My first weekend in Europe started off in Stockholm, Sweden for Streetstar Festival 2012. I arrived 4 pm (January 26th) in Stockholm, there was no sunlight and it was pretty damn cold. Even though the weather was so brutal, I wasn’t letting it stop me from having a good time. My cousin El Nino arrived a few days before I did. I could see in his face that he wanted to go out for the night. So we went to the opening party of Streetstar at Fashing. It was chill and dancers were definitely doing their thing. We decided to hit another party though, where the homie Boogie Blind was spinning. We took a cab to the venue, and thought we were lost. It kind of looked like we were getting set up for death when we arrived haha! Then we actually ran into Mode 2, Vandalz in Motion (OG Sweden writers), and Hanna from WeSc as we got out of the cab. I guess they were just getting there as well. We checked out all three rooms, but it was still a bit early in the night. We went upstairs and checked out some artwork by Vandalz in Motion. Official nonetheless! We went back downstairs and Boogie Blind was straight murdering it! It was getting late and the party was about to end. We ended up taking a cab back to the hotel, and wasting all of our per diem for the event (equivalent to $110). We didn’t know they had fake taxi services, so that was pretty much a fail.
The next day was the first official day of Streetstar. I got to the venue, and pretty much had to get ready for a long day of competitions. Each bboy battle was about 8-10 minutes. It was only Jam One (Sweden) and I spinning for the battles. There were about 36 crews in the competition, so there wasn’t much time for cyphering. The venue had 3 different rooms where various competitions were going on. Everything from House, Waacking, Popping, Vouging, Bboying and Hip Hop dance competitions. It was in some arena in Stockholm. I had been at the venue pretty much all afternoon and all night. My day consisted of deejaying most of the day. Later on that evening, I had to spin at the after party with Pure P (Sweden) and Yugson (France). The party was really dope, and probably the highlight for me that day. Everyone did their thing, and had people getting their dance on. The party was over around 4 am. I was jet lagged and couldn’t sleep till maybe 6 am.
It was the final day of Streetstar, and I only had to spin 2 battles for the day. I was very tired from the night before. I went to the venue around 12 pm but I looked on the schedule… I didn’t have to go on until around 8 pm. You know damn well I went back to the hotel to rest. After my nap, I went back to the venue around show time. I got to catch some of the popping battles, and watched my homie Greentek kill it (like he always does). The bboy battles started not too long after. Jam One spun the first semifinal battle between La Smala (France) and another crew from Scandinavia. I spun the next semifinal battle, which included Above the Clouds (Sweden) and Funk Fanatics (Russia). The highlight was definitely Robin’s (Top 9) round. I don’t have the best memory of what exactly happened in that battle but Funk Fanatics advanced in the finals to battle La Smala. They did the judge showcases right after the semifinals. El Nino, Yarko, King Foolish, and Gaffar did their thing out there. The MCs would then do their own showcase. I guess they were really feeling the beat I was playing, and I’ll just say they really killed the freestyle. I was very impressed by the skills homeboys had. The final battle was underway, and I knew things would get heated. It sure did get heated haha. Funk Fanatics would end up winning the crew battle. I stuck around to catch the vouging battles after the bboy battles. I have only seen vouging battles on YouTube prior to this event. I would be lying if I said these battles aren’t entertaining. I definitely need to catch one of these battles again. These people were totally in character when they were doing their thing. I was dying in laughter, and definitely enjoyed watching some of the girls do their thing. It’s always time to party after the competition is done. The after party was in some weird building, and it was hot as a mutha in there. My two favorite dancers Niki and Martha (Sweden) know what time it is when it comes to the party. These two are definitely my favorite to party with. I have shared so many memorable moments with them. The night was going, and my shirt was getting sweatier. It was officially over for my Streetstar weekend, and I had to wake up just a few hours later to go to Slovakia.
