Rock Steady Crew is a breakdancing crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. Breakdance, breaking, b-boying or b-girling is a Street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among Hip hop is a Subculture, which is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Afrika Bambaattaa The City of New York Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The New York Times called the Rock Steady Crew "the foremost breakdancing group in the world today. "
Contents |
History
The original founders were Jimmy D and Jojo, two early popularizers of breakdancing. Breakdance, breaking, b-boying or b-girling is a Street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among Although breakdancing has since become a well-known subculture, in the late 1970s it was little known outside of New York, as such their early rivals were from the other boroughs of New York. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. In the beginning, membership in the crew was only granted by battling with another Rock Steady member; it was a competition few people won.
In 1979 when b-boying began to die down, Jimmy D added Crazy Legs and Lenny Len to the crew. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) This fresh talent came at a critical time for the crew, if it had not been for these fresh new faces Rock Steady quite possibly would have ended then. Crazy Legs then was living in Manhattan and would return to the Bronx on the weekends to "hang with the boys", but that eventually became too expensive. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York At that point Crazy Legs began to explore the hip hop scene in Manhattan, this meant losing contact with some of the other members of Rock Steady. Crazy Legs wanted to start a crew of his own and went back to the Bronx to get Jimmy D's permission to start a new Rock Steady chapter in Manhattan. Unable to find Jimmy D he instead joined Rockwell Association (a competitor to Rock Steady) on suggestion of his cousin Lenny Len. After being turned down the first time they immediately added him to their crew as he had a lot more to offer this time and gave him a chapter in Manhattan.
It was not until the early part of 1981 that Crazy Legs finally got permission from Jimmy D to start a chapter of the Rock Steady Crew in Manhattan. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Crazy Legs immediately switched the affiliation of his crew from the Rockwell Association to Rock Steady Crew. Although none of the current members of his chapter had battled anyone from the Rock Steady Crew they had already gained the respect of Crazy Legs and so were accepted by the Bronx chapter without question. It would be this Manhattan chapter that would eventually rebuild the popularity of breakdance in NYC.
1981 would be the real turning point for Rock Steady, in August photographer Henry Chalfant, from National Geographic offered Mike Holman for a chance for the Rock Steady Crew to perform at the Lincoln Center Outdoors Program. Henry Chalfant (born January 2, 1940 in Sewickley Pennsylvania, USA) is a well known and highly regarded urban culture photographer This outdoor performance was covered by local New York City television stations, as well as The New York Times, The Village Voice, New York Daily News and National Geographic. This article is about a New York newspaper For the Ottawa Hills Ohio magazine see The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills. The Daily News of New York City is the fifth most-widely circulated daily Newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 703137 Overview The NGS's historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural historical and natural This performance, a battle against rival crew The Dynamic Rockers, would later gain them worldwide exposure. Founder Jimmy D saw the broadcast on television and was so impressed with the buzz that Crazy Legs had created for the crew he made him President of the entire Rock Steady Crew. Crazy Legs then made two members of the Manhattan chapter Frosty Freeze and Ken Swift Co-Vice Presidents. Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost ( December 4 1963 - April 3 2008) also known as The Freeze To Please, was an American Old Ken Swift (born Kenny Gabbert) is a B-boy formerly of the Rock Steady Crew of which he was a long time member and key figure of now apart of 7Gems
In winter 1982 the RSC was invited to perform at the Ritz nightclub, the list of other performers that night included the post-punk group Bow Wow Wow, Afrika Bambaataa, and the Jazzy 5. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Bow Wow Wow was a 1980s New Wave band managed by former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren during 1980 Afrika Bambaataa (born Kevin Donovan on April 17, 1957) is an American DJ from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the After this performance, Crazy Legs and Frosty Freeze asked Afrika Bambaataa if they could join the Zulu Kings, considered then to be the most highly respected of the b-boy crews. Bambaataa allowed them to join, and included the entire RSC as members of his "Zulu Nation". Soon after that performance the RSC became caught up in the diverse 1980s NYC club culture, which at the time was a mix of Rastafarians, Punk Rockers, New Wave listeners, and, of course, hip hop fans. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, New Testament New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s The Rock Steady Crew expanded at this time into a large family like group consisting of women, children, roller skaters, graffiti artists, and DJs. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience This would also be the year the group, and breakdance in general, became bigger than NYC.
