"Grab the mic like I'm on Soul Train"

Don Cornelius, founder and host of Soul Train

With the news of the untimely passing of Don Cornelius, the founder and long-time host of Soul Train, the world gasped in sadness and shock. As a pioneer who is credited with bringing African American dance and music to the visual consciousness of the nation, Cornelius featured the biggest, baddest RandB, soul, disco, rock, funk, and hip hop acts on Soul Train, which aired from 1971 to 2006.

Dance styles that are staple in street dance circuits today--like popping, locking, and waacking--were often given their first chance to shine nationally on the Soul Train stage. This is certainly the case for Don Campbell and the Campbellockers.

As Asian American street (aka hip hop) dance crews continue to flourish around college campuses, we can say that the Soul Train stage first gave "breath" to the styles that we know and love. What is seen as "hip" and "cool" has a long legacy. In this case, the legacy is foregrounded by a push by Cornelius for more representation of African American creativity and "soul," which wasn't given light on television prior to the inauguration of Soul Train.   

Michael Jackson performing The Robot, which he learned from Soul Train dancers.

Today, Asian Americans and non-Asian Americans alike are advancing an alternative embodiment--a "cool" representation--through the kinetic language of street dance. And their getting noticed.

But, as "Americanized" subjects of U.S. colonialism, Filipinos have always been engaged with American dance culture since military occupation around 1900. In the diaspora, they have been American dance culture's most loyal adherents, as seen by male Filipino taxi dance hall performers in the pre-WWII era, the creation of Kaba Modern in 1992, and the dance crews that are thriving today (with a special shout out to the exploding dance crew scene in the Philippines).

In a recent Orange County Weekly article, Kaba Modern founder Arnel Calvario testifies about the hip hop dance scene among Filipino Americans in Los Angeles in the late 1980s/early 1990s. During a time when hip hop was not widely accepted among members of the Filipino American community as a "Filipino thing," Calvario and other Fil Am hip hop performers (like Funki Junction, as written by Cheryl Cambay in Empire of Funk) had to carve their own avenues of hip hop expression. The article explains:  

"Calvario, a freshman [at the University of California, Irvine] at the time, wanted to use the event [Pilipino Culture Night] to showcase the full Filipino-American experience, his experience, through the style of dance he loved most.

'I went up to the [club] president and said, 'Since it's Pilipino-American Culture Night and so many Filipino Americans do hip-hop, shouldn't we include our current styles as well as our historical, cultural styles?' he recalls.'"

Thus, Kaba Modern was born out of Pilipino Culture Night, which itself has acted as a promotional stage of Filipino representation. Hip hop has since been a necessary "suite" in the many suites of Filipino culture showcased in the PCNs (and Barrios Fiestas, on the East Coast). 

When hip hop became more popular in the mid 1980s, Don Cornelius didn't understand the rebellious cultural genre either. But as a shrewd businessman and so-called representative of African American popular culture, he gave hip hop a shot on his show. Like Filipino American "ethnic absolutists," Cornelius eventually learned to accept hip hop even though he didn't like it. Hip hop's historical march forward was unstoppable, and existing cultural institutions had to deal with it. 

Baby-faced Public Enemy on Soul Train

Don Cornelius does not get it, in an awkward interview with Chuck D and Flava Flav

Bboys on Soul Train

Since the days of America's Best Dance Crew, street dance has not only increased in popularity among Asian Americans but also among the broader general public. But we must keep in mind that Soul Train provided a crucial venue for dancers more than 35 years prior to MTV's "discovery" of the styles. Now, street dance has been a stage--complete with a mic--for many young Asian Americans who are finding a "voice."

Street dance would not be the same without Soul Train. Certainly, the Filipino American/Asian American choreographed dance scene is indebted to Don Cornelius's legacy. Like Cornelius's vision of giving more representation to African American "soul" on TV, Asian American street dancers on TV are grabbing the mic (an ode to Rakim) like their on Soul Train.

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Uh Puerto Rico...Woh!! Obama 'erupts' the colony

On Tuesday, the island had a visitor from the continent, and it ain't Frankie Cutlass.

Like the Puerto Rican dancers on America's Best Dance Crew, the islands erupted on the American mainstage once again with an official presidential visit from Barack Obama. In past articles, I've talked about the curious cultural position inhabited by members of U.S. island colonies: the Filipino/Puerto Rican brutha Bruno Mars, Puerto Ricans in Florida, Pacquiao vs. Cotto, Puerto Rican and Filipino representation on America's Best Dance Crew (here and here), and the newly confirmed Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Still, questions remain about how Puerto Rico continues to configure in the national imagination of the U.S. Instead of dancing, singing, or boxing, the President's visit makes the island visible for a "mainstream" audience through political pomp and election skrilla snatching (he raised $1 million at a fundraiser).

Mr. Obama's home state of Hawai'i stands as an example of another island colony, which is at once "different" because of its exotic appeal yet "domestic" because it's the 50th state (hey a nice round number means national completeness, right?). Hence the twisted irony of Obama's visit: he used to rep a Pacific island colony (turned state) and now reps hard for the "mainland" on a visit to the Caribbean island colony.

