Hip Hop Magazine

www.nike.com

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Nike DUNK LOW

2021

The OG returns

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vas

CONTENT

Travis Scott takes off ........... 16 - 17
Breakdance Community ........... 22 - 23

Hip Hop Culture & Art Movement ............. 6 - 9

Hip Hop Element ............. 12 - 15

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Fashion Mad 10-11

All the way Asian Flow .............. 18 - 19
Graffiti
Graffiti Arts (Contribution) .............. 29
.............. 30 - 31
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5

HIP - HOP
CULTURE AND ART

MOVEMENT

Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art -URBAN-
movement that was created by African
Americans, Latino Americans and Carib-
bean Americans in the Bronx, New York
City. The origin of the name is often dis-
puted. It is also argued as to whether hip
hop started in the South or West Bronx .
While the term hip hop is often used to
refer exclusively to hip hop music (in-
cluding rap), hip hop is characterized by
four key elements: “rapping” (also called
MCing or emceeing), a rhythmic vocal
rhyming style (orality); DJing (and turn-
tablism), which is making music with re-
cord players and DJ mixers (aural/sound
and music creation); b-boying/b-girling/
breakdancing(movement/dance); and graf-
fiti. Other elements are: hip hop culture
and historical knowledge of the movement
(intellectual/philosophical); beatboxing,
a percussive vocal style; street entrepre-
neurship; hip hop language; and hip hop
fashion and style, among others. The fifth
element, although debated, is commonly
considered either street knowledge, hip
hop fashion, or beatboxing. The Bronx hip
hop scene emerged in the mid-1970s from
neighborhood block parties thrown by the
Black Spades, an African American group
that has been described as being a gang,
a club, and a music group. Brother-sister
duo DJ Kool Herc, and Cindy Campbell
additionally hosted DJ parties in the Bronx
and are credited for the rise in the genre.
Hip hop culture has spread to both urban
and suburban communities throughout the
United States and subsequently the world.

6

Hip hop is simultaneously a new
and old phenomenon; the impor-
tance of sampling tracks, beats,
and basslines from old records to
the art form means that much of
the culture has revolved around
the idea of updating classic record-
ings, attitudes, and experiences for
modern audiences. Sampling old-
er culture and reusing it in a new
context or a new format is called
“flipping” in hip hop culture.

Old make a statement, whether polit-
School ical or emotional andparticipate
in community activities. These
Hiphop music follows in the foot- practices spread globally around
steps of earlier African-Ameri- the 1980s as fans could “make it
can-rooted and Latino musical their own” and express themselves
genres such as blues, jazz, rag- in new and creative ways in mu-
time, funk, salsa, and disco to be- sic, dance and other arts. Hip hop
come one of the most practiced culture has had extensive coverage
genres worldwide. DJing and turn- in the media, especially in rela-
tablism, MCing/rapping, break- tion to television; there have been
dancing, graffiti art and beatbox- a number of television shows de-
ing are the creative outlets that voted to or about hip hop, includ-
collectively make up hip hop cul- ing in Europe (“H.I.P. H.O.P.” in
ture and its revolutionary aesthet- 1984). For many years, BET was
ic. Like the blues, these arts were the only television channel like-
developed by African American ly to play hip hop, but in recent
communities to enable people to years. In the 2000s, with the rise of
new media platforms such as on-
-URBAN- line music streaming services, fans
discovered and downloaded or
streamed hip hop music through
social networking sites beginning
with Blackplanet & Myspace, as
well as from websites like You-
Tube, Worldstarhiphop, Sound-
Cloud, and Spotify. In the 1970s,
an underground urban movement
known as “hip hop” began to form
in the Bronx, New York City. It
focused on emceeing (or MCing)
over house parties and neighbor-
hood block party events, held out-
doors. Hip hop music has been a
powerful medium for protesting
the impact of legal institutions on
minorities, particularly police and
prisons.

7

HIP-HOP

World !

