Young Ken Swift & Crazy Legs Perform on Letterman

[PoppinZoio]

nice nice

[jayrawk1]

i had the whole interview too. gotta find it lol

[TruheadzaNo]

Bananas!!!!!PIONEEERS!!!

[bboytanbeo]

old shool never die

[tk671]

Can't believe how polished all the moves look way back then.

Awesome skill!

[MzCurves22]

Crazy legs damn I wanna fuck him I don't care how old he is .

[NaRuToCrAzY12629]

Only just over 100 000 views?

[ZzodzMaverickk]

@NaRuToCrAzY12629 Dang I didn't even know it had that many!

Thanks for supporting the old school ya'll!

[jremsyo]

crazy legs three step is so cool

[amberlyrox123]

mann i got dizzy watching thos parts when tyhey spin. im to crunk.

[mariuss1408]

that's breaking :D let's tale it back to the old school :D

[gubiks]

Damn, it cut off. Anyway, this has to be 1983 if they're promoting Flashdance. It came out that spring. Legs started in '77, not sure about Ken Swift.

[BBoyHylerion]

Cool

[Chokladpudding36]

4 ppl is real toys

[iLLFaction13]

Yo beatstreet man I remember seeing that in the movie theatre double feature with breakin man those were the days

[3Emend]

ahh i remember that day

[mookeychase0907]

Legs is rockin the Lee flava jeans and the ill BVD woooord...

[twansolo]

Crazy Legs was my hero!

[superbambino24]

howd these guys get on david lettermen, there no better than the kids at my high school talent show

[BboyNightshade]

@superbambino24 sigh..you young cats..ken swift and crazy legs pioneered this shit man, without em, the bboy scene wouldnt be like it is today

[superbambino24]

@BboyNightshade I know they started the movement, but i still dont understand how you can get on national tv by just doing 3 steps and back spins

[BboyNightshade]

@superbambino24 its cuz back then, bboying had barely started developing, so only a few moves had been invented. flares, 2000, 1990, crickets, etc. had not been invented yet

[Techspert]

@superbambino24 I saw this episode of Letterman as a pre-teen when it first aired back in the early 80's; it woke me up out of my sleep! It was my 1st real exposure to breakdancing. Do you realize how incredible it was seeing a kid SPIN ON HIS BACK??? To see somebody go down to the floor just to dance was an incredible sight to see; I, nor the world, had never seen anything like it. What you see now in breaking descended from the dance techniques like Legs and Ken Swift show on this video.

[gothos1000]

@Techspert I think I read about the phenom and saw some stills and tried to imagine what they were doing..then I saw Wildstyle. Man, what a grassroots movement that was... it wasn't like Frank Rizzo goin' 'Yaahh..We was thinkin' you could do some kinda funny little dance and end it by spinnin' on your head or some shit....' Tho, that was prolly soon to follow..

[doox420]

@superbambino24 if it wasnt for the originators there wouldnt be no 5 foot asians breakdancing today.

[superbambino24]

@doox420 thats funny, cuz theres a korean kid in my crew whos 15 and is literally 5 foot

[doox420]

@superbambino24 i knew it cuz thats all u see now are lil asians breakdancing lol. they act like they invented it. the jabberwockys are clowns.

[funkateer17]

@doox420 Stop sounding like a toy. Jabberwockees spent years helping to build the underground B-boy scene,before they found fame. Many of them danced in the same circles as Legs and Kenny and know them well. Do your Homework.

[Techspert]

@superbambino24 WHO ELSE on the PLANET even knew what a backspin was in '79, '80 or '81?... absolutely NO ONE but some NY kids! Your grandparents where probably still doing the bump or just coming out of the disco era and this totally creative and new dancing sensation exploded from the streets of NYC. Of course it would get some shine on national TV. If it wasn't sensational, it would have never left the streets and become a worldwide phenomenon. Don't downplay the originators.

[samsalaam]

@superbambino24 wow. I hate the twilight generation.

[superbambino24]

@samsalaam hey! twilight is an excellent movie, you sir have no taste

[samsalaam]

@superbambino24 faux-hawk having, skinny jean wearing, twilight watching, purse carrying pussies. Everything we worked for in the 90's...gone.