The 50 state nation is purportedly "complete" in God's eyes, at least according to the kind folks at American Family Association who are sponsoring a "prayer event" in August with Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry. According to rhetoric of this group, the shape of the nation is set by God.

But what exactly is the shape of the nation? And how do we determine its borders? The U.S.-dominated islands (the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawai'i, and others) prove the complexity of these questions. The islands trouble the nations legal, geographic, and cultural contiguity.

Enter Obama on a visit to the literal margins of America. How can the emergence of Puerto Rico in the U.S. imagination bring to light the sin of U.S. imperialism? Where does Puerto Rico, as a non-voting colony of the U.S., configure within the "ideal" of Americana?

As a territory under federal authority (especially military) but limited "voice" in federal governance, Puerto Rico's incongruity to an American ideal is a problem. And the people of Puerto Rico have much to be concerned about. Like the Philippines, Puerto Rico is experiencing a "brain drain" of skilled Puerto Ricans migrating to the continent. The island has more boricuas living on the continent (who interestingly can vote for president) than on the island itself. Much like the rest of the nation (only magnified), the island has been experiencing unprecedented unemployment and poverty. And like the rest of the nation, higher education is one of the first priorities on the fiscal chopping block, resulting in an uprising by students who are subsequently denied "voice". Freedom of speech in some instances has been banned in Puerto Rico, where student protesters who are increasingly unable to attend school because of rising fees are punished for exercising a fundamental American right. Liberty and justice...for some?

From the New York Times. Student protests meet roadblocks in Puerto Rican universities.

During his visit to the island, President Obama declared his support for the decision the colony makes regarding statehood (51st?) or independence: “When the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you…. We want Puerto Rico to have a shot at the dream that we all have.”

As an afterthought to the "main" U.S. agenda, Puerto Rico's future is becoming increasingly dismal. As members of a supposed critical "Hispanic" (continental) voting bloc, the President finds Puerto Ricans a valuable demographic. But how valuable is the President to Puerto Ricans?

As the author of the article "Obama's Puerto Rico Pit Stop" in The Nation writes, "The perception is that Puerto Rico is not a part of the 'national conversation,' but rather a colonial outpost in which identity politics, language and nationalism have residents mired in a perennial identity crisis."

Puerto Rico plays an important role in bringing knowledge to American imperial history (and future?). Where Obama's Hawai'i became "domesticated" and the Philippines became "independent", Puerto Rico--home to 4 million American subjects and whose migrated people constitute a coveted voting bloc on the continent--remains a major player in the quest for U.S. border-defining. Can residents of the "colonial outpost" challenge the notion of American imperial innocence? Or will America's island subjects remain the way they always have been? That is, invisible.

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Another Allstars Victory!

On to the next one!

The Philippine Allstars are back and keep on winning! On Saturday, June 11, 2011, the group took 1st place at the Dance2Dance "World Street Dance Showcase Competition" in Zurich, Switzerland. After a few years hiatus, these national dance heroes are making a strong comeback. With a killer combination of hip hop foundation, theatrical spectacularity, power moves, and freaky "spear" freezes, the Allstars' hunger still proves stuff of champions.

Still, the Allstars faced tough competition, especially from USA's Mos Wanted (who seem to have Filipino American members of their own!). These America's Best Dance Crew competitors, who won 2nd place at the Dance2Dance event, showed perfect on-beat (and on-lyric!) execution with impressive repertoire of dance styles (house set is awesome!).

We welcome back the Allstars to the world stage. As winners of back-to-back Gold in 2006 at the International Hip-Hop Open d'Italia in Italy and the World Hip-Hop Dance Championships (WHHDC) in Los Angeles, Gold in 2008 at the WHHDC in Las Vegas, and another Gold in 2009 at the Malta Guiness Streetdance Africa competition, the Allstars have given a funky vision of Filipinos to dazzle the world!

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JabbaWockeeZ get wicked Sin City!

The JabbaWockeeZ try their luck in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand! But this opportunity ain't just about fortune, cuz these guys are pure talent. Advertised right in between David Copperfield and Tom Jones, are these the most popular Filipino Americans in the States right now? Between the supernatural and the karaoke hitmaker, these guys are like the magical Filipinos!
The 2000s are a great era for Filipino Americans and hip hop! The crucibles of Filipino American culture are demanding and commanding national attention. Seattle and the progressive Filipino community bred the talent of legendary poetry troupe Isangmahal (who are back apparently) alongside one of the most successful independent hip hop groups the Blue Scholars. Seattle is interesting, people!

Performers who cut their teeth in the San Francisco/San Diego Pinoy/ay hip hop spaces have clearly demonstrated their skills to the TV world on America's Best Dance Crew, and now the tourist world in Las Vegas gets to experience the JabbaWockeeZ. Not that the measure of skill and success should be defined by "outsiders", but a little attention never hurt nobody. Especially when MGM JabbaWockeeZ tickets go for over $70.00 each, man, a little money in yo pockets never hurt nobody either! Make that dough, bro. And look good doing it...