As the hip hop genre has changed since -URBAN-
the 1980s, the African-American cultural
“tradition” that Diawara describes has little
place in hip hop’s mainstream artists mu-
sic. The push toward materialism and mar-
ket success by contemporary rappers such
as Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Jay Z has irked
older hip hop fans and artists. They see the
genre losing its community-based feel that
focused more on black empowerment than
wealth. The commercialization of the genre
stripped it of its earlier political nature and
the politics and marketing plans of major
record labels have forced rappers to craft
their music and images to appeal to white,
affluent and suburban audiences. After re-
alizing her friends were making music but
not getting television exposure other than
what was seen on Video Music Box, Darlene
Lewis (model/lyricist), along with Darryl
Washington and Dean Carroll, brought hip
hop music to the First Exposure cable show
on Paragon cable, and then created the
On Broadway television show. There, rap-
pers had opportunities to be interviewed
and have their music videos played. This
pre-dated MTV or Video Soul on BET.
The commercialization has made hip hop
less edgy and authentic, but it also has en-
abled hip hop artists to become successful.
As top rappers grow wealthier and start more
outside business ventures, this can indicate
a stronger sense of black aspiration. As rap-
pers such as Jay-Z and Kanye West establish
themselves as artists and entrepreneurs.

8

It has also been argued that rap DJing and turntablism, MCing/ since its inception in the 1970s
music formed as a “cultural re- rapping, breakdancing, graffiti how hip hop has spread rapidly
sponse to historic oppression and art and beatboxing are the cre- around the world. Patterson ar-
racism, a system for communica- ative outlets that collectively gues that mass communication
tion among black communities make up hip hop culture and is controlled by the wealthy, the
throughout the United States”.This its revolutionary aesthetic. Like government, and major busi-
is due to the fact that the culture the blues, these arts were de- nesses in Third World nations
reflected the social, economic and veloped by African American and countries around the world.
political realities of the disenfran- communities to enable people He also credits mass commu-
chised youth. In the 2010s, hip hop to make a statement, whether nication with creating a global
lyrics are starting to reflect original political or emotional and par- cultural hip hop scene. As a re-
socially conscious themes. Rappers ticipate in community activities. sult, the youth are influenced by
are starting to question the gov- These practices spread globally the American hip hop scene and
ernment’s power and its oppressive around the 1980s as fans could start their own forms of hip hop.
role in some societies. Rap music “make it their own” and express Patterson believes that revitaliza-
has been a tool for political, social, themselves in new and cre- tion of hip hop music will occur
and cultural empowerment out- ative ways in music, dance and around the world as traditional
side the US. Members of minority other arts. Hip hop has made values are mixed with American
communities — such as Algerians a considerable social impact hip hop music, and ultimately a
in France, and Turks in Germany— global exchange process will de-
use rap as a platform to protest rac- velop that brings youth around
ism, poverty, and social structures. the world to listen to a com-
mon musical form of hip hop.

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Street culture, Big influence
in fahion world
Clothing, hair and other styles have
been a big part of hip hop’s social and
cultural impact since the 1970s. Al-
though the styles have changed over
the decades, distinctive urban appar-
el and looks have been an important
way for rappers, breakdancers and
other hip hop community members
to express themselves. As the hip hop
music genre’s popularity increased,
so did the effect of its fashion. While
there were early items synonymous
with hip hop that crossed over into
the mainstream culture, like Run-
DMC’s affinity for Adidas or the Wu-
Tang Clan’s championing of Clarks’
Wallabees, it wasn’t until its commer-
cial peak that hip hop fashion became
influential. Moving into the new mil-
lennium, hip hop fashion consisted
of baggy shirts, jeans, and jerseys.

Migos

Outfit

As the sartorial mastermind behind
hip-hop’s biggest group, it goes with-
out saying that stylist Zoe Costello
has a busy schedule. For a month or
so, we’d been attempting to get on a
call together, only to be interrupted
by a seemingly endless list of unfore-
seen circumstances (the time differ-
ence between Los Angeles and Ber-
lin doesn’t help). Some people decry
how their work is all-consuming, but
when your task is making Migos look
good, you don’t have the luxury of an
off button. Being on the lookout for
the next hot look becomes a lifestyle.
100 percent they do [have their own
stye], but as a group, they want to
look cohesive most of the time. It’s
different from their solo projects.