[superbambino24]

@samsalaam hey man, its not a purse its a european shoulder bag, i have a mohawk not a faux hawk, and my jeans are only slightly skinny. and twilight is awesome so dont hate. GO TEAM JACOB!

[samsalaam]

@superbambino24 ok, you have a good attitude. I still think twilight sucks as well as your generation, but you're kind of funny. TEAM BLADE.

[superbambino24]

@samsalaam whos blade?

[n00bz0r]

CLEEAAAN

[odnamrabackwards]

I used to chill with the guy on the left.

[pacvsmayweather]

@odnamrabackwards ken mutha f nn swift the prince of hiphop

[bboymajor]

Freshhh!

[funkb0x]

Awesome upload

TRUE HIP HOP!

[goldykhandait]

i want to see the whole interview :(((

[flojogrande]

I always loved Letterman from the begining. I'll never forget when the Clash appeared on Letterman. I was in Junior High and thought they were the coolest things since sliced bread. I think it was London Calling that they performed. This was great though. This artform originated in New York and spread across the country like wild fire. I was on the West Coast and remember my younger brother doing some of this stuff...circa 1978 or 1979. Street performers in Hollywood with pieces of cardboard.

[HolualoaKid]

too bad it stopped short....wanted to see the interview.

[hazboy11]

@561apple yea I hav tht game :£ which one is crazy legs tho?

[561apple]

wow crazy legs is in a video game called def jam fight for new york he does his break dance moves in the game to he uses his moves to fight he is really good

[Darthwizard]

What's the song?

[ZzodzMaverickk]

@Darthwizard "Let's Dance" by Passion

[sirmoog]

@ZzodzMaverickk It's Pleasure not Passion :)

[lilsimba2]

man b-boying was so much simpler and sillier then,

[jedimindtrick1001]

@lilsimba2 are you kiiding it's not about how flashy move, it's finesse and the freeze, learn your shit...

[manoeldunga]

Beim novinho aii viu!!!!

galera das antigas do break aii!

[mwhite36]

Yeah thats pure Hip Hop right dere (no let me stop i'm from New York).

I also think the Letterman show was better back then, too.

[TrekaXxx]

do u have the full inteview

[ZzodzMaverickk]

@TrekaXxx

Sorry, no. As far as I know it's lost.

[stswandersoul]

respect!

[bboyEBD]

legends!!

[spiersj2]

Crazy Legs is signed to Red Bull as an athlete... but having just seen Bouncing Cats, I don't think he has sold his soul to anyone... His advocacy for the B-boys and girls of Uganda proves it.

[BeeHell28]

but @nubihotep, if B-Boying was backed by major sponsors, wouldn't that mean that it sold its soul to the devil?

[HipHopByThePound]

Crazy this is like a lost art form in the states...big overseas...bboying!

[thebrucedeeuoukayeey]

The Bruce Deeuoukayeey Dominating Force

[The24jessie]

buck is from rock steady crew and crazy legs is from there so of course hes gunna be good at crazy legs

[The24jessie]

the guy with the red pants is buck but i dont know who the other one is

[JohnNicholasDLC]

@The24jessie the guy with the read pants is crazy legs not buck 4!!

[first40]

The rock steady crew was part of Afrika Bambaataa's zulu nation. most times where ever the zulus went, frosty freeze,crazy legs, kew swift were also there doing their thing. name of the song they bboying to is "lets dance" by pleasure. and it's either jazzy jay, bam, or red alert cutting the break.

[Koibboy]

Man I love oldskul videos!

[swizzyholla]

i love rocksteady crew! watching this makes me wish i was breaking wit ken n crazy legs. ken was crushing it id wear that same out fit n b boy too! 

[HeyPoi]

I believe this was on Late Night with David Letterman, cause thats the show he was hosting in the 80s, he hosts the Late Show with David Letterman in the 90s til now.

this obviously before the rise of mafioso and gangsta rap haha

[aakichy]

what's LETTER MAN ? TV show ?