It was my 4th time going to Slovakia in 2 years. Slovakia has sort of become my home in Europe. I had 3 workshops set up in 3 different cities in 3 days. The weather was crucial! Nearly 0 degrees, while back home it was about 50. My first workshop was in Zvolen, my second was in Zilina, and my last workshop was in Bratislava. I met up with my homies MG & MK. We headed out to Banska Bystrica before the workshop to the Bboy Spot Europe headquarters to get some work done for Outbreak 8. Outbreak 8 will definitely be one of the best jams that will happen this year, not just because of the actual jam but also because of the festivities surrounding it. You will not want to miss this one! My first workshop in Zvolen was the first workshop I have did overseas in 3 years. As most of you know, I have been concentrating more on my deejaying than anything. I had about 15 students that came through, and they were pretty much all experienced bboys. I break down my workshops into segments ranging from top rocking, intros/footwork/transitions, freeze combos, and freestyle/creative abilities. At the end of the day we all have different bodies and different ways of thinking. We all have the ability to be different. It was quite the workout for them, but it was definitely inspiring to watch some of them discover their own abilities. People tend to teach a set routine, but I feel people don’t really benefit from it as much because it limits what they can do with their own creativity. The only time I feel teaching a routine is effective is when your students are beginners. Beginners need more structure, as they don’t really understand the dance yet. I did a Questions & Answers segment to finish the workshop. They definitely asked some great questions, but I don’t really remember what they asked anymore haha. We went out to get some food after the workshop. I’m not so fond of the restaurants in Slovakia, so McDonalds and gummy bears were pretty much the best available meals for me. I could feel McDonalds taking a toll on me after just a few meals though LOL I definitely loved the beer selection out there though. If you’re picky about your meals, the best meal you can get anywhere is a home-cooked meal. MK’s mother definitely hooked it up for lunch one day.
The next day I had another workshop in a city called Zilina, about an hour away from Banska. Thanks to the homie Jaro (Hasta LA Muerte). Most of the students that attended the class weren’t bboys or bgirls. They were experienced dancers of other styles though. I had about 30 students in the class. I’m pretty sure it was the first time for many of them of taking a breaking class. I taught them just really basic steps, and a routine. Many of them were taking breaks before I even told them to take a break LOL It’s understandable though, because bboying requires you to use nearly every part of your body while most dances don’t. I’m not going to lie though; I was definitely sore after my workshop. My legs were burning and were very tense. MK, Jaro, & I headed to the spa, to get massages and hit up the sonar. It turned to a bit of a party, pretty funny at that. Some big ass dude came in and started showing off his taekwondo skills. It might have been one of the greatest things ever until he asked to spar with me. He could have easily just eaten me (pause). Good luck to him and his future MMA career LOL I was getting tired, and I needed some rest to recharge for Bratislava. MK & I drove back to Banska to recharge for tomorrow. The first couple of days in Slovakia were very chill, but busy. I knew Bratislava would end that run of relaxing. We drove to Bratislava for my last workshop (in Slovakia) at Hip Hop Fakulta. I had about 20 students, and the level was a bit higher. I would teach it based on how I taught the first workshop, concepts and freestyle/creative abilities. We were able to get a bit further in depth because we had more time to work around. After the workshop, we went to the homie Miniboj’s (Hasta La Muerte) crib. We chilled there for a bit, and decided to go out to this little lounge out there. The walk wasn’t that far, but it sure as hell felt like it was far. I don’t remember the name of the club we stopped by first, but I think it was closed. So we ended up hitting up this lounge, which was pretty cool. The deejays played everything from electro to funk to disco to hip-hop. Not something I would expect on a random night. Dude started playing some breaks, so peeps were rocking, but then it mellowed down. We went back to house to get some rest.
The next day we met up with Pablo, and basically walked around the center of Bratislava. We filmed a shout out for some jam in Slovakia, and that was pretty much all jokes. I had my chicken schnitzel for lunch. It was my first day off, so we didn’t really do much but clown on each other. I’m pretty sure they were clowning on me in Slovak. I’m learning their language though… I’ll surprise them one day. We had a 3-hour ride to get to Prague the next day, so we just stayed in that evening. The next day we left to Prague, and I pretty much slept the whole car ride. I have trained myself to sleep on trips that require a couple of hours of transportation. It’s another one of my special talents. We got to the hotel, and settled in. We would meet up with MK’s brother and MK’s brother’s girlfriend for dinner. He took us out to some bar where it seemed like it was an LMFAO and Black Eyed Peas tribute night. That’s all I will say about that one.