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“ artists economic potential of tapping into nies, like Ralph Lauren and Calvin
express their hip hop culture. Hip Hop artists Klein, to tailor lines to the lucra-
masculinity.” are trend-setters and taste-mak- tive market of hip hop artists and
ers. Their fans range from minority fans. Artists now use brands as a
As hip hop has a seen a shift in the groups who can relate to their pro- means of supplemental income
means by which its artists express fessed struggles to majority groups to their music or are creating and
their masculinity, from violence who cannot truly relate but like expanding their own brands that
and intimidation to wealth-flaunt- to “consume the fantasy of living become their primary source of
ing and entrepreneurship, it has a more masculine life”. The rap- income. As Harry Elam explains,
also seen the emergence of rap- pers provide the “cool, hip” factor there has been a movement “from
per branding. The modern-day while the corporations deliver the the incorporation and redefini-
hip hop artist is no longer limit- product, advertising, and finan- tion of existing trends to actually
ed to music serving as their sole cial assets. Tommy Hilfiger, one designing and marketing prod-
occupation or source of income. of the first mainstream design- ucts as hip hop fashion”. As music
By the early 1990s, major appar- ers to actively court rappers as a played a significant role in the way
el companies “[had] realized the way of promoting his street wear, people dressed during the 1990s,
serves a prototypical example of many celebrities were known as
the hip hip/fashion collaborations fashion icons, especially rappers.
: In exchange for giving artists free Legendary rapper, Tupac, was not
wardrobes, Hilfiger found its name only known for his resonating lyr-
mentioned in both rhyming verses ics, but also his timeless style. He
of rap songs and their ‘shout-out’ was seen as a trend setter during
lyrics, in which rap artists chant that period and bandanas paired
out thanks to friends and sponsors with baggy overalls or Red Wings
for their support. Hilfiger’s success jersey was known to be his classic
convinced other large mainstream style. In return, he made bandanas
American fashion design compa- into an iconic headwear accessory.

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Hip Hop
ELEMENTS

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DJing and turntablism are the tech-
niques of manipulating sounds and
“Performer”creating music and beats using two
or more phonograph
turntables (or other
sound sources, such as
tapes, CDs or digital audio files) and
a DJ mixer that is plugged into a PA
system. One of the first few hip hop
DJs was Kool DJ Herc, who created
‘“ Hiphop (Hip´Hop) is a term that MCing, short for Master of Cer- hip hop in the 1970s through the iso-
describes our independent collec- emonies, got its name from Ja- lation and extending of “breaks” (the
tive consciousness. Ever growing, maica, which was the first place parts of albums that focused solely
it is commonly expressed through to give rappers the title of MC. on the percussive beat). In addition
such elements as Breaking, Em- In Hip-Hop culture, MCing is to developing Herc’s techniques, DJs
ceein, Graffiti Art, Deejayin, the most visible individual role. Grandmaster Flowers, Grandmas-
Beatboxin, Street Fashion, Street MCs are responsible for enter- ter Flash, Grand Wizzard Theodore,
Language, Street Knowledge and taining the crowd through the and Grandmaster Caz made further
Street Entrepreneurialism. Hip- rhythmic delivery of rhymes, innovations with the introduction
Hop includes many fun and fulfill- keeping in time with whatever of “scratching”, which has become
ing dance styles. With these, you music might be playing in the one of the key sounds associated
are free to use all your energy, ex- background and providing a with hip hop music. Traditionally,
ercise your creativity, and express canvas for the dancers to work a DJ will use two turntables simul-
your mood. When you first start with. As an art, it takes time to taneously and mix between the two.
off, this can be difficult, as you’ll be comfortable with capturing These are connected to a DJ mixer,
be focused on learning the ba- the flow of rhymes and matching an amplifier, speakers, and various
sics, but over time you’ll get better those words with the beat of the electronic music equipment such as
and learn to adapt the traditional music.Rapping typically features a microphone and effects units. The
moves you’ve learned into your complex wordplay, rapid deliv- DJ mixes the two albums currently
own style and personality. As you ery, and a range of “street slang”, in rotation and/or does “scratching”
get better and begin to branch out some of which is unique to the by moving one of the record platters
more, it’s important to recognize hip hop subculture. While rap- while manipulating the crossfader
what is traditionally considered ping is often done over beats, ei- on the mixer. The result of mixing
“Hip-Hop.” There are five elements ther done by a DJ, a beatboxer, it two records is a unique sound cre-
can also be done without accom- ated by the seemingly combined
paniment. It can be broken down sound of two separate songs into
into different components, such one song. Although there is con-
as “content”, “flow” (rhythm and siderable overlap between the two
rhyme), and “delivery”. Rapping roles, a DJ is not the same as a re-
is distinct from spoken word cord producer of a music track.
poetry in that it is performed
that make up the original essence in time to the beat of the music.
of Hip-Hop, and we’ve defined The use of the word “rap” to de-
them below to help you on your scribe quick and slangy speech
journey. Such as MCing, Djing, or witty repartee long predates
B-boying (Breakdancing), Beat the musical form.MCing is a
Boxing, and Graffiti. While these form of expression that is em-
five elements of Hip-Hop don’t bedded within ancient African
always intersect with Hip-Hop and Indigenous culture and oral
dance, they are all integral parts tradition as throughout history
of Hip-Hop culture. At the end of verbal acrobatics or jousting in-
the day, Hip-Hop dance is born volving rhymes were common
from the love of Hip-Hop music within the Afro-American and
and the need for self expression. Latino-American community.

