Words from the wise: Hiphop Icon – Phase 2

A few weeks back I (Mex) shared a few words that I used to explain to my student. I was explaining why someoneone should break a certain way if they want to claim that they’re a bboy/bgirl. The words received so much attention that I decided to turn them into a blog post, which in turn, got major attention. In fact, the blog got so much attention that it reached a Hiphop Icon, a legend. The Legendary Phase 2.(If you don’t know who were talking about…do your research!)

If you didn’t read the original blog, here it is

Phase Two shared his words regarding our blog, as a community web page, it’s our duty to share his words with you all. For myself (Mex) it’s an honor to know such a legend read my words (even if his words are not in agreement with mine).

Phase 2 speaks:

THESE ARE THE BREAKS” by P.H.A.S.E.2
THIS IS…..TO SORT OF KILL THE NOISE THAT HAS BEEN CREATED BY PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HISTORY…AND MAY BE GREAT PRACTITIONERS BUT STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT THE “ESSENCE” OF BREAKING IS OR EVEN WHERE IT ACTUALLY CAME FROM. WHICH TECHNICALLY I WOULD SAY “FROM THE SOUL”..
ANYONE TRYING TO TELL YOU HOW YOU SHOULD OR SHOULDNT DANCE IN AN ARENA *(BREAKING) WHERE IN ALL ACTUALITY ITS “TRADITION” WAS ALWAYS ABOUT FREESTYLING…BASICALLY DOESNT EVEN OVERSTAND THE ESSENCE OR THE SPIRIT OF THE BOOGIE. NO DISRESPECT INTENDED BUT THOSE WHO REALLY HAVEN’T A REAL CLUE ABOUT WHAT THE “TRADITION” ACTUALLY WAS DON’T REALLY HAVE A PLACE TO PUT IT INTO ANY TYPE OF PERSPECTIVE.
AND I AM SAYING THIS FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF…ONE WHO HAS ALWAYS DANCED….AND WENT OFF…AND WAS BREAKING IN THE ERA THATS RECOGNIZED AS ITS VANTAGE POINT. STILL LOVES TO DANCE AND WAS THERE FROM DAY ONE AND AS WELL CONTRIBUTED TO THE GENRE THAT WE CALLED “BREAKING AND GOING OFF” BEFORE THE WORD BBOY WAS EVEN CONCEIVED…
BREAK BEAT CULTURE DIDNT EXIST…NOR DID THE WORD BBOY. AND WHAT HAS IT BEEN THATS TAKEN THE CULTURE TO WHERE IT IS NOW??? ‘EVOLUTION” AND CREATIVITY. IF ALL WE DID WAS TOP ROCK FOR 40 OR MORE YEARS WOULD THE THE GENRE HAVE EVER BEEN WHERE IT IS NOW??? CAN ANYONE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT??
THERE ARE “TRADITIONS” YES…BUT I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT THE DO’S AND DONTS MAINLY WENT THIS WAY…*KNOW WHAT IS WACK AND KNOW WHAT IS DOPE. AND BE DOPE.! ONES KNACK FOR DANCE AND PEOPLE APPRECIATING IT…WOULD BE ONE FACTOR IN DETERMINING THOSE THINGS. NOW THAT “PERSPECTIVE” COULD BE QUESTIONABLE….BUT AT THE SAME TIME ITS ALWAYS BEEN PEOPLE WHO ROCKED WHO DETERMINED THOSE THINGS AS WELL AS THE ONES WHO ADDED THE VARIOUS FLAVORS TO THE CULTURE…
ISN’T IT TYPE ABSURD AND QUESTIONABLE THAT PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER ERA…WHO WERE INNOVATORS ARE NOW TELLING THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS WHAT YOU CAN OR CAN’T DANCE TO…OR THAT YOU CANT INNOVATE…WHEN THE CULTURE WAS ALWAYS ABOUT TRYING NEW THINGS…(DANCE IN GENERAL) AND SO WAS THE MUSIC???
THAT “BREAKING” HAS ALWAYS MEANT…TAKING WHATEVER TO THE NEXT LEVEL. BE IT THE BASIC OR JUST WHATEVER YOU CAME INTO THE SQUARE WITH…AND THE REACTION MORE OR LESS TOLD THE TALE??
BREAKING…IS NEITHER THE WALTZ OR BALLET…IN THE SENSE THAT…ITS NOT A REGULATED DANCE. I NEVER FOLLOWED WHAT THE NEXT CAT WAS DOING…AND THUS TO SOME EXTENT ONE CAN SAY THATS WHY CERTAIN STYLES THAT WE PUT OUT THERE GOT ADAPTED BY OTHERS WHO WERE FEELING IT. I’M NOT A FAN OF…THE REGIMENTAL DO’S AND DON’TS. AND IT DOESNT MATTER IF P2 NEVER DID HEAD SPINS…OR AIR FLAIRS. ITS NOT THE POINT..
WHEN YOU SPEAK “TRADITION”…THE SO CALLED TRADITION HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO BREAK THE MOLD. EVEN INTERPRET A DANCE IN YOUR STYLE. THE ROCKERS (BREAKERS) WHO DID THAT WERE THE ONES WHO GOT NOTICED THE MOST AND AS WELL SET THE TRENDS!!! NOT TO STEP ON ANYONES TOES…BUT OVERSTAND THAT THE WHOLE TERMINOLOGY “BBOY” WAS ACTUALLY MEANT TO “DESCRIBE” A TROUPE OF BREAKERS…AND NOT EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HIT THE FLOOR WITH NEXT LEVEL STYLE…
IN THE VERY BEGINNING…THERE WERENT PATENTED MOVES…THAT “DEFINED” THE CULTURE. IT WAS DOPENESS…AND ORIGINALITY. SO PEOPLE KIND OF HAVE TRADITION TWISTED. I SAY THIS ON BEHALF OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION. THE SPIRIT OF THE BOOGIE “SHOULD” COME FROM THE SOUL. WHEN THIS ALL STARTED…YOU HAD BROTHERS…WHO KNEW HOW TO FREESTYLE…AND DO OTHER DANCES ALONG WITH WHAT ONE COULD CALL THE DANCE OF THE MONTH….YOU DANCED TO ALL KINDS OF TRACKS…AND YOU WOULD TRIP HEARING A NEW BEAT…SONG OR WHATEVER. WHEN YOU FELT THE GROOVE IF YOU WERE ONE OF THOSE CATS YOU WERE GOING TO GO OFF…
YOU KNEW HOW TO FINESSE WITH THE SISTERS…AS WELL AS TAKE IT TO WHOEVER WANTED TO TEST YOU. EVEN THE SISTERS WHO WERE KNOWN TO GO OFF AS WELL. THEY WERENT CONSIDERED TO BE “B’GIRLING”…EITHER. BUT REGULATE?? STAGNATE?? BE LIKE THE NEXT NEXT NEXT CAT??? NEITHER YOU NOR THE CULTURE WOULD EVOLVE. MIX MARTIAL ARTS HAS CHANGED ALOT OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS…. IS IT NOT MMA ANY LONGER???
BRUCE LEE TOOK WHAT HE LEARNED AND INNOVATED FROM IT. THERE WOULDVE BEEN NO JEET KUN DO IF HE DIDN’T BUILD FROM WHAT WAS THERE ALREADY…IS HE NO LONGER A MARTIAL ARTIST AND IS WHAT HE DOES NO LONGER A MARTIAL ART…EVEN THOUGH IT IS BASED ON AND EVOLVED AND INNOVATED OFF OF THE ART??? ELEVATE BY YOUR NATURE. THE “TRADITION AND THE SPIRIT…AND THE ATTITUDE” IS WHAT MAKES IT WHAT IT IS…BY WHATEVER NAME ONE WANTS TO CALL IT. BREAKING WAS BEFORE THE HOOPLA…KEEP ON BREAKING WITH YOUR PASSION AND YOUR SOUL…UNCONTAINED…BECAUSE THATS WHAT ITS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT.
THIS IS NOT A CALL TO ABANDON…WHAT ONE CAN CALL THE “BASICS”…BUT “DOING YOU” IS PART OF THE FORMULA…JUST AS OTHERS BEFORE YOU HAVE DONE. FOR SOMEONE TO TELL YOU DIFFERENT?? ITS ALMOST LIKE TELLING YOU NOT TO “BREAK”……AND IF THOSE LAYING DOWN THE “LAWS” THAT HAVE NEVER EVER BEEN LAWS…WHO REALLY DON’T REALIZE IT WANT TO SAY…THAT THIS IS COMING FROM A “OLD HEAD” THEN WHO IS IT THAT REALLY DOESNT RESPECT WHAT THEY CALL TRADITION???

BEFORE 91…EVERYONE WAS BEING CALLED “BREAKERS” AND NO ONE HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT. AND THE TERMINOLOGY COMES FROM WE WHO LIVE THE CULTURE NOT THE MEDIA…IT DIDNT “GENDERIZE”…OR COME FROM A “DO AND DON’T PERSPECTIVE.
TAKE A FRSOTY FREEZE AND LOOK HOW HIS STYLE WAS SO DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER BROTHERS THAT HE ROCKED WITH. THINK ABOUT THIS AS WELL. WHAT IF YOUR FOOTWORK REALLY REALLY SUCKS…AND YOU’R COORDINATION…JUST CAN’T CLICK WITH IT?? SHOULD YOU JUST DO WACK FOOTWORK?? IF YOU COME INTO THE CIRCLE WITH A DIFFERENT FLAVOR…THEN THAT NEGATES YOU BEING A SO CALLED BBOY???
IN THE 90’S CERTAIN OLDER HEADS SAID THAT CERTAIN MOVES WASNT ” A BBOY MOVE”…*(YET IT BECAME A STAPLE!!) WHAT*(OUTSIDE OF LETS SAY A MAJORITY FEELING OF WACKNESS) WOULD DETERMINE WHAT A “BBOY MOVE” WOULD OR WOULDNT BE?? I CANT FRONT THERES CERTAIN MOVES THAT I WOULD JUST SEE AS WACK…BECAUSE ITS WACK…NOT BASED ON WHATS A “BBOY MOVE”…AND I KNOW PLENTY BBOYS CURRENT AND PAST THAT WOULD AGREE.
THAT WOULD HOLD SOME TYPE WEIGHT…I WOULD THINK. WITH NEW HEADS ALWAYS COMING INTO THE GENRE…SURE THEY SHOULD RESPECT THE PAST…BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN THAT EVERYTHING HAS TO REMAIN THERE…OR THAT NOTHING FROM THE PAST CANT PLAY ITSELF OUT….WHAT WILL BE WILL BE…I THINK MAD HEADS WOULD AGREE THAT FULL SPEED BACKSPINS WAS/IS ONE OF THE FLYEST AND ILLEST LOOKING MOVES IN THE GENRE…BUT HOW OFTEN DO WE SEE IT?? ARE OLDER HEADS STRESSING THAT TO COME BACK?? WASNT THAT SOMEWHAT OF THE “TRADITION’?? NOT THE HARDEST EXAMPLE OF A POINT…BUT JUST A THOUGHT…ONE LOVE…HOPE YOU CAN GRASP WHERE THIS IS COMING FROM…VIVA EVOLUTION…!!!

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