Red Bull Street Battles Singapore 2010 Aftermath

One word to sum it all up: Awesome. A total of 11 pairs of b-boys took part. After a cypher session, which doubled up as an elimination round, 8 teams were shortlisted for the finals. The teams were a mix of the experienced and the relatively new blood. Judges b-boy Cheno representing 99Flava (Thailand) and b-boy King Kreate representing Fresh Sox (Indonesia) kicked off the finals with a spectacular showcase. Great stuff.

As the finals progressed, it was evident that the new '7-to-smoke' battle format was a great test of the stamina and endurance of the b-boys. At certain points in the battle, it may have seemed like the battle was a one-sided affair, but with every 'smoke' gained, so did the fatigue level of the 'defending' team. The teams were all neck to neck on points. Every moment was more exciting than the previous one, as the teams gave it their all, burning the floor with top rocks, drops, floor rocks, freezes and power moves, all executed with style and machine-like precision. Eventually, Bakau Rockers, one of the relatively new young bloods, were crowned the champions.

With DJ Koflow on the decks, dropping track after track of funk and breaks, there was never a dull or mismatched moment. His track selections were awesome and as the action on the floor intensified, the beats he dropped, coupled with his scratching, pumped the energy right through the roof. I have seen DJs who drop and change tracks as and when they wish, often ignoring and disrupting the flow of the b-boys with the abrupt changes, but with DJ Koflow as chief music man, there was no such nonsense. The coordination between DJ, music and b-boy was absolutely perfect.

All the teams did great but personally, I feel I have to give props to one team. B-boys Oneskee and Boy representing Radikal Forze Crew definitely deserves a special mention. B-boy Boy injured his knee when they were going for their 6th 'smoke' and he had to stop halfway during the battle. Even with his comrade unable to continue in the battle, b-boy Oneskee refused to go down without a fight. He continued the battle alone against the Issues and Ideas Crew. With one man down, they were not able to achieve their 6th point. You would think that they would drop out of the whole battle because one of them busted his knee? Hell, no. Not only did they stayed on but when it was their turn again, b-boy Boy even managed to execute an munchmill. Mind you, it was not 1 or 2 rounds but at least 6 rounds of munchmill. B-boys Boy and Oneskee truly showed a tremendous amount of spirit and passion, which in essence, is what breakdancing is all about.

All in all, the whole event was off the hook. Each and every team put on a great battle. Even though at times, a little bit of aggression is inevitable in b-boy battles but off the floor, everybody showed great respect to each other and the level of camaraderie between them epitomises the whole spirit of breakdancing. At the end of the day, everyone of them walked away as a winner. Well done guys. Respect!