Besides, if purists want to keep the culture "inside" (hey, I ain't mad at ya), it looks like we're doing just fine doing that too!

From the garage ground to the world stage! Isulong!

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The controversial and the kitsch: domesticating hip hop defiance

It's a new decade, and hip hop is getting older. Yes, time keeps on ticking...

I've written about it almost a year ago, but questions surrounding the trajectory of hip hop musical engagement within the current socio-political context still linger. I'm sure Bakari Kitwana, Nelson George, Jeff Chang, Tricia Rose, Davey D, Mark Anthony Neal, Michael Eric Dyson and all the "hip hop scholars" and journalists have been entertaining this question to death, but I'd like to continue the conversation in a more intimate, Fil Am funk setting.

In March last year, I wrote:

"With Black Star's late 90s hip hop anthems, I think that Black Star's generational cohort demonstrates a "bridge" that connects the 80s political canvas with the emerging millennium music. The chant "One, two, three..." exemplifies this bridge. To be certain, material from the 80s and 90s still echos today. Generations are never so distinct, but I think certain songs, groups, and anthems point to "road markers" that give character to various eras.

So, what can be said about the ending of the first decade of the millennium? What are the "hip hop political themes" of an Obama generation?"

In the beginning of the new decade, these concerns are ever more pronounced. With the 1990s almost "dead" to many young people, the political and social imaginary of those times are buried alongside that decade. Latasha Harlins's murder, the LA Uprising, the O.J. Simpson trial, Amadou Diallo's slaying, the War on Drugs--the list goes on about the power struggles over the lives and representation of racialized people during during the 1990s. In whatever capacity, hip hop music ambitiously addressed all of these.

Hip hop music still addresses very cogent topics today, no doubt, but the difference-maker in the 1990s is how its played on radio and television. Decades ago, the hip hop that was broadcasted (not queried on the internet) gave you both the controversial and the kitsch. Today, arguably, hip hop is simply kitsch. The dark underbelly of urban life described by Jay-Z in "Empire State of Mind," the "hardness" of Rihanna, or Snoop's brooding and threatening audioscape in "I Wanna Rock" are deployed and received as mass produced, playfully consumed commodities interpreted in a horizontal array of other colorful goods (such as country, rock, pop...shoes, soda, and cell phones). Where Rob Base and EZ Rock entertained us with innocent party music, Snoop reconfigures the mood of "It Takes Two" (1988), makes it sound scary. But its really not. It's party music. Entertainment. Where is the "real" threat?

Snoop's video for "I Wanna Rock" features the Quest Crew who won America's Best Dance Crew a few seasons ago. You bet they have a buncha Pinoys in that crew, which is named after the Quest Learning Center building where the dancers practiced in Cerritos (just east of Los Angeles). Here we see the pastiche incorporation of the innocence of street dance and the deathly pimp persona of Snoop. Both seemingly disparate images have one thing in common: they are both consumed as flattened, equal commodities.

The more I learn about hip hop in the Philippines, the more I raise these questions about hip hop commercialism and the cultural apparatus hip hop provided/s for many participants. For example, Masta Plann's immersion into the Philippine music scene in the early 1990s illustrates an interesting collision of people (Filipinos in the Philippines) who "other/ed" hip hop to a caricatured extent and a pair of young Fil Am rappers from Southern California who stayed faithful to an assembled codifications of hip hop culture--such as the four elements discourse along with the Nation of Islam-inflected "knowledge of self" ethic (i.e. their original name was "Knowledge Brought Forth").

This example of Masta Plann in the Philippines emphasizes the convenient commercialism vs. cultural apparatus dichotomy, because in the Philippines hip hop has been widely consumed without a critical engagement with its politics, pleasures, or cultural context (except of course the small community of hip hop heads influenced by Masta Plann). It is simply "sa-rap" (yummy) music--to be eaten and disposed of without being transformed by it, without worldviews shaken or challenged.

Masta Plann and entourage reflecting a 90s sensibility with plaid shirts (which is back apparently, but tighter), rounded shades, oversized jeans and button-downs

I think today in the U.S. for a whole generation consuming hip hop devoid of its defiant politics (on the radio), the music is treated similarly as in places like the Philippines. Hip hop in the new decade, for better or for worse, is much less a weapon than a patterned sequence on your daughter's backpack. However, the biggest difference, if I may, is that in the U.S. there is an embedded history of race, economic inequality, violence in urbanization, and musical politics transformed hip hop's politics over time. Whereas in the Philippines, hip hop culture is such a foreign concept that it hasn't had time to be domesticated or tamed in the same way.

And that's not to say that all hip hop was consumed with ardent politics as in decades prior. Other factors matter to how hip hop has been received. In the U.S. in the 80s there was a dedicated community of listeners, many who would gather around the boombox into the oddest evening hours to catch the latest hits put on by mixmasters. There are even stories of early Bay Area hip hop fans who miraculously picked up LA's KDAY on good nights...before the Bay Area played hip hop on the airwaves. Also, people would GO to parties to hear the newest music (complete with a whole "party flyer" culture. And the DJ was the musical arbiter, the gatekeeper of new hip hop). You had to BE with other people, hear other people talk about the music--you would be part of a listening community.

When mullets were hot. 1980s party as shown in my film Legend. Courtesy of Isaiah Dacio.

Today, you can enjoy hip hop music without the culture...without people. In this new millennium, digital technology reigns, and hip hop is consumed right alongside clips of cats playing piano.

The LA Uprising of 1992 may not function in the social and political imaginary of today's young hip hop generation. Hip hop still plays an important role in popular culture, regardless of its saturation in consumer capital exchange. We consumers have real agency in our lives, and this post is not a tired mantra on the monolithic evils of "the media" or the latent progressive value of postmodern expressions. I am just raising questions on how we approach hip hop in the new decade, the new millennium, especially when we have curious youngsters who have direct access to OGs still hung up on the "golden age." We can build.

In closing, KRS-One's anthem "Sound of Da Police" (1993) is almost two decades old and it will always hold a special value for the dedicated hip hop heads of yore and today. But in the new decade, its not the same as in the post-Uprising era. In true consumer fashion, the song's defiance, resistance, controversy can now be contained, exchanged, and commodified into the soundtrack of the year's hottest comedy hit:

"Kenneth! What do you know about egoting!"

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In the Cipher of Filipino Funk @ UC Irvine Tue. Oct 13!

Sparkin the cipha session at the 11th Annual Mighty 4 in Oakland

UC Irvine Kababayan Pilipino American History Month Presents:

"In the Cipher of Filipino Funk"
Tuesday, October 13 @ 7:00pm
UC Irvine Campus, Social Sciences Plaza A (SSPA) 1165



Why do Filipinos dominate on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC)? Is there a connection between Pilipino Culture Night and ABDC? And, why are Filipinos so into hip hop in the first place? In this interactive PAHM event lead by Mark Villegas, we will incorporate art in order to tackle these questions.

Get ready for some poetry yall! It's goin down!

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America's Best "Periphery": Island dance crews redefine America

The banner has fallen for the Massive Monkees in the 4th season of America's Best Dance Crew. The crew has once again inspired a whole demographic of young Filipino Americans and b-boy/girls. Furthermore, they help gave Seattle a bigger, bolder, well-deserved rep in the hip hop game.

With an obvious domination of Fil Am champions on the show, every season so far has captured the imagination of Filipinos and definitely impacted their respective dance choreography. This year will be the only year to not feature a Filipino in the last round; Afroborike and We Are Heroes will battle it out in the finale.

We can't say there is a definite Filipino, Asian, or b-boy fatigue on ABDC because each crew definitely put in work to prove themselves, but we'll miss the MM's and want to congratulate them and their tremendous success on the show.

Critical questions:

Who would have thought fans of U.S. popular culture would usher in a group of mostly Puerto Rican dancers (one is Cuban) as perhaps America's best?

Who would have thought that four Filipino guys, a Cambodian fella, and a Black dude would represent the desire of a whole generation of young people in the U.S.?

This show is interesting in that it gives a visual representation of the varying meanings of "America's best..." I've written about it before, but the Puerto Rican and Filipino fetish this show has raises stimulating questions about the U.S.'s island colonies and their role in U.S. mainstream culture. The colonized strut, flip, and strike poses on stage, constantly challenging the "center" of America as they invigorate the imagination of a new, young MTV generation.

The islands are erupting on the American continent.

This MTV generation might find the Latin-flavor of Afroborike worthy of ABDC champ-status, but We Are Heroes will take it this season. If they don't, it's good to see some ladies (from either crew) finally crowned.

Season 5, Pinoys and Pinays get ready! We hope to see you on stage once more! (East Coast, Midwest, South stand up!!)

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Summer Heat: Massive Monkees interview, more Seattle goodies

Los Angeles is on fire, but it also seems like Seattle is ablaze. With a record setting sizzling summer in the 206, it's also fitting that Seattle Fil Am hip hop talent add to the scorcher. Remember to hydrate!

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Peep an excerpt of my BakitWhy.com interview with the Seattle-based Massive Monkees. We were behind the scenes of America's Best Dance Crew, episode 3 (yeah, the martial arts one). Were/are these Seattle Pinoy b-boys the Monkees mention also inspirational to your style?

MV: Any particular Filipino b-boys, b-girls influential to you all and your development?

Marcus Garrison: B-boy Free from Seattle. He's one of the biggest inspirations for Massive Monkees and all of Seattle and all over the world.

Jerome Aparis: And B-boy Remind from Style Elements Crew.

Brysen Angeles: Actually in Seattle, the place where we did a lot of rehearsal for the audition of the show was the Filipino Community Center. So we got a lot of support from the Filipino community in Seattle. It's a good thing.
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In another Seattle shoutout, remember to download the Blue Scholars' new EP entitled "OOF!" This Hawaiian-inspired collection is sure to satisfy your craving for innovative, experimental sounds and relaxing island flavors. Here is a Seattle Times review of each track of the EP. The Scholars keep it burnin like a haole on a beach!




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And if you still feen for that 206 spice, be sure to download DJ Daps1's newest mixtape, "206 Summer Heat". All the artists featured in the mix represent Seattle, many delivering that real OG West Coast vibe. Who knew Seattle had such a thriving, raw hip hop scene? Well, now ya know.

Ain't nuthin better than summer in the Northwest!

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"The B-Boy Stance": Massive Monkee article from 2007

Below is a 2007 article on the Massive Monkees published in Oneso Magazine, which is apparently defunct (I can't find it anymore! Can you? Here is their Myspace site). Good thing I saved the article. It's useless on my computer if its not out there for the world to read.

The article goes into depth on the origins of the Massive Monkees (mentions the role of Jefferson Community Center, a space for young Filipino American youth to build...listen to Blue Scholars' "Southside Revival"), performing for the Supersonics (R.I.P. lol!!), their service in the local Seattle community, and their international travels. Mind you, Massive Monkees are bigger than the 6 brothas on the MTV show. But you get the perspective of Jeromeskee, Brysen, and Juse Boogie (Marcus Garrison) who are on the show.

Enjoy! Let's see if you can catch Brysen's reference to the J'ville bootleg tape swapping we did back in the late 90s I mentioned in my last blog post. Can't believe he remembered that!

N O V E M B E R 5 , 2 0 0 7

The B-Boy Stance: An In-Depth Look Into the Massive Monkees

By H.D. Author

08:15:31 PM PST

When someone mentions Seattle, Hip-hop isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind, if it comes to mind at all. Though we have multiple businesses based in the Puget Sound area that have grown to be recognized all over the world, since the days of Sir Mix A Lot this city’s been rather quiet when it comes to artists making noise outside of the local scene in terms of Hip-hop. Within the past few years, however, several acts have crossed that barrier by linking up with others in the same struggle to spread the word in a day and age where Hip-hop is supposedly dead. It may be to the masses, but not to the Massive. Monkees that is.

Before a routine practice session at the Jefferson Community Center in Beacon Hill, where b-boys and b-girls have been going to learn, improve, and master their crafts for nearly 20 years, we got the chance to chill with a few of the crew. With b-boys Jeromeskee and Iron Mike Brysen, we wanted to know what the world-renowned Massive Monkees have been through, are going through, and will go through both as a crew and as a family.

Just to start with some basics, how long has Massive Monkees been together?

Jeromeskee: As a crew we’ve been established in 1999. It was two crews forming together, both crews really were nobody. We were all just kids who had the same passion. At that time, the whole Seattle scene, the b-boy Seattle scene was pretty much dead. Two crews, one of the crews was called the Untouchable Style Monkees, which was Brysen and myself, and another crew was called Massive, which was Juse Boogy and Domes. They were practicing downstairs at the Jefferson Community Center at the same time…

Did you guys get along right off the bat? Tell us a little more about how the two formed Massive Monkees.

Jeromeskee: Before we didn’t really know each other as well, pretty much didn’t like each other. [Laughs] We were kids growing up, we were kids trying to find identities too, trying to be hardcore and trying to be B-boys, stuff like that. [Laughs] When everybody disappeared we were like, ‘Yo ok…’ The big thing that played was chemistry. We all had the same vision. We wanted to master ourselves, you know, stay as a unit and compete with each other. But it was on a respect tip, it wasn’t no hate….

Brysen: I think actually we started hanging out before we started practicing together. We would go out together and party, do whatever, like 18-19 year olds do. Then we took one trip down to B-boy Summit ‘99…we took a bus trip down there together. We weren’t Massive Monkees yet, but we took the bus trip down and really from there it was on. We were down there representing together, representing Seattle, and at that time like Jerome said the scene had died. There were no more B-boys around in the area. There were, but they were very scarce…we were the remaining heads still doing it in Seattle, and then it was on.

Prior to the two crews meeting, how long have you guys been b-boying? Who did you look up to locally, and how was the Seattle b-boy scene back when you two started?

Jeromeskee: I’ve been dancing since ’96. I looked up to the crew, actually, before they were called USM they were called ABC, and that was [Brysen’s] crew, and this other crew which was called Boss Crew… incredible. They probably influenced not just the Seattle scene but the whole west coast scene, possibly the east coast scene.

Brysen: I started breaking in ’94, and Boss had been doing it 2 years before that. That’s kind of who put us on. I remember being in Florida in ’99 and telling heads I was from Seattle and they were like, ‘Yo you’re from Seattle? You ever heard of Boss Crew? We fucking used to watch their tapes.’ And this was in Florida, this is the complete opposite end of the US, and these kids were talking about how they’d seen Boss. Mind you, this was in ’97 when they were seeing like the “Yellow Shirt Break Wars” and stuff like that, and that was stuff going on here in Seattle. At that time, you know, there was no digital video, no internet video, no YouTube, there was nothing. It was like VHS being recorded by one homie, and the next homie getting it and him recording the next one, so I’m sure the copy that they got of some the battles locally were worn out VHS video tapes…. And that was like our original crew, both me and [Jeromeskee], we were like the younger cats who were repping Boss but we’re still part of that legacy, and proud to be.

