Soul Power Cypher Chicago: In Review

[ROLDARE]

*CYPHER: The process of tapping into your subconscious. A state of mind where thoughts and actions flow from your mind rather than being instrumented. Clearly shown in freestyle/beatbox circles and breakdancing.

ORGANIC: As an analogy in the creative process, used to describe a work such as a BREAKER or BBOY made in such a way that the various parts developed as they were FELT, one from another, rather than sticking rigidly to a preconceived plan.

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ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH, 2010 THE CHICAGO BBOY SCENE WAS GATHERED UP IN AN OLD SPOT ON FULLERTON AND PULASKI. THIS VENUE WAS ONCE HOME TO A RACIST SOCIAL CLUB THAT WOULDN'T ALLOW WOMEN OR MINORITIES IN IT. THEN IT BECAME A BOWLING ALLEY...THEN IT BECAME A HALL FOR WEDDING RECEPTIONS AND COTILLIONS...THEN IT BECAME AN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS CENTER...IT IS NOW OCCUPIED BY A GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES THE ENVIRONMENT, ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT, SUB-CULTURE GROUPS AND ORGANIC PRODUCTS....

ORGANIC IS SUCH THE OPERATIVE WORD ESPECIALLY SINCE THE EVENT'S PROMOTER, BRAVEMONK OF PHASE II, WAS PROMOTING AN ORGANIC CYPHER...THIS WAS NOT YOUR ALL-TO-COMMON TOURNAMENT STYLE BBOY BATTLE. THIS BATTLE NO SIDES, NO BRACKETS, NO ROUNDS, JUST CYPHERING...

...THIS MOMENT IN TIME HAS BEEN CRAVED BY MANY IN THE SCENE FOR A LONG TIME...I OFTEN HEAR CRIES LIKE "MAN, I WISH THERE WAS MORE TIME TO CYPHER." OR "MAN I MISS THE DAYS OF JUST CYPHERING."...WELL ON THIS NIGHT, THE BBOYS DID JUST THAT...

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
MANY YEARS AGO THE 3RD DEGREE CYPHER ARSONISTS WERE FORMED...STIFF,EGGROLL, SWOLE, THANH AND OFCOURSE HEAVEN DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD DOMINATED AND CONTROL THE CYPHERS AT ANY EVENT THEY WERE AT...THEIR NAME WOULD NOT BE MADE BY A JUDGES DECISION, BUT RATHER BY CONTROLLING THE VERY CIRCLE OF ESSENCE KNOWN AS A CYPHER: THEIR PHILOSOPHY WAS TO COMPLETELY LIGHT THE RING OF FIRE AND LET THE MASSES KNOW WHO LIT THE FLOOR UP.

AND ON THIS NIGHT, THE 3RD DEGREE LEGACY LIVED UP TO ITS NAME: AFTER DIMINISHING THE CIRCLES EVERY HOUR OR SO: LEAVING ONLY THOSE THAT WERE STILL BRINGING IT, THE FINAL THREE WERE ALL ARSONISTS: SWOLE, STIFF AND THANH...

LET ME DIGRESS: ON THIS NIGHT THE RULES WERE SIMPLE: SIGN UP TO BE IN THE CIRCLE...THEN DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY...AFTER 25 MINUTES, 9 BBOYS WOULD BE SELECTED TO CONTINUE COMPETING, HOWEVER ANYBODY COULD JUMP INTO THE CIRCLE...AND I MEAN ANYONE: INCLUDING THE HOST AND JUDGES...

THATS RIGHT THERE WERE JUDGES: BBOY RAY, VIRUS AND ROLDARE: AS JUDGES WE WERE TO SELECT THE BBOYS WE FELT WERE FEELING IT, LIGHTING IT, SPARKING IT AND FLAT OUT REPRESENTING IT THE MOST... SO ON THIS NIGHT IF YOU ONLY HAD THE POWER TRICK MODE CHEAT CODE WORKING: YOU WERE NOT GONNA WIN. YOU NEEDED TO REALLY FEEL THE VIBRATIONS, CAPTURE THE GROOVES AND BECOME THE VERY PERSONIFICATION OF THAT BEAT. WITH EDOUBLE IN CONTROL, YOU BETTER HAVE THEM FEET.

