Think about the last jam you went to, now take away the dynamic moves, the fresh clothes, the spectators, sponsors and what are you left with?
Probably the most important element of the entire event.
A DJ spinning music.
The music sets the tone for the entire event.
Every bboy has a song that they want the DJ to play at some point.
“Apache or Melting Pot.The anthems of bboyin.If a hard beat don’t come on then I don’t feel the music as much and don’t dance as well. I’m into battle beats. Anything soft can take a seat in the back.” (Jimmy -bboy Pyro- Karren)
“For me anything by James Brown, like Super Bad, gets me hype. I think this song is the epitome of what it means to be a bboy. Aggressive rip your head off beats. Lately, I have been feeling old school rap. I would agree 100% with Jimmy that soft, happy touchy feely music should be saved for something other than a battle.” (Ty -bboy Tytrain- Hollingshaus)
“It’s just begun! By the Jimmy castor bunch. No song gets me as hyped as that one. As long as the Dj plays breaks and not electro popping music.” (Chris -bboy Chacho- Valdez)
Other hip-hop dancers will often coordinate the songs they dance to with the contemporary hip-hop songs of the time. Bboys rarely dance to the modern hip-hop tracks of the time. They’ve got a specific canon of songs they love to choose from, songs that represent the beginning of the dance form.
“Those are the beats that moved the original bboys, and it had to be for a reason. Without a doubt. So, just for spiritual reasons, you should try to get into those beats and really see what it is about that beat that moved people and moves you.” (bboy Alien Ness)
The track list the originators danced to will never go away. It serves as a connection between the bboys who are just beginning and the bboys who started this whole movement. As a bboy listens to a song like “Apache” or “It’s Just Begun” he has the opportunity to experience the same emotions of the original musicians and bboys.
? What song really gets you hyped at a jam