Did you have any idea from the beginning that you really wanted to do this on a greater level or did it just kind of happen naturally?

Jeromeskee: I really sucked. I tried to get into this crew Oasis. That was in middle school. Yeah I’ll put em on blast too. [Laughs] They said, ‘all you have to do is battle.’ I already knew them from friends…so I went there and tried to battle in. Did my 3-4 rounds of Russian kicks, thought I was hardcore, and thought I was fresh. And then they said, ‘Oh I’m sorry, the crew is locked.’ AKA yo you suck. I was pretty mad cuz I practiced hard. For a good strong week. [Laughs] My boy at that time was saying why don’t you just go for ABC. So I go here to Jefferson Community Center, and these guys were already established pretty much. They’ve been battling for awhile. I practiced for 3-4 months, just trying to practice hard. I hooked up with the right people like Brysen, pretty much worked out for me. Hooked up with this guy named Fever One, DVS Crew, cats that really helped influence Boss Crew. They were the pioneer B-boys… dancing since the 80’s.

Brysen: [DVS] studied the old school cats who were doing it in New York, and these guys grew up in the 80’s so they were studying probably the early 80’s and late 70’s of what was going on…. Everything that they studied and all the homework that they did they were more than willing to share with Boss, which was to me, why Boss became so good. They were put on from the beginning and taught the real deal from jump, and that all lead down to what we’re doing as Massive.

Jeromeskee: We had a blessing off the direct contact from what B-boying should be, and what it really is about.

How did Massive Monkees go beyond that? What did you guys have to do get recognition and respect both in and outside of Seattle?

Brysen: We just did traveling, tried to get out there. We did Rock Steady Anniversary in ’99. We did B-Boy Pro Am in ’99. And this was just like small groups of us traveling around. A big turning point was doing Freestyle Session 6 in California. It was first time that us as a whole crew went down and made some noise, and we fucking came in 2nd place. We didn’t have any clue that were gonna do that good when we got down there, but we went down there, we did what we did, and fuck from there it was history. After that everybody wanted to know what’s going on with Massive Monkees…. We didn’t plan a lot of it, a lot of it we can honestly say it was a blessing. Things came at the right time, things happened at the right time, we chose to enter the right battles, and we got lucky. I think we got real lucky.

Jeromeskee: Before we made noise we had to make our personal noise in our own city to a different city. From then on, it was like ok we can do competitions. What else can we do? Alright we’ll teach. What else can we do? We can do theater. What else can we do? We can do Sonics, you know? It’s just an on-going process. Basically it’s a lot of peoples’ dreams all in one pot, and we worked it out as a crew….

When did you first hook up with the Sonics and how’d the Boom Squad form?

Jeromeskee: 2004. We won the World B-boy Championships [April 2004], and that was in London… Then this lady from California came to the Sonics and wanted to make a b-boy crew. Basically, someone forwarded her our contact, hooked us up, [and we] just tried out. We were already established as Massive Monkees, and so we were doing regular routines, our show routines and so forth. They liked us. We made the All-Star Game that year too.

Brysen: They hired us for thirteen games, and we did the thirteen games. The crowd loved it, and they just kept us on, put us on payroll with the Sonics.

Jeromeskee: If you see Boom Squad at the Supersonics, it’s known as the Massive Monkees crew. The Sonics didn’t put us together as individuals, we were already a crew.

Outside of the b-boy scene itself, what do you think people think of the art on a mainstream level?

Brysen: What you see now, like “You Got Served” or “Kicking It Old School,” the way that b-boying’s being represented to the mainstream…

Jeromeskee: It’s a joke.

Brysen: It makes b-boying out to be a joke. They’re definitely trying to make it like another fad, like this is just another fad that’s gonna go out the door. Truth be told this is shit that has been building, and it gave me and Jeromeskee and identity, you know what I’m saying? There’s other kids out there that could be doing a lot of other shit, you know, we all know that. We could all be doing something else…

If not for b-boying, what do you think you’d be doing right now?

Jeromeskee: Man, honestly, b-boying’s like walking. I can’t live without it. I can’t even think without it. I’m so in tuned with b-boying and with my crew; it’s kind of crazy to even think that. I see my crew on a daily basis. I b-boy every single day.

Brysen: If I wasn’t breaking, I don’t know. I may have finished college. I may have gotten a real good job. I may be sitting in front of a desk, fucking who knows what I could be doing, but I know that I’m happy with where I’m at right now. B-boying has done a lot for myself and it’s gotten me to a place where I can say that a lot of other people haven’t experienced a lot of things, at the age of 26, that I’ve been able to experience through this thing.... My parents have told me numerous times, “enjoy what you’re doing right now. You’re experiencing greater things. I’ve never seen all these countries that you’ve seen. I’ve never got to know different cultures around the world.” I don’t know where I would be, but I’m happy where I’m at.

Jeromeskee: I wouldn’t change anything, anything at all.

What’s been one of your most memorable experiences traveling the world?

Jeromeskee: [We’re] constantly having new experiences. This one experience we had, we got flown out to Japan. It was so like “Blood Sport,” where they took best of the best of each crew in Japan… we were the special guest crew.… We had a lot of great experiences in Japan, different countries and so forth, but this experience was like from the beginning to the end, [there] was a constant greatness to it. I mean it was to the point where we’re at the temple… we looked at each other, and we’re looking at how beautiful Japan was and how they treated us with such, royalty, actually… such respect. We’re like “dang…” I looked to the right, I looked to the left… we’re about to cry, you know? But we’re b-boys, we can’t do that. We’re hardcore, you know what I’m saying? [Laughs] And they gave us ceremonies, like the opening ceremony they had the prime minister there. It was a beautiful town.

Brysen: From the minute that we came off the plane they took care of us. Like “what do you guys wanna do? Where you gonna go? Here’s your luggage.” Everything was planned out on a schedule. “You’re gonna eat, you’re gonna go do this….” It was like from beginning to end they made sure we were gonna have a really good time.

Jeromeskee: It was our b-boy heaven. [Laughs]

Brysen: Yeah, and I got to share with like six of you guys. [Laughs]

Jeromeskee: At that moment, at that time, I said it to myself, “If I were to retire like this right now, I’d be happy.” There’s so much more to do, but I mean it was a super unique experience, incredible every single second.

Brysen: That was Koji, Japan, for Battle Runners 2006. Koji, Japan.

On the flip side of that, have you guys had any bad experiences travelling?

[Both laugh]

Jeromeskee: Where you wanna start?

Brysen: I actually booked this trip… we went to Leon, France. This promoter contacted us from France and said they wanna to bring us out for a battle. From the jump, the communication was wack. First thing he did was he bought the tickets flying out of Washington D.C. [Jeromeskee laughs] We were stuck with our flights, but we got that situated. We got on the plane, we flew in, and for some reason the flights didn’t connect right. We ended up spending four hours in Paris, waiting at the airport…then we flew to Leon, France. We finally get there, and we didn’t get to check into our hotel or anything. They brought us with our luggage, they were late picking us up too, and then a two hour drive after waiting at the airport for four hours…. Straight off of traveling for over twenty-something hours… they gave us an hour to chill and tell us to go out and stage and battle.

Jeromeskee: With our luggage.

Brysen: No shower, no food, no nothing. We get out there and we make it all the way to the finals, and we battled this crew called Pokémon. It’s their hometown, and I think the dude who promoted it was trying to throw an event to boost up their name. So they basically flew us out there, threw us in the tank, put us in front of this home crowd… close to a thousand… screaming fans, screaming for them and booing for us. We can show you the tape. We smacked them. We killed em. And all the judges go, “Pokémon wins.”

Jeromeskee: When we went there, just when they had said “USA” they booed us. They didn’t know about us. All they knew was about President Bush…and they heard “USA” and they booed us. And so we had to get their respect. In the beginning it was like “ok, these guys are alright.” Second round…they started to feel us more. When it came to the finals… after they announced the winner… [Pokémon] got booed.

Brysen: It was like some “Rocky” shit. Remember how Rocky had fought? All of a sudden, the crowd’s emotions turn to our favors like, “these guys are good guys….” [Both laugh] You can change a lot peoples’ minds through breaking….

Bringing it back locally, to here in Seattle, what are you guys up to now? What do you guys have planned?

Jeromeskee: We’re working on a theater piece. We do a lot of theater in the college market nationally, [but we’ve] never done a theater production in Seattle. It’s weird; it’s ironic. That’s one of our goals, basically just try and do theater and open it in Seattle….

Brysen: We’ve been doing a lot of shows locally, for like the opening of the sculpture park, or the Seattle Art Museum, and the Asian Art Museum… we did one show at the Asian Art Museum and ever since then the same people organizing a lot of the openings of the venues here got us doing that. It might have something to do with them giving us the Mayor’s Arts Award this year.

Jeromeskee: The mayor also gave us an official holiday, called the Massive Monkees Day. That’s April 26th, when we brought home a gold championship title [from the World B-boy Championships in 2004].

Brysen: And we’re still setting goals for ourselves, still trying to accomplish more. Take it to the next step, whether it be winning the next competition or trying to open a school and trying to teach out of a school…and to spread the word of Hip-hop, positive Hip-hop, and what b-boying can bring to culture, which is why it’s dope you guys are doing this magazine. We’re kind of on the same mission now. It’s perfect timing. Let’s just bring all this urban culture to life.

We know Massive Monkees is involved with the community outreach. Tell us more about that and the groups you work with.

Jeromeskee: I work at pre-schools, among another organization called Arts Corps… teaching art, teaching kids…. We have an anti-bully program we’re doing in schools too.

[Juse Boogy Enters]

Brysen: He does a lot of work with the city of Seattle.

Jeromeskee: We all do a lot of work with Seattle.