The next day we left to the venue and met up with Lix. Lix is one of the organizers of “Bboy.CZ Vol. 2”. Definitely a good dude! Everything was in full effect, but first I had to do workshop before the jam. I put more focus into the deejaying, but I also left time to do a quick Q&A on bboying. I could tell they were really anxious to dance, and I was really anxious to spin. We started the event immediately after the workshop. I knew I had to warm up a bit, and get into my zone. I blessed them with the funk and some hip-hop, nothing too heavy though. It was a smaller event, but the energy is usually better at most of the smaller events I have spun at. When you’re closer to the people, it’s a lot easier to vibe off their energy. I definitely felt the energy that day. Peeps were cyphering for nearly 3 hours straight, and they all seemed to enjoy the music. They selected 8 peeps to battle in a cypher, and they began the prelims for the 2 on 2. It didn’t run too long, and things were definitely moving. I don’t really remember the names of a lot of the bboys, because I had just met them all that day. Czech Republic has a growing scene, and like most of places there is definitely some up and coming talent. The battles were heated and definitely hype for both the 2 on 2 and cypher battle. It came down to two bboys to battle 10 rounds after the battle in the cypher. Those dudes were going hard, and I was surprised they could even go on after all the rounds from earlier that day LOL I don’t remember who won, but I’m sure they were happy it was over. Peeps definitely showed a lot of love, and I had no choice but to show some love back. It was a great for Lix and the rest of the staff to show the importance of a deejay at a jam. I am very thankful for the opportunity.
The next day I set up a photo shoot with Lix, whom is also a professional photographer. It was definitely not the day to do a photo shoot outside, but hey! You got to pay your dues sometimes. Society had hooked it up with some gear for the trip, so basically in return I shot some international flicks for them. I also took the opportunity to be a tourist. The last time I was in Prague, I was with my two homies Keebz and Kuriouz. We basically just walked around the whole city getting lost, and had no idea of what was what. This time around I had a tour guide, so it was easier to learn more about the history. The only problem we had was that it was probably coldest day of the whole trip. So we were definitely rushing to get things done. We shot some flicks at the Prague castle first, and most of the pictures came out super dope. Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, so I’m sure any picture would look dope with Prague’s setting. We went out to lunch, and I tried one of the traditional Czech meals at some restaurant near the Prague castle. It was some sort of honey smothered Ribs, and it was pretty damn good. I also tried out the original Budweiser beer called Budvar. As I expected, it was a lot better than the American Budweiser. For those of you don’t know, the Czech Republic has some of the best beers in the world hands down! After lunch, we finished our shoot at the Charles Bridge (which is the most famous bridge in Prague). It was right off the river, so we all nearly froze to death. We knew by then it was enough, and we headed back to hotel. Later that evening we met up again at Lix’s spot. He had his Wii set up, and he had an MPC. I kept myself entertained with the MPC for the most part. You know me.. I was killing it! LOL
The last day in Prague we went to a dance studio and practiced with the Survivors. The Survivor’s are probably the one of the most established crews in the Czech/Slovak area. I felt off, and I wasn’t really in the mood to dance. I tried to vibe out, but it was just one of those days. It was dope to break amongst some other bboys though. I chilled out, and just relaxed after a few go downs. We built with the guys for a little bit, and we went back to pretty much call it a night. MG and MK had to meet with Red Bull early the very next day. I watched the super bowl online, and boy I wish I just went to sleep. It took me like an hour to find a link online since the MSN page wasn’t working for me. The Patriots lost to the Giants again! The Giants definitely wanted it more. I still got my Pats back though. I got a little bit of rest before we met with the Red Bull peeps. We went to the Red Bull offices; MG & MK handled their biz. We headed back to Bratislava to chill for the rest for the day. Spunky aka Machete was trying to get on me, but he didn’t know that’s what my crew does all the time. I’m pretty sure he hates me after clowning on him so hard haha
The next night I had to spin at this night called “Street Spirit” at Nu Spirit Club, which Dj Piggo hosts. I knew the party was going to be crazy, because the parties are always crazy in Slovakia. I don’t think I have ever been to crazier parties LOL I did it up that night, buying a big bottle of champagne and Grey Goose to get the party warmed up. I’m not going to lie! The party was full of dancers from all over Slovakia. The vibe was right, and I kind of did my thing on the wheels. I have had better nights, but as long as people kept dancing then that’s what counts. The club closes around 4 or so, so it was a long night. I played some classics and threw in some Dilla (R.I.P) produced joints. It was Dilla week, but it is pretty much Dilla week every week. Piggo took over near the end, and my work was pretty much done in Slovakia. The next day I think we were all worn out, and tired. It was my last day before I left to France.
Pablo picked me up, and his gas froze on the way to the bus station. I couldn’t help but to laugh, but luckily enough we left early so I still had time to make it for my bus to Vienna. I knew I had a long day of traveling ahead. I had an hour bus ride to Vienna, which wasn’t so bad. Then I had to wait at the airport for about 3 hours before my flight to Paris. I was starving, and my options were limited. So I ended up eating McDonalds, which made me feel sick. I went to my gate, and chilled there for a bit. The flight was about 2 hours and 30 minutes, which wasn’t so bad either. It was just the fact I had to carry my big ass suitcase and two backpacks around. So if you do end up traveling a lot one day remember to pack light haha I got to Paris about 2 hours before my train ride. I chilled at the train station, and I ran into All Area Crew (Japan). They had a 16-hour trip, so they ran off to smoke their cigarettes. Then shortly after I ran into Teembo from Predatorz (Russia), it was my first time meeting him. Definitely a cool dude! We were pretty much all confused as to what train we were taking, but luckily I was smart enough to ask an employee to help us out. We had a 3-hour train ride to Nantes from Paris. I saw Focus and A.T on the train, so that was a good sign that were on the right train since they were guests at Hip Opsession as well. I ended up having to change my seats 3 times, and I couldn’t even get mad. I thought you could sit anywhere you wanted LOL My e-ticket for the train was in French, so I didn’t know! I rested just enough before we made our way into Nantes. The Hip Opsession staff met us at the train station, and greeted us with some goodies. They took us to the venue to get some food. I chilled out with Ken Swift and Spin (UK) for a bit, and left to the hotel to freshen up. I heard the pre-party was really dope last year, so I made an effort to check out the pre-party this year even though I was tired. The vibe was pretty dope when I got there, but I just got too tired to even stay the whole time. Dj Cleon was definitely doing his thing though!
The next day was the main day of Hip Opsession’s “Battle Opsession”. I had to spin the bboy 1 on 1, bgirl 1 on 1, kid’s 1 on 1, and a 3 on 3 alongside Dj One Up. I will just say it was a very long day! We definitely put in a lot of work, in which we probably spun 5 hours each that day. I had to strategize on what to play, because I like to always play different at events. I don’t really like playing the same sets or even the same songs too often. For the most part I get tired of playing certain songs, so I have to retire them. I was really surprised at how long the general public stayed for the whole competition. There were a lot of bboys there, but most of the crowd there was just the general public. There were some good battles, and there were some bad battles just like most competitions. Hip Opsession is a quality event nonetheless. Niek (formerly known as Just Do It), Lil Kev (France), and Kirill made it to the finals for the 1 on 1. Movie One (Spain) and Narumi (Japan) were in the finals for the bgirls, and Beast Kingz (USA) battled Total Feeling (France) for the 3 on 3 title. Niek, Movie One, and Beast Kingz all won. I went out to this after party with 7 Dollars and Universal Alchemy. We went to a bar next door until the line died down, and ordered some food. It was the only place that had food at that time in the whole city. That made up for some of the waiting we did, because it was cold as hell outside. We got to the club around 4 am, and it was pretty weird. We made the best of it, but shortly after we headed back to chill at the hotel. We chilled until it was time to get some breakfast at the hotel (around 6 am). We pretty much ate all the bread at the hotel that morning, and I probably got about 3 hours of rest. I left for Paris a few hours later, and stayed with my boy Kareem (Sans Limite/Ready to Rock). I wasn’t trying to take a 3-hour train ride then fly for 10 hours, so we just kicked it at his crib. I was deadbeat by this time, and I was definitely feeling home sick. The next day I would home back to the states! The End!
