New York City Breakers

The New York City Breakers are an original B-boy group pioneering the birth of hip-hop in early 1980s that was established in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. The group originally consisted of members from Wildstyle and "Floor Master Crew"[1]

History

The New York City Breakers were a breaking crew from the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx originally known as the Floor Masters. Michael Holman, an up-and-coming filmmaker who promoted hip-hop parties at a night club called Negril, became tired of watching the same breaking crew dance and wanted to host a breaking battle. The Floor Master Crew accepted an invitation in 1982 offering to battle a rival crew at Negril. They combined footwork, style and power. Floor Master Crew went on in 1982 to battle more rivals crews on That's Incredible. Holman saw the crew's athleticism and soon after signed on to be their manager with the help of the legendary B-boy Lil Lep from the 7 Deadly Sins Crew, on the same block where the famous Tracy 168 Wildstyle crew lived a big influence on Uptown B-boys, and with the help of writer PHASE 2 renamed the crew the New York City Breakers. Holman then took some of the Breakers from Floor Master Crew Action, Kid Nice, Glide Master.Holman worked with Chino Lopez founder of The Floor Masters a visionary himself to find and recruit new members to build The New York City Breakers. Chino told Holman about a one in a million B-boy who would really make the crew a force to contend with. This mystery dancer turned out to be Tony Lopez aka Powerful Pexster who was everything Chino promised as a dancer and more, with Powerful Pexster's power moves extraordinaire some credit Pex with being one of the greatest Old School B-boys who ever rocked a floor. Chino's aka Action the master of neck moves, Noel Manguel's aka Kid Nice unique head glides, Mathew Caban aka Glide Master unbelievable fist glides, Lil Lep the wise one a head spin and swipe master the original five New York City Breakers were born. Soon after Lil Lep introduced his friend Bobby Potts aka Flip Rock who's flips and footwork instantly put him into the crew then after adding Tony Draughon aka Tony Mr.Wave Wesley, the New York City Breakers became one of the most famous and influential B-boy and hip-hop crews in the world.

The first performance the original five New York City Breakers was on the nationally televised The Merv Griffin Show. Soon afterward, they began appearing on music videos like Gladys Knight Flash and the Furious Five, and live shows such as Soul Train, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, P.M. Magazine, CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Amnesty International Gala, That's Incredible!. They also appeared in NBC's Salute to the Olympics. Sixteen Candles, Beat Street, are some of the feature films they appeared in. They also had a cameo in Body Rock.

The New York City Breakers appeared on the first ever hip-hop TV show called Graffiti Rock they were featured in the book entitle "Breaking and The New York City Breakers" published in the fall of 1984 by Freundlich Books, and released an Album Break-Master featuring the New York City Breakers that went gold with Posters and array of how to break steps and how to judge a breaking competition battle. But are best known as the first ever hip-hop group or artists to perform in Washington D.C for a sitting president, Ronald Reagan, during the 1984, "Kennedy Center Honors." The performance was broadcast nationally on CBS, and is considered a landmark for the acceptance of hip-hop culture in America mainstream While performing in tribute to legendary choreographer and Kennedy Center Honoree Katherine Dunham at the Kennedy Center Honors, the New York City Breakers befriended Frank Sinatra, also an Honoree that year who was so impressed by the New York City Breakers performance. After Beat Street world tour finished Glide Master crashed on a motorcycle that's when Chino Action Lopez found Lil Alex next generation of B-boys. Then Frank Sinatra wrote a letter to Chino invited the New York City Breakers to perform again at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush where Lil Alex performed his first and last show. Right afterward, the New York City Breakers officially broke up, to never perform together again.

The New York City Breakers were one of the first hip-hop/B-boy crews that helped spread hip-hop culture around the globe. Touring and performing for Presidents, world leaders and royalty (including England's Duke of York Prince Andrew and the King and Queen of Norway), they will always be remembered as crucial pioneers of the B-boy and hip-hop culture.

The Midnight band heavily sampled TV footage of the New York City Breakers in their music video "Kick Drums and Red Wine" as an ode to the 80s.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A206G8RQB_U&list=RDMM4rJ9z6IXnb8&index=26

Original Five Members
  • Chino "Action" Lopez
  • Noel "Kid Nice" Mangual
  • Matthew "Glide Master" Caban
  • Tony "Powerful Pexster" Lopez
  • Ray "Lil Lep" Ramos
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References
  1. "The New York City Breakers". Old School Hip Hop.
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