocksteady Crew formed with this particular crew name, because they wanted to continue Bboying at a “steady” pace and encourage everyone around them do the same. Years later, they became the image of all serious breakers everywhere. 5. While Bboying/Bgirling was developing in the Bronx and spreading in the East Coast, this type of dancing hit the west coast in 1982, in part due to the movie Flashdance with the one scene of breakdancing in it. The people on the West Coast had their own take on the dance, and the styles they called locking and popping began to develop. Similar to Bboying, there were shows in clubs or venues and battles or sessions of locking and popping on the West Coast, which grew and further developed these dances. 6. Bboying exploded through the media in multiple ways which contributed to the spreading and popularization of this art form. For example, there was a show put on by a collaboration of artists, where Henry Chalfant’s graffiti art was displayed, Fab 5 Freddy was DJ-ing, and the Rockcity crew danced creating an exciting fusion of these arts. This event was reviewed by the Village Voice, which featured an article on this showcasing of talents. Furthermore, social clubs and night clubs drew media coverage for the Bboys, too. For instance, Michael Holmn, the producer and hip-hop documentarian, invited the Rocksteady Crew to perform at his club in New York. This was especially exciting for the crew, because New York was the media capital so every big media outlet had representation there, and when the crew performed everyone came, even other famous artists. Additionally, Bboying particularly exploded in the media through films. It was featured in the Wild Style film which captured the essence of hip-hop. There was also a scene of break dancing by the Rocksteady Crew in the Flashdance movie which was well received by viewers and exposed break dancing to masses of more people. The press made a big deal about getting pictures with the Rocksteady Crew after this movie premiere and from there they really exploded due to the popularity of the movie and its media coverage. Lastly, Bboying exploded through the media by means of rap popularity. Originally, Bboying catapulted rap music into the media’s eye and so once rap started blowing up, and before it wrongfully left Bboying behind, the two went hand in hand are were publicized everywhere in the media. 7. The four elements of Hip Hop culture are music, which is rap, dancing, which is Breaking and Bboys/Bgirls, art, which is graffiti, and coaching which encompasses knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. These elements all go hand in hand and influence each other immensely. 8. Battling was critical to the evolution of this dance style, because it was a means of spreading ideas and awareness of Bboying. For instance, one of the first big battles was the Lincoln Center Battle in 1981 featuring the Rocksteady Crew versus the Dynamic Rockers. This battle was covered by National Geographic, on the front page of the metro section of the New York Times, shown on channel 7, and all in all a huge media play for Bboying. Not only did this mean their dancing reached more people outside of the Bboying community, but it was an even greater deal for those internally involved. Bboys saw their friends or role models on TV Bboying and this made them feel proud and inspired by what these crews were accomplishing. Furthermore, the battles were not centered around winning or having one winning team. Instead, the Bboys were more interested in challenging each other, connecting, supporting, and sharing ideas. In another battle hosted by Michael Holmn at his night club, a group called the Floormasters got an invitation to battle with Rocksteady, which was a huge opportunity for them to become more well-known and express themselves in a hotter setting. In fact, the Floormasters proved their athleticism through this battle and went on to establish themselves as the New York City Breakers when many new opportunities opened up for them. This is why battles are so important for the growth of this dance style. People bring their different moves and ideas and are constantly challenging each other to be creative and experimental with Bboying. Lastly, when the younger generation began observing these battles, after Bboying had been present for years, they took it upon themselves to incorporate cool, new moves into the dance that wowed the older generation and gave way for more freedom to explore the different levels of dance within Bboying. 9. The lack of female voice and even just female presence in this documentary suggests that Breaking and Hip Hop culture was dominated by men and geared towards mostly men. This is interesting to compare to Krumping and the movie Rize we viewed, which showed a lot more of a female voice. Breaking was originally spread by Bboys in New York who knew other Bboys and would go around having Breaking sessions with them, which would attract more Bboys. A lot of the people who then got into Breaking did so through observation and constant exposure to it and since Breaking wasn’t around females as much or didn’t draw females in as much, perhaps they just never were as involved in Breaking. In fact, I find it funny how some of the Bboys discuss trying to impress or pick up girls with their moves, instead of considering teaching it to them. Furthermore, Breaking definitely requires a lot of practice and physical ability and strength. Bboys spin on their head, move their body upside-down, jump around on their arms, and are constantly on the ground. I don’t think that females wouldn’t have the strength and coordination to do this, but it’s definitely a more intimidating athletic and physical feat than Krumping, for example, and the fact that the Breaking was already male dominated and had always been, was probably also intimidating for potential female members. 10. Afrika Bambaataa discusses the music, dancing, and art of Hip Hop. He stresses that peace, unity, and having fun are important underlying principles of the elements in Hip Hop culture. Everyone who expresses themselves through Hip Hop embodies these values because this is how Hip Hop originated and what it was founded for. He goes on to note that Hip Hop has progressed from when it was just Bboys and Bgirls and DJs and rappers, to an international phenomenon; this is crazy because when the first Bboys and Bgirls were experimenting with their moves and just playing around with this art form, they were in fact giving birth to a huge industry that would become lucrative and famous. Lastly, Afrika Bambaataa discusses the notion of taking Hip Hop back and Bboys and Bgirls flooding the clubs and making their dance known always. Breaking is such a vital component of Hip Hop’s origins and it’s important that we keep those roots alive.