Ken Swift interview from Style Wars

[BboyMangekyou]

GAMBLERZ CREW!!!

[ArmZ502]

what's song in First time? thankyou.... :D

[wolf3892]

@TRUTHWILLMANIFEST ... Amen man :)

[flojogrande]

He is a legend in this dance genre whether you want to believe it or not. Back in the begining there was Crazy Legs, Ken Swift and a few others before them. Their names will always be linked to this art form. That crotch ball grab he was talking about was for the brass monkey on the page. KS keep ridding the break. This interview is straight from the street...it had honesty and integrity.

[illadvised50]

Early on I didn't appreciate Ken Swift as much because he's so busy on the floor. Eventually I realized that I just have to pay more attention to what he's doing. The cat has an endless bag of tricks.

[illadvised50]

Everything he's saying is completely on point. I love it.

[pikaparka1]

He ain't cocky..he's ken swift asshole..pioneer of the footwork base moves

[joerockski]

@TheChunkymonkey321 You fucking suck at spelling and making videos so i guess it evens out. you think you can do better than Ken Swift? post up the proof. somehow I don't think you will...

[TheChunkymonkey321]

this guy fucken sucks at dancing!!!!!!!!!!!

[BboySoulja1]

@TheChunkymonkey321 You know bro, if a fresh bboy looked at his shit, yeah they would say he sucks, but for real bboys, they can appreciate that he has been dancing for almost 30 years, he is original and the founder of a lot of the moves we do today, yeah sure he cant airflare, or do some other power shit, but have the respect that a lot of the moves that you do came from this guy

[thosecrazytwins]

rock steady bullied their way into history.

[flojogrande]

Break it down Brothe'! Fight the Power(!!) Porque esta gente no entiende meirda!

[EaStEndG13]

respect to the prince ken swift BUT the KING was NiCo from throw down...

[thebrucedeeuoukayeey]

The Bruce Deeuoukayeey Dominating Force

[oatstao]

Aww what a gem of an interview. Thanks for posting this. The way this guy who was 'there' breaks it down, is exactly my sentiments on how I feel about where Hip Hop came from. The elements he describes as the sublte details that people miss in the big two trick pony show, is what has always kept me to it like a magnet also. Do ride the rhythm applies to any dancer who is dynamic. I wonder how many kids broke their wrists trying for the gold? You need wisdom and patience with this art. Peace.

[killboi2008]

i think the 3 people that disliked clicked the wrong button !

[TRUTHWILLMANIFEST]

Real fukin' talk from Ken Swift. If ya'll don't know, breath, and live the culture. Then just go play baseball or somethin. It takes knowledge, heart, and most of all life. We live this shit. This is not a mufukin' movie. This is real "Innercity" livin'. This is our first, last, and the only way to express ourselves. Our only "Voice" that is still trying to be silenced. We were givin' nuthin', and we made somethin' from that nuthin. "They Tryed To Break Us And Now We Are The Breakers".

PeacE!

[keem008]

He is so right- it's not for tha stage it's will always be inner hood for eva. I came up with that. yes it's big but tha flow is hood. Emcee djaying all of it hood for evea yes no rules but your own.

YES !!!!!!!!!!

[Kerosene11110]

@keem008 That's right. And we got some bboys doing it for the sponsor, or doing it for the show. Well that's fine, but we gotta remember that the real judgment we should be concerned about is how we look at ourselves as bboys, and how bboys look at other bboys. That's the only fan base that will truly respect other bboys and understand how they feel when they express what they are doin. You won't see a bboy come up to you and just straight up ask you to do a headspin.

[keem008]

@Kerosene11110 I with you Word! Peace on that.

[kottamalli]

WORD

[sausagenpeppaz]

KEN SWIFT! NUFF SAID!

[FCAopium]

This is real talking, ...not for the stage, not for olympics or fucing Contests nowadays,... B-Boying is Bodylanguage to the Beat, B-Boying is style, check out the Routines, to dance,... street-knowledge! Respect Ken Swift

[bgirlxio]

@FCAopium bboying is Bodylanguage to the beat, THAT WORD EXPLAIN ALL!!! =D respect to Ken Swift and all bboys and bgirl to the heart

[FCAopium]

@bgirlxio thanx for posting, but i forgot to write, that real b-boying is on circles!

ken swifts attitude to B-Boying is to show your skills in styles combinated with powermoves. dancin elements in TubbRock and routines. B-Boying is not a sport! B-Boying is a creation of Stylemoves in dancin forms. Respect

[pseudonymmmm]

exactly yo..all it takes to impress folks are power moves...but when youre a bboy or appreciate the bboy culture youll be more interested in seeing footage and how the bboy hits the beat

[funkman70]

Swift Wizard In Footwork Technique(SWIFT).