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has increasingly been taken by
Spin MCs since the late 1970s, due
to innovative, creative MCs
such as Kurtis Blow and Melle
Mel of Grandmaster Flash’s
That crew, the Furious Five, who de-
veloped strong rapping skills.
However, a number of DJs have
Street ! gained stardom nonetheless A
in recent years. Famous DJs
include Grandmaster Flash,
Afrika Bambaataa, Mr. Magic,
DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Charlie Chase,
DJ Disco Wiz, DJ Scratch from
In the early years of hip hop, EPMD, DJ Premier from Gang
the DJs were the stars, as they Starr, DJ Scott La Rock from
created new music and beats Boogie Down Productions,
with their record players. DJ Pete Rock of Pete Rock &
While DJing and turntablism CL Smooth, DJ Muggs from
continue to be used in hip hop Cypress Hill, Jam Master
music in the 2010s, the star role Jay from Run-DMC, Eric B.

Breaking, also called B-boying/B-girling

or breakdancing, is a dynamic, rhythmic
style of dance which developed as one
of the major elements of hip hop cul-
ture. Like many aspects of hip hop cul-
ture, breakdance borrows heavily from
many cultures, including 1930s-era street
dancing, Brazilian and Asian Martial
arts, Russian folk dance and the dance
moves of James Brown, Michael Jack-
son, and California funk. Breaking took
form in the South Bronx in the 1970s
alongside the other elements of hip hop.
Breakdancing is typically done with
the accompaniment of hip hop music
playing on a boom box or PA system.
Red Bull BC One is an annual interna-
tional B-Boy competition organized by
the energy drink company Red Bull. It
is an individual B-Boy competition, no-
table for being the only one of the major
international breaking championships
to not include a crew event. The main
event is a knockout tournament featur-
ing sixteen B-Boys and B-Girls, chosen
for exceptional skills in the dance and
good character, competing in one-on-one
battles decided by a panel of five judges.
Regional Finals are held for North Amer-
ica, Eastern Europe, Western Europe,
Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle

14 -URBAN-

C

Original In America in the late 1960s, be- own neighborhood. One of the
fore hip hop, graffiti was used as most common forms of graffiti
East and Africa. The winners of each a form of expression by political is tagging, or the act of stylizing
region go on and participate in the activists. In addition, gangs such your unique name or logo. Tag-
World Finals. The inaugural BC One as the Savage Skulls, La Famil- ging began in Philadelphia and
was held in Biel, Switzerland in 2004. ia Michoacana, and Savage No- New York City and has expanded
A street dance originating among mads used graffiti to mark ter- worldwide. Spray painting public
Black youth in the United States, ritory. JULIO 204 was a Puerto property or the property of oth-
b-boying is also often referred to as Rican graffiti writer, one of the ers without their consent can be
breaking (and erroneously as break- first graffiti writers in New York considered vandalism, and the
dancing). After becoming popular City. He was a member of the “tagger” may be subject to arrest
in the US, b-boying spread to oth- “Savage Skulls” gang, and start- and prosecution for the crim-
er countries, and continues to be ed writing his nickname in his inal act. Whether legal or not,
danced worldwide. Distinctive traits neighborhood as early as 1968. the hip hop culture considers
of the dance style include floor-based According to the article Julio tagging buildings, trains, bridges
movement, physically impressive had been writing for a couple of and other structures as visual art,
techniques, syncopated rhythm, and years when Taki began tagging and consider the tags as part of a
lots of personality. Breaking itself his own name all around the city. complex symbol system with its
also has 5 fundamental elements: Taki also states in the article that own social codes and subculture
toprock, foot work, back rock, freez- Julio “was busted and stopped.” rules. Such art is in some cases
es, and powermoves. However; as Writers following in the wake of now subject to federal protection
in any art form, there are other el- Taki and Tracy 168 would add in the US, making its erasure il-
ements that make breaking what it their street number to their nick- legal. The relationship between
is but these 5 are the core catego- name, “bomb” (cover) a train graffiti and hip hop culture aris-
ries for different movements that with their work, and let the sub- es both from early graffiti artists
are under the umbrella of b-boying. way take it—and their fame, if it engaging in other aspects of hip
was impressive, or simply perva- hop culture, Graffiti is under-
sive, enough—”all city”. Julio 204 stood as a visual expression of
never rose to Taki’s fame because rap music, just as breaking is
Julio kept his tags localized to his viewed as a physical expression.

