UK B-Boy Forum: Manny - Viewing Profile - UK B-Boy Forum

I wanted to say Just Jam was dope again this year and I think one of the biggest reasons, for me anyway, was the battle format. I wondered why BTC capped the reserve list, as usually people allow everyone to enter as it's just a qualification, picking top 8 or 16 to battle the invites. But I think it was a great decision this year to have a straight battle! Everyone having to prove that they can win from round 1! Usually invites come over and don't have to do qualifications, they simply get put in the top however many list, and UK heads have to qualify to battle them. It always feels like, for me anyway, that we're being put below them as we're all fighting to have the honor of battling them. Also depending on the length of the qualifier, and to guarantee you get through, you use a lot of moves and energy so by the time you get to battle the international kat they're fresh and warm from the cypher, still with all their moves. You on the other hand have already used up some of your shit and, if it's more than a round qualifier, you've used up energy getting through. Now you have to battle this top bboy who is probably on a higher level than you anyway, with less weapons. But this year BTC threw everyone into the mix and it made for a lot more of an interesting day! And they also seeded it so the battles came out good and two top guys didn't battle in the first round. This stopped the jam being about who has the most blows up and made it about pure and utter bboying! As in who can go the most rounds, has moves, power, footwork, toprock and can keep dancing, and I think in the end the best bboy of the day won, T-killa! Who for me was the most consistent breaker of the day. I think other UK promoters should take note and do the same, when inviting internationals throw them into the mix straight away, let them know that 'yes we paid for you to come over, but now you have to earn a spot in the finals from day one.' If they are of a high level it'll be no problem for them, but also it will led to more interesting battles, give up and comers a chance to get to battle a top level bboy and even bring some surprises, like me beating Toyz. That was a big thing for me and I know it was controversial and could have gone either way, but it is what breaking is about. At some point someone big has to loss to someone who people don't expect, if anything to show that they are human and show the bboys coming up that you can beat someone without having to learn an airflare or 20 rounds of 90s. And it'll happen more in UK if international are thrown into the mix like at Just jam.

So yeh Jam was dope! The new Euro hostel was ill! Felt more like a hotel than a hostel! Good looking out BTC!
The one thing I always love about the after party is the music! I hear hip hop tunes there I'm always wishing they'd play at hip hop jams but never do.
And the judging selection was the best panel of judges I've seen in UK for a looong time!
And of course the proposal! That was super, friggin, amazing!!

BTC on point! When it comes to breaking events we come for the battles but stay for the vibe

Peace

Manny

Just wanted to say on Zorro's point of 'having nothing to prove.' I do think that is a humble way to look at things and definitely understand what you are saying 100%. But I do think that is something that is needed in breaking and in anything where you want to really get better- competitive sports/activities is about having something to prove. I know it involves ego and a lot of people might say it shows insecurity, but having something to prove means you will go to all the jams and push yourself hard because you want to prove yourself and your skill. I'm not saying that this is the only way to get good, but if you look at it you essentially said 'we don't come to uk champs because we have nothing to prove' and, like Razzle said, that means cats are missing out on great opportunties to be inspired and battle against top heads. People might not know, or forget, if you win the 7tosmoke in the IBE room you get an invite, all expenses paid, to do the 7tosmoke at IBE, these are opportunties anyone coming up shouldn't miss out on going for. Sunni won it 3 years ago, went to IBE, then Bboy classic, done a bunch of other international jams and now 3 years last kid just beat Hong 10! That's no accident, it's all about where the opportunites you take can take you.

Personally I think you need something to prove. You need to want to prove yourself, your skill, your style of breaking. Being humble is cool, but you also need some ego, as without ego you can't step to a guy like Morris, or Lil G, or even Sunni, as those guys come out with swagger and a mind frame of 'fuck you I break better' and if you don't have something to prove, if you don't want to show that you can hang with these guys, they are going to jump all over you. Kido had something to prove again Morris last year, which was 'I can take out th UK champ' and look what he did to him, first time EVER the uk champs has lost in the first round. I know BTC and Trinity had something to prove the year they beat maves and won uk regionals. Hell my crew had something to prove since we came out and spent a year lossing in the first round of every jam we entered and now the past 2 years at regionals we got to the finals. Me and Spin had something to prove at Circle kings last year and we beat 4/5 invited/qualifer winners to get into the main competition.