[ZzodzMaverickk]

@aakichy Late Show with David Letterman; it's a talk show that airs late at night and shows famous guests

[IncitatusPejorative]

@aakichy no it''s similar to postman except letterman doesn't deliver packages

[stanislaus76]

@aakichy  YEAH

[maytinkerblast]

hey hes on def jam fight for new york

[teerome1]

crazy legs and Ken sWift......2 of the best b boys! They both r still killin it 30+

yrs later! Ken is in his 40s now and is still amazing and a true bboy legend!

[1SNITCH]

wow I thought I saw and recorded everything on VHS back in early 80`>>>miss this shit>>>Props for putting this up

Hip hop in its purist form......The innocense of HIP HOP reaching out thru mass media...i love it!!!

[MrBBoyDante]

OLD SCHOOL BBOYING =)

[kousou24]

Damn which is who? sorry i'm new....damn that backspin was too dope! great footwork man MAD DOPE!

[area51er6]

these are the only kind of skinny jeans guys should wear, guys nowadys look like fags sagging their skinny jeans

[ZzodzMaverickk]

@area51er6 Dude, PROPS!

[dangsingraven]

@area51er6 same here, i cant break in baggy clothes, neither in super skinny. but i could break in like slim, XD

[xBoneXBBoy]

@area51er6 thats why they seperate skinnies which are these pants and SUPER skinnies which kids these days buy but sag them lookin like penguin walking idiots. i buy reg skinnies and i dance fine wasit line high, everyone talks shit about it but who cares they wont battle me if theyre saggin haha

[rubix0110]

That's one really dead crowd. They killed that.

[Khultan]

Jesus....anybody got the damn interview?!?

[Mofalcolm334]

The invetion of the flare or as they call it white flip OPEN COMMENT

[stefanoathens]

king6970 sais the song is called ''lets dance'' by passion. Does anyone knows where to find it? i tried to google it but nothing... thanks!

[tazghettojungalist]

@stefanoathens Yo its Pleasure - Let's Dance.... Peace :)

[stefanoathens]

@tazghettojungalist found it, thanks a lot!!!

[bugstrut]

Where's the interview?

[ZzodzMaverickk]

@bugstrut It wasn't included where I found it, sorry.

[chelsea1985lol]

The minute I saw this video I knew I was in LOVE with Crazy legs and Ken swift so much I decided to emulate them for two months in my cottage

[kaka10chivas510]

im wondering who is the original crazy legs

[ThePrototypeEX]

WTF! They wear adidas shoes with allstar!!! OMG these shoes are in mode right now.... we are wearing very old shoes! xD

[liljayduhh]

@ThePrototypeEX Everything from the 80's is in the "mode" right now, but it looked better then than it does now.

[DarkSkysify]

damn ken and crazy killied it big time and yes i agree that we will never see something like this ever again

[Coronah1]

naaa como podes aser eso chabon sos el mejor

[DanielKinghorn]

ken swift judjed my comp in scotland a few days ago

[FILABJBOY]

The absoloute bollocks at breakin......

[dnak1000]

Oh my God!!! Where did you find this? I saw this Letterman episode live and it's what made me start breakin. Crazy Legs is the King!!!

[gallo305]

whats up crazy legs I was down with T.D.K crew , rubikscube tron eddie bigboom beam ,I started back in 1975 i still break dance at the age of 45, if any one remm) the old school crew T.D.K rockwell crew, nasty crew,bronx break out crew,back in the days with the pro keds. I went of to the army i havent seen this cats in 25 years,181 E side ,from puerto rico respect peace I love the BRONX never for get where iam from.

[IamtheSamis]

So many things done here that still go one today. I mean, check the commando at the end. These two will always be fresh, that can't be said for many

[WsWHomeboy]

yea hip hop is loosing its soul to the new commercialize hip hop which isnt even hip hop its sum new fucking bs

[rockaaandy]

real old school ..

[wtfthisannoy13]

Das da' raw dopeness... You can tell it was a long time ago cause David Letterman looks like he's 27lol

[Puddycat11385]

Damn this makes me feel old. Anyone who actually remembers this has to be over 40 and that is freakin old. And yes I actually lived during this time, miss it, miss that era, not boring like these days are.