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Migos have been playing “Bad and T RAVIS As a teenager in the south
Boujee” lots of places lately. A month SCOTT central suburbs of Houston,
ago, they played it on tour in Lagos, Ni- T AK ES Texas, Jacques Bermon Web-
geria, for a massive, hyped-up crowd. OF F ! ster II, now known as Travis
Last week, they were in L.A., where Scott, would collect used ste-
they played it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! ‘Helly Kelly’ is Zamaera’s grand reo speakers from his neigh-
,then again at a star-packed entrance into the rap scene. Af- bors. Alone in the peace of his
party celebrating the imminent ter dabbling in R&B, Zamaera room, he would experiment
release of their excellent new album, defied expectations by drop- with the discarded tech, conjur-
Culture. Last night, Migos played ping a solid, hard-hitting rap ing a Frankensteinian surround
it at a sold-out event in Washington, song. But it’s more than just sound system years before the
D.C., the day after Trump’s swearing-in a rap number; ‘Helly Kelly’ advent of portable and accessi-
. Migos are not a political act – not in reads more like a mission state- ble high quality devices. Rever-
any explicit sense. “Bad and Boujee” is a ment with Zamaera asserting berating through retired shoe-
hard-edged track about boning group- her dominance over everyone boxes, Scott’s late-night mixing
ies and “cooking up dope with a Uzi.” else. With lines like ‘When I sessions would not only inform
walk down the street, traffic / the young artist’s work as a mu-
16 When I murder with the flow, sician from the Myspace-era
it’s graphic’ and ‘Me a slice you duo The Graduates to his widely
up, salami / So bila berjumpa successful solo career and col-
jangan lupa to salam me’, her laborative endeavors thereaf-
braggadocious attitude cou- ter under Huncho Jack, Cactus
pled with witty wordplay makes Jack Records, and JackBoys but
‘Helly Kelly’, hella quotable. also his Insta-gloried congre-
gation of cars. With all the big,
-URBAN- buzzy automotive names pres-
ent, the 28-year-old’s personal
collection today (Scott admits
the exact number remains a
mystery) would put the streets
of Monte Carlo to shame, but
given the chance to build one of
his own from scratch, the rap-
per says he would begin first
with the car’s sound system.

-T RAVIS SCOTT

Top chart Billboard Rapper

-URBAN- 17

The most successful styles of the
90s were the hardcore rap of New
York and the gangsta rap and G-Funk
ForceParkBoisof Los Angeles. New York’s Wu-Tang
Clan created one of the first hardcore
styles when they rapped about gang- Malaysian hip hop group ForcePark-
ster life over swinging hip hop beats Bois are HOT, featuring on Malaysia’s
with samples from martial-arts mov- Viral 50 and Top 50 Spotify playlist
ies. In 1994 a young rapper named after releasing single ‘LOTUS’. With
Nas released his first album Illmat- a two point boost in Spotify popu-
ic. Its loose mid-tempo beats, jazzy larity score to 41 and persistent fol-
samples and Nas’ poetic rapping lower growth, the group are on the
made Illmatic one of hip hop’s great- up - featuring in Particle Detector
est albums. Other popular hardcore playlists created by the Spotify algo-
rappers include Puff Daddy, The No- rithm, suggesting they are popular
torious B.I.G., Jay-Z and 50 Cent. with superfans in their microgenre.
Los Angeles’ gangsta rap developed FORCEPARKBOIS, are a group of
from the rap music of artists like rappers from Taman Daya, Johor
Ice-T and NWA. Ice-T began by Bahru. Run by 15 members NA-
sampling funk rhythms and rapping KALNESS, LAWS, CH’K, NSH,
about the dangers of drugs, crime BLXCKID, NOEL, ASSET.BO, AA-
and dropping out of school in tracks LI.3GP, HAN PANAS, PABLO, NEP-
like 1990s You Played Yourself. FLIX, FELRFRANK & ANAKIPUT.

