B-Boying: Sub-Culture in the US but Pop-Cuture Abroad
As the third chronological element of hip-hop, b-boying (or breakdancing for the commercial folks whom are street-impaired) has a rich history within hip-hop culture. As with the other three elements (Rap, Graffiti, DJing), b-boying was founded on the principles of skill, originality and expression. A highly difficult and acrobatic form of dance, it’s not the sort of thing you see performed at every party; well not in the USA at least.
Back in the day (late 70s and early 80s), you couldn’t go anywhere in New York City without seeing b-boys and b-girls battling; whether at a house party, a dance club, the blacktop basketball court, or even in the subway stations. B-boying was all the craze-if you weren’t breakin, poppin’ or lockin’, then you just weren’t hip-hop. Started within the base house parties of the South Bronx, b-boying quickly spread across the country and was easily the most popular form of dance. Fast forward two decades later, rappers are dominating pop culture in America and the b-boy element is all but forgotten.
Presently, as the commercialism (and negative influence) of rap continues to flood hip-hop culture, pioneering art forms such as DJing, graffiti and b-boying continue to diminish in the U.S. Abroad, however, in countries such as Germany, South Africa, Russia and especially Japan, b-boying is as popular as it was in 1985 New York City.
There seems to be a high level of respect given to the b-boy art form in foreign countries. Japanese b-boy crews have taken breakdancing to new heights; performing much more acrobatic stunts and awe-inspiring aerial moves. As with pretty much everything else created in America, the Japanese took it and made it better! How is it that the average teenage German hip-hop fan regards someone like Crazy Legs as a God of b-boying, but the average teenage so-called hip-hop fan in New York City doesn’t even know who Crazy Legs is? Afrika Bambaataa can sell out an arena in China but cant get a single booking in Manhattan. There is something seriously wrong with that.
Make no mistake, b-boying does have a strong underground existence in the States; and seems to be gaining a slow but steady level of popularity among the younger generation of hip-hop heads. However, domestic b-boys are not getting anywhere near the love and/or respect that they deserve from the city/country of the element’s origin.
Author Profile Craig Wilson is President of the National Museum of Hip-Hop. Read more from this authorTags: B-Boy, Breakdance, Global, Pop Culture
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