ASHES TO ASHES...DUST TO DUST

SO IT CAME DOWN TO THE ARSONISTS BURNING AND SMOKING EACH OTHER. SWOLE WAS SPITTING FIRE ALL NIGHT...HE WAS WEARING BLUE, BUT HE WAS WHITE HOT...THOSE FEET GRABBED EVERY BEAT...A TRUE DRAGON THAT LEFT EVERYTHING ON THE FLOOR.

THEN THERE WAS STIFF: THIS EVENT WAS MADE FOR STIFF: AT NORMAL JAMS, STIFF WILL TAKE TWICE AS MANY TURNS AS THE NEXT BBOY...TONIGHT WAS NO DIFFERENT...HE JUST KEPT BURNING: SLOW BEAT, UPTEMPO OR CRAZY AFRICAN DRUMS: STIFF SEEMED TO OUT THERE LIKE IF EVERY SONG WAS DEDICATED TO HIM...WELL ROCKED STIFF

AND FINALLY THERE WAS THANH: THIS GUY WAS A DANCING FLAMETHROWER. ALL NIGHT THIS GUY WAS JUST SO ON POINT...HE WAS THE CLEANEST AT 8PM AND HE WAS THE CLEANEST AT 1:30 AM: HIS SPEED WAS JUST WICKED...YOU COULD FEEL THE HEAT EVERY TIME HE TOOK THE FLOOR... AFTER A LONG LITIGATED DEBATE , THE JUDGES AWARDED THANH WITH THE VICTORY...CONGRATZ TO THANH(PHASE II) ON HIS WIN...WELL DONE.

FIREBUGS
INLIGHT: DANG..THIS GUY IS REALLY GOOD...I NEVER TRULY SEEN HIS SKILLS UNTIL TONIGHT. HIS FEET AND POWER DEFINITELY HELPED RAISE EVERYBODY'S LEVEL OF COMPETITION.
RICHBOY: THIS GUY IS ONLY GETTING BETTER...HIS BBOY CONVICTION IS UNCHALLENGED...HE CHARACTERIZED EACH SONG AND CALLED EVERYBODY OUT...
DISHWASHA: HOLY SH%T!!! THERE IS MORE TO THIS GUY THAN HACKING AND BEATS...THIS MAN CAN ROCK A CYPHER WITHOUT A PAUSE.
NINJA: WELCOME HOME...GOTH NINJA IS BACK...BRINGING IN THOSE MARTIAL ART TOP ROCKS THAT HAVE BEEN MISSED OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS...
BGIRL GLOS: JUMPED IN, CALLED PEEPS OUT AND SERVED...WELL DONE.
ALCHEMIST: A FUTURE POWER BEAST...HE WILL BE DOING EXHIBITIONS IN THE NEAR FUTURE: GUARANTEED.
ROLDARE: THE CYPHER WAS SO INVITING THAT I JUMPED IN AND DID CHAIR SPINS...YOU HAD TO BE THERE...

PERSONAL MOMENT: TO BE ASKED TO JUDGE ONCE AGAIN WAS AWESOME: TO BE ASKED TO JUDGE WITH BBOY RAY AND VIRUS: UNREAL...
HERE'S WHY: I REMEMBER BBOY RAY WITH THE FLYPAPER...I REMEMBER THAT WHOLE CREW OF BBOY B, PROMO AND RAY...WHILE I THOUGHT I KNEW HIP-HOP IN THE EARLY 90'S, BBOY RAY WAS LIVING IT... VIRUS IS A TRUE REPRESENTATION OF PAST AND PRESENT TO ME...I SAY THAT BECAUSE OTHER THAN WAKA, VIRUS MIGHT BE THE ONLY GUY I CAN REMEMBER FROM BACK IN THE DAYZ... MY SKINNIER DAYZ...MY PASSING OUT FLYER DAYZ...MY "I HATE HIP HOP DAYZ"

THANKS TO BRAVEMONK WHO PROVIDED A TRUE CULTURAL MOMENT FOR ALL...THERE WERE BBOYS IN THERE THAT WERE EXPERIENCING THEIR FIRST JAM...THERE WERE "OUT OF SCENERS" THAT JUST KEPT THE ENERGY GOING...PROPS TO ALL THAT SUPPORTED.

ROLDARE NATION, HALLELUJAH HOLLOWBACK