In early 1983, the Rock Steady Crew became managed by Kool Lady Blue, who booked them on the Roxy Tour sponsored by Europe One Radio. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) This tour took the Rock Steady Crew, Afrika Bambaataa, Fab Five Freddy, the McDonalds Double Dutch girls, various DJs and graffiti artists from the rubble of the projects to London and Paris, and was the first international hip hop music tour. This article is on the Yo! MTV Raps host For the NHL player see Fred Brathwaite. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with The Crew also appeared on the Jerry Lewis Telethon for the second time that year. Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) is an American Comedian, award-winning actor producer writer and director best-known for his slapstick A telethon is a Fundraising event broadcast on Television that lasts many hours or even days the purpose of which is to raise Money for a charitable political In November of that same year Elizabeth II asked them to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in aid of the Artists Benevolent Fund. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, normally At this time the London scene was developing fast and furiously and was responsible for such innovative moves such as the fabled 'English back spin' said to be invented by Jonathan Fletcher in Covent Garden.
The tour would lead to a short record deal with UK record label Charisma Records. Charisma Records was a Record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969 Their release "Hey You, The Rock Steady Crew" went gold and was a top ten chart hit in Great Britain. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The RSC saw little of the proceeds however, due to their lack of understanding of the music industry and their poor contract negotiations. The RSC alleges they were taken advantage of by Charisma Records who would not allow them any creative input. When Charisma Records went out of business they were sold to Virgin Records who indefinitely shelved the deal. Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell This deal caused friction among the members of the group who decided to put RSC on hold for a while and concentrate on other projects.
1991 was a very important year for RSC up and coming rapper Q-Unique gave Crazy Legs a demo tape and lobbied for the revival of Rock Steady. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Anthony Quiles, better known as Q-Unique, is an American Rapper, Record producer and a member of rap group The Arsonists and Crazy Legs also had been receiving pressure to restart Rock Steady from World Karate Champion Jerry "Fast Feet" Fontanez. Grand Master Fast Feet Persuaded Crazy Legs to restart the group; Fast Feet took Crazy Legs to the hottest clubs of that time,The Circle in the Bronx and the World Famous Nell's to name a few. At the time clubs would play Hip Hop so Fast Feet got the DJ's like The Duke of Denmark to play the Mexican,Just Begun and James Brown. They started doing routines and the crowds went nuts! The official return of The Rock Steady Crew was at The Source Magazine Show that summer,That night right after K. R. S One performed. Lead by hype man Q-Unigue Crazy Legs,Mr. Wiggles,Ken Swift and the new members Fast Feet and Kwik Step.
Crazy Legs also did the first RSC Anniversary free of charge at Rock Steady Park 99th and Amsterdam avenue in Manhattan. Since Tommy Boy record's New Music Seminar was in town people from all over the WORLD were there. Including Afrika Bambaataa,KRS One, King Sun ect,ect the line of MC's who didn't get on are Pioneers and Legends!
1991 also saw the return of RSC rocking in a music video,Fast Feet's Karate student DJ Professor Paul of E. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. S. P Select Records invitted them to dance in his song Finger Tips. Select Records is an American Hip hop record label among its most popular acts were Chubb Rock, Kid 'n Play and UTFO. This tmePop Master Fable also performed,once again RSC put Breaking in the mix.
In 1991 Mr. Wiggles approached Crazy Legs about an idea he and Fable (from Magnificent Force) had for a hip-hop musical called "So, What Happens Now?". Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Steffan "Mr Wiggles" Clemente is one of the more well-known Street dancers particularly for his popping skills Ken Swift and Buck 4 came on board and helped provide a scenario for the musical:
- "You don't know what it feels like to go fill out a job application . . . where it says, ‘what do you do?’ what do I write? I spin on my head?" – Buck 4
"So, What Happens Now?" was a critics choice in The New York Times and received rave reviews in The Village Voice, The Daily News and El Diario.