I know we all break for the love and I want to stress that this is just my opinion and what works for you to motivate you is what works for you. But if you truly have nothing to prove, which means you go to events but don't enter, or don't go in the first place, you got to ask, are you breaking to win and make a name any more or just breaking for the love. Just breaking for the love is great and in the end that is where it goes as you can't win every battle and you can't stay young forever, and if you don't love this you shouldn't even bother to do it. But for the time you are competing, with nothing to prove are you really going to go hard and go in on people and want to win and show 'fuck you I break better?' I'll be honest, when I go to north I've got something to prove, and that is 'London is here and we wanna show that London is dope!'
I don't have any beef with you anymore Zorro, but me and you had beef years ago, and I lost to you on a number of occassions. Trying to prove I could beat you was one of the things that helped me get better. Yeh it was beef, but yo breaking is beef whether we like it or not. Crazy legs word 'breaking is a battle dance.'
When I see and meet and chat to top international cats they battle with something to prove all the time. I know for a fact that Morris wants to prove this year that he can win UK champs again after losing to Kido and anyone who saw Morris in Wales saw that he came out with something to prove there and Destroyed the last man standing.

I think in the end if you have have to ask, 'with nothing left to prove, is it time to just sit back and jam and enjoy?'

Yo Didge, you doing well putting on events and such but you have to look at what you're saying, London is ONE city. The north is a whole mass of cities 'Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and more...' Singling out one city compared to the 'NORTH' just doesn't make sense. But I live in London and personally I don't see that many North Cats actually coming down to London. Breaking boundaries, All City, Welsh champs, are or were all jams in the South but North cats only turned up when invited. The last two all cities were dope but there were mainly South bboys with barely any bboys from north. The same with Breaking boundaries, all the northern cats who came were invited, no one just made the journey to make the journey. Even with Regional conflict there was like 30 crews down to do it and 100 bboys for the solo, yet on the day 17 crews turned up and only about half the bboys who put their names down for the solos. Most north cats just don't travel to London or further south for jam.
This weekend at UK champs it'll be interesting to see how many north cats come down and you'll see when you do you're jam in 2 weeks, count how many cats from the North come down just to battle and jam.

Now I'm not going to act like Londoners travel as well, I have a go at many a London bboy for not leaving the city and going north, but I'll be real with you, the scene in London is dying. There aren't any new crews coming up from London itself. There's a lot of heads training at Troc but no one actually battling and forming real crews. This is why it feels like no one is turning up to jams but really it's just the simple fact that breaking in London has dipped a lot! Now a lot of heads may say this isn't true but all you have to do is go to Troc and see how many people are training and then ask all of them people how many battles they've actually done this year and how often they battle. London is turning into a city with bboys who train all the time but never battle. It's a shame, but the bboys just ain't on it and the ones who are on it a bit are a very small percentage compared to how many heads I see training moves every week at sessions.

It's two sides- as I said, London is one city and so it's just unfair to compare one city to the whole of the North of UK. But secondly the scene in London has dropped soo much. Lots of training but no new bboys actually trying to really take over and come up, really hungry to get to every jam possible and make a name.
It's unfortunate for London because a few years ago there was a lot of crews battling and doing stuff but it's really gone down. I'm telling people about your jam in 2 weeks and urging them to come and battle and cypher, but it's a uphill stuggle as most people don't want to come out of their comfort zone and actually battle in front of people. It's easier to just train at Troc, hang out, chill do the battle they do there every few months, and get props from your boys rather than to actually go to an event and loose in the first round maybe. Lets hope in 2 weeks the turn out is good! But the London scene is really dropping off.

Hey, for the La Familia 2on2 pair can you put in Bboys Manny and Jacob and can it be changed to La Familia Loco (UK and Denmark).

I also hope to be able to do the Focus workshop, so I'll be there on the day to see if any spots are open.

Thanks

What time is the Concrete battle on Friday?