Juse Boogy: I do work with the city of Bellevue and run afterschool programs… and do classes through the city of Bellevue. We’re also starting a campaign; we’ve been in touch with some of the local districts. We did three grade level school shows with the Tukwila School District last year. We’ve done a couple with the Seattle School District as well. We’re on the move trying to do more outreach work, but at this point we’re just running afterschool programs. He does afterschool classes in Seattle, and I do them in Bellevue.

We know you met here, you practice here, and you help out a lot here at the Jefferson Community Center. What role does it play for the crew, and for b-boying?

Jeromeskee: A lot of us do work at the Jefferson Community Center. For Christmas we do a canned food drive. We do a lot of events specifically to help out certain organizations. We do a non-direct outreach at Jefferson Community Center, where certain kids will come up and we help them out.

Juse Boogy: If this was gone it’d be a lot harder… this is like the Mecca of b-boying… I’ve been coming here like fourteen years, but people have been coming here to b-boy for almost twenty.

What do you think of the Hip-hop scene specifically in Seattle?

Brysen: We need to grow as a scene rather than individuals. It’s a give and take thing. Let’s support each other…. People need to know about all the dope shit that’s going on here.

Juse Boogy: People in general [here] respect art. People in Seattle are always interested.

Jeromeskee: It’s beautiful. People are more artistic on the level of being open-minded. That has to do with people in Seattle… people are more receptive… you know what I’m saying? The Seattle scene and the environment itself has helped that out.

Thanks again for taking the time out do this interview. Any last words about this whole experience thus far in your lives?

Juse Boogy: Through dance you can see the culture, how [people] were raised, and how the community’s doing.

Jeromeskee: B-boying’s more than just tricks, more than shows and competition. It’s a whole lifestyle.

Brysen: We wanna create opportunities for others, other b-boys. And we’re still grinding. I can’t change who I am.

To learn more about the Massive Monkees, check them out at www.myspace.com/massivemonkees, every Seattle Supersonics home game at the Key Arena as the Boom Squad, a show near you, and the DVD documentary starring the crew coming soon.

Massive Takeover? Will Seattle own it?

Instead of flying fish at Seattle's Public Market, flying Monkees.

Reference:
BakitWhy: "MTV's America's Best Crew Kicks Off Season 4"

Big ups to the crews who competed on the first episode of Season 4 of America's Best Dance Crew. I've been having conversations with a few b-boys and the consensus seems to be that the Massive Monkees are in a position to flatten crews into submission. No b-boy bias right? The b-boy cred for the Massive Monkees is serious, plus they got paramount skills for the "choreo" too.

Just one example of the veteran status of the Massive Monkees: I remember back in the late 1990s me, my crew, and other Pinoy hip hop heads used to swap bootleg copies of homemade Massive Monkees VHS tapes somehow acquired from Seattle Filipino network sources. Over 10 years later, the Massive Monkees are still making a name for themselves across the country, but this time through MTV and the internets, not from blurry, dubbed-over, crumple-ole videotape. (Ya'll jville heads still got those tapes?)

And ABDC is giving center stage to Filipinos and hip hop/street dance for all the world to witness (although I hear in the Philippines they are still only airing Season 2). To explain the intensity of this season's competition, check out this killer quote by Marcus (he dies?) in the Massive Monkees introduction during the first episode:

"We take extreme pride in being b-boys. Supercr3w was b-boys. Quest crew did b-boy moves. But we're really b-boys. We live and die it everyday."

Rillz? Mayn, then we better see some maniacal, magical, megalomonumental moves we aint neva seen before. Testify brah.

America's Best Dance Crew (Season 4) - MTV Shows

The other Filipino-dominant crew, Fr3sh, gave a fun and energetic performance, but unfortunately they were the first crew eliminated. They opened their performance with green hairspray or deodorant-lookin spray, to I guess signify their freshness. They said, in their introduction clip, they didn't want to be compared to other Asian crews like Kaba Modern or SoReal Cru (aren't there like 12 other crews who look like this?), so they tried their best to stand out from this reflexive racial cataloging. We gotta give them props--they look good, they're hella Pinay/oy, and they're East Coast! They were not as clean, intricate, or acrobatic as other crews on ABDC, but we should congratulate them for making it on the show.

Now, all the Massive Monkees accolades aside, the crew I think we should look out for is Rhythm City. They are clean, versatile (they got an extensive cache of styles), the ladies are sexy (come on, when will at least one lady win?), they are from the Bronx (hey, that's hip hop capital), they're not Asian (I'm just keepin it real), and they are not a b-boy crew. After 3 seasons of b-boy domination, will MTV want a 4th Asian/Latin looking b-boy crew to win again? I guess we'll see. Rhythm City definitely raises the level of competition, so keep ya eyelids peeled for these guys/gals.

BTW: How do crews practice the specific segment of the song (in this episode, it was "Boom Boom Pow") for Sudden Death battle? Looks suddenly rehearsed... Any insiders?

Also, congrats to the Philippine All Stars for making it to the championship round of the 8th Annual World Hip Hop Dance Championship against France's R.A.F. Crew, who took the crown away from the All Stars this year. Astig! Next year nalang pare!


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