ALL THE WAY K-Clique became the
ASIAN FLOW! subject of controversy
when there were rumors say-
18 -URBAN- ing they would be disbanded.
One of the K-Clique members,
MK in an interview with mStar
Online denied the news: “The
news of our split is not true at
all. It is quite impossible for
us to split because K-Clique
members already know each
other already quite long. No
matter what happens we will
stay together and support each
other “. Despite being active
in their home state for a long
time, K-Clique began to gain
widespread attention among
local music fans even though
they started with the concept
of indie and underground.

Lotus available in

all digital platform now !!!

“Bilang Mama”

- B heart

“The song Bilang Mama was
created especially for the ex-
perience since I was a child
separated from my mother. So
now, I hope we will meet one
day and this song can be heard.
“There are challenges and dif-
ficulties during the produc-
tion of this song. I want the
message to reach anyone who
has had the same experience as
me through this song, ”he said.
Born in Sabah, B-Heart
has long made his life sto-
ry the main story in every
verse of his song. He carved
out rap, created songs, and
wrote lyrics in his own way.

-URBAN- 19

-URBAN-

forceparkbois

-URBAN-

Breakdancing or and so much more. BREAKING
breaking is a form of Along with this, major
street dance that incor- breaking competitions all the way
porates intricate body have been created such
movements, coordina- as Red Bull BC One,
tion, style, and aesthet- Battle Of The Year, KOD
ics. The people who per- World Cup for different
form this style of dance individuals or breaking
are known as b-boys or crews to compete in as
b-girls. They’re some- a means to earn prize
times called breakers. money, gain bragging
Breaking is one of the rights, and to elevate
main five elements of the hip hop culture.One
hip hop, with others be- main thing that needs
ing Djing, MCing, Graf- to be noted is that, hip
fiti, and Knowledge. This hop is not just a form
style of dance started in of dance or a musical
the Bronx back in the genre, it is a lifestyle for
1970’s as a way for indi- most practicing individ-
viduals to dance during uals. “I do see breaking
the break of funk, salsa, as an art form, I do see
and latin music in clubs. breaking as [in hip hop]
As time went on, this a lifestyle, as a subcul-
style of dance became ture. Krysada Phoun-
so prominent across the siri, aka Bboy Lancer
world that it had made stated, “It’s a way of
appearances in a variety life, it’s a way of, you
of movies, TV shows, know, me defining who
music videos, concerts, I was and my identity.”

The Undisputed World B-Boy Se- wildcards for competitors to com- ries and the Undisputed Masters.
ries is a b-boy or breaking cham- pete in the Undisputed Masters. The first Undisputed World B-Boy
pionship series established in In 2007 Johnjay Chon and Charlie Series kicked off in March 2014 at
2013 that connects the renowned Shin creators of R-16 Korea took Battle Pro in Paris. The events in
solo international b-boy competi- the initiative to organise annual the first Undisputed World B-Boy
tions worldwide. The Undisputed conferences inviting stakeholders series were; R-16 Korea, Battle of
Masters. After the series has been of the Breaking community. At the Year, Red Bull BC One, The
concluded, mostly at the end the these conferences top competitors, Notorious IBE, UK B-Boy Cham-
year, the champions of each com- judges and promoters discussed pionships, Freestyle Session and
petition meet in a masters event topics such as the future of compe- Outbreak Europe. The first Un-
called “Undisputed Masters” and tition Breaking. In 2012 at the Red disputed Masters took place on
compete to establish who is the Bull BC One World Final in Rio December 14, 2014 in London.
“Undisputed” champion. The Un- de Janeiro the concept to unify the
disputed Ranking is a ranking ac- major world Breaking champion-
cumulating the top 16 results of ships through an events series was
each championship in the World initiated. In 2013 after a two-day
B-Boy Series. The overall ranking conference in Berlin a group of
leader if not a champion, is also promoters, high level competitors
invited to the Undisputed Masters. and competition judges created
The ranking is also used to reward the Undisputed World B-Boy Se-

22 -URBAN-

Music is an essential in- It is also associated with
gredient in breakdancing, a particular style of dress
and hip-hop dance songs that includes baggy pants
make an ideal soundtrack. or sweat suits, baseball
But rap is not the only op- caps worn sideways or
tion. Also great for danc- backward, and sneak-
ing: 70’s soul, funk, and ers (required because
even jazz tunes all work of the dangerous nature
as well. Style, fashion, of many of the moves).
spontaneity, concept, and Break dancing had an
technique are also vital enormous influence on
aspects of breakdancing. modern dance styles, and
Break dancing is largely offshoots of it were per-
improvisational, with- formed in many music
out “standard” moves or and especially rap vid-
steps. The emphasis is eos as well as in live con-
on energy, movement, certs by popular artists
creativity, humour, and such as Britney Spears.
an element of danger. It
is meant to convey the
rough world of the city
streets from which it
is said to have sprung.