[12Styles121]

respect + :-)

[drmmerboi687]

DANG!!! Bboying at its FINEST!!!! I LOVE KEN SWIFT'S STYLE!!!! HE IS SOOOOO DOPE!

[bboytexas]

i like the ending !!!

[nubihotep]

Modern rap or so-called "modern" hip-hop has lost it's soul. The only true form of hip-hop that hasn't sold it's soul to the devil is DJ'ing and B-Boying. I do think that B-Boying should be backed by Major Sponsors and treated with much respect because it's an incredible art form of expressive dance and like with true hi-hop spirit it's very competitive. I don't ever want to see it die.

[SylentRequiem]

@nubihotep No don't commercialise bboying, it'll destroy it.

[nubihotep]

@SylentRequiem You might be right on that. I just wouldn't want to see it become extinct. But I do agree,TOTALLY commercializing it would bastardize it. But there has already been a Red Bull B-Boying Championship hosted by Beat Boxer, Razell. You can look it up here on youtube.

[bboykory117]

@SylentRequiem Korea has done a great job at commercializing it and they still have soul

[cronaldopwns]

@nubihotep dont forget popping

[julioshawtylean76]

@nubihotep underground rap ever heard of lowkey immortal technique diabolic dead prez

[nubihotep]

@julioshawtylean76 Of course I have! Immortal Technique is one of my favorite MC's. Usually you'll find some of the best Hip-Hop underground. Unfortunately the music industry doesn't want to promote progressive Hip-Hop. They want it to be dumbed down monkey music while making Billions of dollars from it and raping whatever Hip-Hop/Rap Business Men(Most Rappers) or ARTISTS they can in the process.

[julioshawtylean76]

@nubihotep ok straight i thought like most people that where around back then think rap dead is just underground

[TrekaXxx]

@nubihotep yo underground mc still keep it real if u dont know any you better do ur research

[nubihotep]

@TrekaXxx Oh most definitely, I agree! Most of the TRUE hip hop mc's who do it because they love the culture of hip hop are mostly underground. I don't hate the bubble gum rap and "monotonous material" rap or even "trap music", I just think that there should be more of a balance between the styles.

[thelilfck]

@nubihotep Bboy kleju sold his soul!

[loilk]

Rock Steady Crew is still my love! Their dope footwork and toprock!!!!!

[thebboytaz]

breaking has changed lolz

[breakboyskimo]

Damn yo! Old school is where its at. Youll will never ever see that shit again, so much of the real, old school flavour. Those cats are still rocking that shit till this day. Legendary shit!

True school Hip-hop right there!

Wish I couldve been brought up when that real Hip-hop shit first came about. So many stories to tell, so much knowledge to share. Very inspirational.

[Atrodad]

man such style, passion, feeling and realness.

[Xnito3X]

I met Ken swift once then men is so legendary and has so much wisdom about real hip hop not that modern shit

[FCAopium]

you talkin real,..these guys are legends! imagine, ken swift is still rockin it, and he is over 45 maybe!? its incredible!!!

[bboydizzy69]

ken is still breaking he ws in red bull in 08

[ray59419]

yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­oooooooooooooooooooooooooooobe­eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee­eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee­eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee­eeee nice

[twojszef]

What name of this track??

[king6970]

"lets dance" by passion.

[atomic24x7]

damn i respect the old school a lot. theres just something about it that the new schoolers cannot replicate.

[9thDilla]

HIP HOP!!

[jremsyo]

hi everybody !!! someone knows name and title of the song in this video ?

thanks and bye .

[dancebaby808]

this is great for its time, but the standard of breakdancing is extremely high today. there are bboys and bgirls now who can perform some pretty sophisticated and jaw-dropping stunts.

[clokwize]

first of all,its not "breakdancing" that was a proffessional term made up by the media to give it a title. This is B-Boying, and these two are guys are Legends who inspired thousands of Bboys, So called "jaw dropping stunts" are only flashy tricks that breaks off from the foundation of the dance. What you see here is the real essence

[dancebaby808]

ALL styles of dance evolve and develop new moves and forms over time. this is the nature of ALL cultural movements, be it the visual arts, dancing, religion, architecture, literature, the culinary arts, etc. it's not possible to keep only to their foundations. so why should "breakdancing" be any different?

[clokwize]

styles change and roots off into completely different dances but the foundation will always remain to people who understand the culture. Take the average rapper today for example you hear them bragging about material possession such as cars, girls, etc but they know nothing about MC-ing.

It's important for Bboys to keep the recognition of the origin. This has been a traditional for ALL great Bboys. (crumbs, Remind) it depends on how you define Culture. But Hip Hop is definately MY culture.

[clokwize]

to put it simply, Hip Hop is a culture that is often misunderstood. There are some people doing flashy moves and call themselves bboys when they have no top rock, or footworks - infact they dont even listen TO the right kind of music when they dance to it. Now, if thats something NEW they are making up thats their buisness but as long as they are just acting and mimicking and calling themselves Bboys - that gives them no credibility in the dance.

[dancebaby808]

but hip hop is not just about music and dance; it's a political and cultural movement that spans an entire spectrum of artistic expression, from breakdancing and rap, to graffiti, jazz, and spoken word. I recently saw an amazing gallery display of a black feminist painter who brings together in her work, feminism, graffiti and romanticism. what I'm trying to point out is that the origins/foundation of any cultural movement become hard to define and are sometimes lost with the passage of time.

[scm867]

surely your not suggesting that a black feminist painter, jazz, and painting with oil is a part of hip hops origins. the good thing about hip hop and its origins is that the people who began this movement are still around to let us know how it came about. nothing was lost, just some things were forgotten or discarded as being irrelevant.

[Iam1HipHopEducator]

there is more break dancers, rappers, DJ on cd players airbrushers then bboys/ bgirls, MCing, Turntablizm Graff writers and speaking the element of knowledge. This really hurts my heart.

[sickosandsuch]

Well said brother.

[Iam1HipHopEducator]

I agree with clokwize, shit hop is in full effect and hip hop is being disrespected and being over look. I feel you hip hop is our culture our movement our life, we eat breath this movement. you can ask a average rap artist not a MC i said rap artist what is hip hop and wouldnt know what to say.

[elsunn]

"rap is something you do, HIP HOP is something you live!!!" - KRSONE. Iam1, I couldn't agree with you more. Keep it funky, peace.....

[scm867]

please refer to it as bboying. not breakdancing. breakdancing would encompass everything from popping and locking, locking, popping, bboying. and isnt actually a legit term. just made up by the clueless media to create hype.

[richardpayton1]

@dancebaby808 You're right. It's just like gymnastics - the routine that got Nadia Comaneci (sp?) a perfect 10 in 1976 would get maybe a 5 today. I remember seeing this when it first broadcast and was absolutely blown away. But the dancing has progressed incredibly since then. Still, I get a warm feeling in my heart reminiscing about the days when this along with rap was just beginning.

[xenon241]

WICKED!!!! HOW OLD IS CRAZY LEGS NOW??

[ceviche666]

This was in 1982, which is closer to 30 yrs. ago. Crazy legs is 43 now (I think) which would put him at about 16 in this video....to bboygroundbreaka, if it wasn't for these guys you wouldn't have any moves to talk about.

P.s. it's all about flava..Peace

[b00too]

ken swift was always a bad ass, he's the best ever IMO

[StreetLethalRacing]

Yeah, he was, and still is, very very good. But even he would tell you that there were some incredible dancers back then in New York that were much better than him, but they went another route in life though....

[nptrock]

yeah maan...classic old basic b boy material...kens footwork is dope also, style-idge!

[bboygroundbreaka]

wow. this is about as basic as you can get lol. i wish i had a time machine so i cudd go back and do madd shit theyve never heard of or seen lol

[DaReincarnation]

Yo I feel the same way about it... but it aint really all that basic, just got more flavor and less complexity

[hektikbx]

ken swift would still smoke u, lol. he was just nasty

[mwhite36]

@bboygroundbreaka Well yeah NOW.

You've probably seen countless moves and such over the years, so now you have a large set of moves to show.

But if you were around back THEN and developed good moves and steps back THEN, thats when you hot.

[djmane1]

ken's backspin is fuckin' bad

[gold95]

Where is the interview???????? Why did you cut it short?