In a 1992 performance, they received a standing ovation led by Gregory Hines at the Kennedy Center Honors where United States President George H. W. Bush, and Gregory Peck were in attendance. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Gregory Oliver Hines ( February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American Actor, Singer, Dancer The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Gregory Peck (April 5 1916 &ndash June 12 2003 was an Academy Award -winning and four-time Golden Globe Award-winning American Film
As of 2005 Crazy Legs is still president of the crew, with Fabel as vice presidents. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. There are now Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles chapters in the United States, as well as members in Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, And Canada. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Currently approaching their 28th anniversary, they have more goals in sight. They remain active in the community and are involved in several different outreach programs, having held several food drives for NYC pantries. One of their goals for 2005 is to start a Rock Steady foundation for children, which will provide dance classes and other after school activities.
In Japan, Rock Steady Crew Japan is lead by a dancer named Crazy-A, who was one of the original Japanese break dancers. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. His group of dancers was originally known as the Tokyo B-Boys. Now, Crazy-A leaves it the younger members of Rock Steady Crew Japan to do the dancing. Many of the new members of Rock Steady Crew Japan come from Soka Daigaku, a University which has a well known break dancing team called D-Crew. [1]
In 2007 a remix of "Hey You, The Rock Steady Crew" by Jay C was released. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
Rock Steady Crew anniversaries
The RSC holds an annual anniversary party in the Bronx, to "symbolize the preservation of the history and the evolution of Hip-Hop Culture. " This party is a community event which brings out many local DJs, breakdancers, graffiti artists, MCs, and hip hop fans from all over the world. It is also a time where the current members honor the past members who have retired, and those who have died. The 30th anniversary climatic concert, held in Lincoln Park in Newark, NJ on July 29, 2007, featured what may have been the most impressive lineup of legendary hip hop luminaries, including EPMD, Biz Markie, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Soulsonic Force, Dana Dane, Chubb Rock, Craig G, Just-Ice, Lords of the Underground, and Naughty by Nature, as well as contemporary acts like Thirstin Howl, Planet Asia, Polyrhythm Addicts, and DJs like DJ Scratch, Q-Bert, JS-1, Tony Touch, and Evil Dee.
List of members
Pre-1984 Hiatus
|
|
|
|
EastSide Rock Steady Crew. . Pop Master Fable , FunKy Frank , Punk Rock Pete, Frankie Jask , Tony Rome , Son one, Raschid, Chris Swift, Shop one, Moe, DMX, Strings, Lou the Jew, Curly, Chino Chan, Kool Aid. Scooter, Kevin Nac143
Post-1991 Revival
|
|
|
|
Discography
Albums
- "Ready For Battle" - 1984
Track listing
- "Uprock" – 5:10
- "Me And Baby Brother" – 4:11
- "She's Fresh" – 4:02
- "B-Boys B-Girls" – 4:49
- "It's Just Begun" – 4:38
- "(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" – 5:25
- "Digital Boogie" – 5:49
Singles
- "(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" - 1984
- "She's Fresh" - 1984
- "Uprock" - 1984
- "Used To Wish I Could Break With Rock Steady" - 2000
- "Hey You" - 2007
References
- The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy (DVD) 2002 by Image Entertainment. Rahzel or Rahzel M Brown, also known as the " Godfather of Noyze," is a Musician and Beatboxer, formerly a member of DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is
- Current Member List
- Official Biography
- Biography & Original Member List by Joe-Joe
External links
- Official Website
- The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy at the Internet Movie Database
- "Rock Steady Crew Celebrates 30th Anniversary" at XXLmag. XXL (pronounced, double-X-L is a hip-hop magazine from Harris Publications. com
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic