[Ritsoku Fushi]

Damn I haven't posted here in a minute.

I understand what Remeks is saying, but I think he's more talking about the phenomenon of everybody trying to look like they're in Zulu Kings and Rock Steady as against saying that it's a Zulu nation deal. That's where the misinterpretation came about I believe.

I started in 2k3. There were specific eras that I saw. i came into it when new comers were still going crazy over power moves and blow ups. It was that Expression hit that freeze on that snare era. Even if you crashed right after. Back then though you wouldn't realize it cause it was just fresh and new. You look at footage in 97, and even when people did hit specific sections of the beat, it wasn't noticed back then. Back then from all the footage I've seen, it was just the match move versus move. And just don't give a f'ck whatever style.

The advent of 1 minute routines and "enter and do whatever's required just to win" took over. I debate that with my boy all the time and you know what he's right. If you need a routine to win a battle and it's expected nowadays then that's what it takes to win. Just a side note on that, I personally never agreed with the opinion that it's a team battle so we gotta see teamwork in there meaning there has to be some kind of routine. Don't get me wrong. I understand the idea, but I don't agree with it. I mean sometimes people just come together not even knowing each other to enter a jam, but honestly if a crew/team believes in each other's abilities and goes on that premise entering a battle then that's teamwork right there. Being part of a team is believing in the other person as well.

Back to point. Rawness is there it's just harder to find.

1) Big events are more prevalent that's good, but teams now just take this as an opportunity to do the bare minimum to win. Me, I don't care if I lose, Imma do me.

2) The necessity to protect the culture from being abused by the media because we don't have a standardized method of teaching or calling people bboys. Because bboying isn't as old as ballet and many of the moves were being made on the spot, we don't have text books saying "this is how you bboy". What's happening now is to protect the culture we're trying to write those books and rules now. There are basic moves that everyone shares in common. My teacher Brian Green said it, Bruce Lee said it: we only have 2 hands and 2 feet so a lot of the stuff we're going to do is overlap. But it's our physical differences that make us carve up individual bboy personalities.

There were different styles for different places. A lot of people made it out to be a bad thing. If you ever went to another country you'd look forward to seeing the "style" of that country. Now I can understand what Remeks is saying where EVERYBODY is trying to look like they're in Zulu Kings or Rocksteady. You gotta admit that. Heck even I was doing that back then when I met Katsu and got down with him. He opened me up to so many concepts, but back then it was still new cause half the world wasn't doing it. It's good in moderation but you have to flip it.

3) Music's a big part of it. It's getting to the point that I'm gonna learn djing. Read between the lines, I can't get down to most of the music being played at jams now. Of course I can, but it doesn't make me want to. I was in the club with Link once and the dj dropped a wack beat. He asked me "does this move you?" Nah it doesn't. It's ez to do a little shuffle to a song because you've heard it 1000 times. Not much risk being taken anymore.

4) This lovey dovey friend friend attitude to some extent has brought the rawness down. In the sense of everyone wants to be all civil and make sure they don't step on anyone else's toes. I'm all for civil, but it's like it you go to a jam now and get aggressive in your go downs...in some jams people will look at you like you're crazy. On the other hand I'll be aggressive all day and battle till I'm out of breath, but I'm not one to ever shit talk and I'll always shake hands at the end of the day. I want to battle with high energy but not get punched out at the end of the night for it. Call me pussy but there's gotta be a way to have the rawness but still the peace.


I like what Form said in his interview. A lot of people are saying the same thing now. Bboying is going full circle. It's underground, then it blows up and some people take it even deeper underground when that happens. It gets played out in the mainstream, goes dead for a couple of years in mainstream then BAM.

5) The internet. Imma be dropping quotes that I got from inspirational dancers and mentors along this 5 year journey of bboying I've had. I remember I was chilling with Nemesis and I asked him if he had any bboy vids I could watch. And he said he doesn't watch vids. I was like "yeah but how do you study the craft and stuff". He said yeah you have gems you look at sometimes, but you don't try to keep up with other bboys you have other bboys try to keep up with you.

There's still rawness, it's just waiting training silently. I feel what Marksiller was saying about having to go out of your way to find teachers. I feel that way now for the raw. You have to go out of your way to find that rawness, that underground bboy. Or go out of your way to become it. Train yourself to see trends and break them, if you're trying to be different/innovator. If you want to perfect something even more then follow the trend and push it beyond where it was.

Bring the rawness, be the embodiment of it.