OUT Downrock (also known back spin, and head spin.
as “footwork” or “floor- Some power moves are
work”) is used to de- borrowed from gymnas-
scribe any movement on tics and martial arts. An
the floor with the hands example of a power move
supporting the dancer as taken from gymnastics is
much as the feet. Down- the Thomas Flair which
rock includes moves is shortened and spelled
such as the foundational flare in breakdancing.
6-step, and its variants Freezes are stylish poses
such as the 3-step. The that require the break-
most basic of downrock is er to suspend himself or
done entirely on feet and herself off the ground us-
hands but more complex ing upper body strength
variations can involve the in poses such as the pike.
knees when threading They are used to empha-
limbs through each other. size strong beats in the
Power moves are acrobat- music and often signal
ic moves that require mo- the end of a set. Freezes
mentum, speed, endur- can be linked into chains
ance, strength, flexibility, or “stacks” where break-
and control to execute. ers go from freeze to
The breaker is generally freeze to freeze in order to
supported by his upper hit the beats of the music
body while the rest of his which displays musicali-
body creates circular mo- ty and physical strength.
mentum. Some examples
are the windmill, swipe, 23

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NEW ERA,
NEW GENERATION

www.neweracap.com

24 -URBAN-

Red Bull BC One is an annual
international B-Boy competi-
tion organized by the energy
drink company Red Bull. It is
an individual B-Boy competi-
tion, notable for being the only
one of the major international
breaking championships to not
include a crew event. The main
event is a knockout tournament
featuring sixteen B-Boys and
B-Girls, chosen for exception-
al skills in the dance and good
character, competing in one-
on-one battles decided by a pan-
el of five judges. Regional Finals
are held for North America,
Eastern Europe, Western Eu-
rope, Latin America, Asia Pacif-
ic, and Middle East and Africa.

The 14th edition of the world’s . When Japan’s B-Boy Shigekix
premier 1-on-1 break dance stepped on to the Red Bull BC
battle tournament, the Red Bull One stage for the first time in
BC One World Final, took place 2017, he made history as the
in Amsterdam, The Nether- youngest breaker to ever com-
lands, Nov. 4. The tournament pete at the World Final. This
saw 2014 champion and home year he did it again and became
country favorite B-Boy MEN- the youngest-ever breaker to
NO down South Korea’s B-Boy win the Red Bull BC One World
WING in the final to claim the Final, aged just 18. Still flying
world crown once again in 2017. high from his history-making
win, we got a moment with the
Champion MENNO said of champion to ask him all about it.
the tournament that despite “It’s amazing, I still can’t be-
being happy to have family and lieve it’s real and that it actual-
friends watch him compete, he ly happened. I’m super happy
felt a certain amount of pressure for winning, but I’m also really
and tension during the tour- proud because I’ve been work-
nament. Backed by the home ing really hard for this and all
crowd at Amsterdam’s Wester- my efforts have paid off. It was
gasfabriek venue however, the NEW kind of hard, because I couldn’t
Dutch breaker put in a series hug anybody or shake anyone’s
of explosive performances as hand. We had to socially dis-
he moved through the rounds tance, but I was glad to see so
many of my friends from around
CHAMPIONseeing of competition from Ra- the world that I hadn’t seen
tin (Brazil), Kill (South Korea), for a long time and to be able
and Shigekix (Japan) on his way to see their faces. Their smiles
made me happy.” - Shigekix
CROWNED !to the final with B-Boy WING
and, ultimately, his second
Red Bull BC One world title.

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REDBUL
ALL S

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LL BCONE
STAR

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WWW.STONEANDCO.COM
28 -URBAN-

Is graffiti a crime or art? GRAFFITI
Graffiti is technically classified as
vandalism under California law.
Vandalism prohibits you from
maliciously doing any of the
following: Defacing property with
graffiti or other written material.
But there is no bad graffiti, just
graffiti, as a personal visual ex-
pression any graffiti is a valid
gesture,” he says. “People may
argue that the choice of space
or surface could be ill-consid-
ered or antisocial but the fact
it exists suggests someone had
an intent to create the marks.

Graffiti, form of visual com- sive art form. To some observers
munication, usually illegal, graffiti is a form of public art,
involving the unauthorized continuing the tradition, for ex-
marking of public space by an ample, of the murals commis-
individual or group. Although sioned by the U.S. Works Prog-
the common image of graffiti ress Administration Federal Art
is a stylistic symbol or phrase Project during the Great De-
spray-painted on a wall by a pression and the work of Diego
member of a street gang, some Rivera in Mexico. Like the mu-
graffiti is not gang-related. rals of these artists, great works
Graffiti can be understood as of graffiti can beautify a neigh-
antisocial behaviour performed bourhood and speak to the in-
in order to gain attention or as a terests of a specific community.
form of thrill seeking, but it also
can be understood as an expres- -URBAN-

29

“prohibiting graffiti
as vandalism...”

Most jurisdictions have laws prohibit- a wall at a shop near my house. I de-
ing graffiti as vandalism, and in some cided to draw on that wall because
countries punishment is quite severe. I saw that some people had already
For example, in Singapore violators are drawn on it, and it was vulgar,” he
subject to caning. During the 1980s spoke in his usual soft-spoken tone.
and ’90s many jurisdictions sought Perol is not into obscene and vulgar
ways to eliminate and remove graffi- graffiti so he decided to show the world
ti, fearing that it would otherwise lead what graffiti should be. “I drew my
to the debasement of the community. name on the wall. One day, my father
Significant resources were allocated for saw the drawing. He knew those strokes
abatement and other clean-up efforts, belonged to me. Maybe it was my sib-
and some cities even introduced mu- ling who told him or he knew about
ral programs or “free walls” to provide my strokes. At the time, graffiti art was
legal opportunities for urban youths also frowned upon by my parents.” Per-
to express their artistic creativity. ol’s father’s perception towards graf-
fiti had since changed and today he
Graffiti artist Muhammad Fahrul Idhan is very supportive of his son’s career.
Abd Malek, who is commonly known
as Perol, did not have a good start -URBAN-
either. “10 years ago, graffiti is vandal-
ism. When passers-by saw us drawing
murals on the side of the road, they felt
afraid. “They feared the names writ-
ten on the wall and they taught that
graffiti artists have something to do
with gangsterism,” the 32-year-old art-
ist said. Dressed in a simple T-shirt
and trousers full of paint stains during
an interview with The Malaysian Re-
serve recently, Perol certainly looked
like your typical graffiti artist. When
Perol enrolled in Universiti Teknolo-
gi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam, Selan-
gor, to pursue a major in Graphic De-
sign, his lecturers even believed that
graffiti was not art but vandalism.
“I had an experience when I drew on

30

“Contribution known as the “mecca” of graffiti permit words on the paintings.
on the and street art, it was one of the few “Joe doesn’t allow graffiti,” said
walls” spaces in the city that artists could Bishop. “People are mad because
freely paint. When 5Pointz closed none of the artists that paint here
Graffiti Art is elaborate and for real estate redevelopment in are from here…Most artists that
figurative graffiti combined with 2013, artists had to turn elsewhere live in Bushwick are graffiti art-
images. Meres was the curator of for legal walls. Property owners ists, and they feel like they are
5Pointz, an industrial complex were willing to give permission, getting pushed out.” Where to see
turned outdoor art gallery. Once but on one caveat street art only. Graffiti & Street Art in NYC. The
Street Art over Graffiti “I call it acceptance of art on the street but
an appropriation of the walls,” rejection of its underlying graffiti
said Bishop (his street name), a form is a trend happening all over
graffiti writer turned street artist. the city. The LISA project in Little
Bishop owns LowBrow Artique Italy accepts murals and approved
in Brooklyn, the borough’s largest phrases only. The East Harlem
aerosol supply shop, frequented Preservation Group looks for his-
by graffiti and street artists alike. torically representative images.
At the Bushwick Collective, Jo-
seph Ficalora, the organizer of the
Collective and owner of several
of the area’s properties, does not

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UNLEASHED
THE BEAST

32 -URBAN-

www.monsterenergy.com 33

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