[kingofyou10]

fuck this man is cocky

[DaSoulCity]

As far as I'm concerned, he can be as cocky as he wants to be.

[fukademous]

He means the spirit of b-boying lives on the street and does not fully translate to the stage...afterall...this is street dance!

[bboybiogrind]

so i can do my own MOVES ??

[DaSoulCity]

yes. first you need to listen to music.

and then larn foundational moves.

then you tweak it and make it your own style listeing to music. thats that bboyin is about.

[crowdpleasa]

yo thanks for all you do swift...

[GODZILLA1998FILM]

the legend 'prince' ken swift.

[FineSPlay]

he mean everywhere that has media

[pseudonymmmm]

fuckk ken swifted explained it right after i typed that...TOO baked for this

[nptrock]

wish i was there, back in the bronx 77--82 times...

[tommarjuki]

hahahahaahaha "if i grab my dick to you and give you de dick, you know fuck, you you know. that's not for the olympics" he's right but man the way he puts it, so blunt and shit makes me laugh

[orzelos]

what did he mean?

[tommarjuki]

that breaking in his eyes isn't something that can hold the status of a sport in other words something thats for everyone because of its raw aggressive nature. i mean you wouldn't want to take your fiances parents to a toprock battle with people throwing punches and stabbing eachother and shit

[orzelos]

o right so i see :)

Imagine a soccer player scores the goal and throws a cock to a goalkeeper hahah ;)

[tommarjuki]

haha yeah

[Stojanoski]

3:05 nice uprock

[Peaceflip1]

I appreciate Ken Swift's perspective on his passion. This is what we need to hear more often from more of the pioneers, so the younger ones as well as those who don't understand the b-boy can appreciate how it all started to where it is today. I'm glad that someone finally put out some footage of Kippy Dee (RIP). I've been looking for more coverage and commentary about him. He was the first one I saw do the moonwalk.

[jwh1999]

Which one was Ken Swift in that famous Beat Street batle?

[petitesyrah70]

2:04 on the "Beat Street Roxy Battle".

I wasn't able to post a link. do a search

[Peaceflip1]

Ken Swift was to one who did a reverse swipe to some kind of seated fall holdin out his hands and then getting into what was called donkey kicks forwards, then backwards.......He's got some skills....bigtime

[jwh1999]

Cool thanks!!

[CjkPHD]

Long Live Kippy D

[Peaceflip1]

Kippy was the talk for a long, long time. Just to have him teach you was an honor. Norman was the talk for a long time as well. I've been looking for more footage of them both. This is the first video where I've seen my man pop. It was because of him that I got into the dance and I'm still doin' it!!!!! Poppin' saved my life!!! We went to the same school...Joan of Arc on 92nd Street

RIP Kippy Dee

[CjkPHD]

I'm a bboy, but i think he's still raw. Probably my 2nd favorite popper in my life. Hahaha.

[Peaceflip1]

Cool....hehe.. Just out of curiosity, who is the first or did I totally miss the joke that I thought I got?

[Peaceflip1]

My bad, this response took a while to post, but I got it......(lol)..

[CjkPHD]

I have no idea. hahaha.

[Tosh13]

Kenny speaks the truth

[baeksi34]

ken swift is like raw hiphop.

i agree with everything he says except that hiphop and bboying would not be as popular as it is now if it hadnt revolved. so called "flashy powermoves" r needed to gain attention from the crowd and so r cameras from the media.

[Kranos05]

power moves r good

but pure style can make ur dance look good too

[Leziii]

im view 55,555...

call me crazy but i think this means something :P

[MalakABboy]

casuallity

[Pwnatsf]

Lol once i was view 777 XD but that day was really bad so.... yeah its not always a good thing T.T

[daspecter]

@Leziii 5 thumbs up...umm..right!

:D

[exclusivovip]

he is so fucking right...

dance to the beat .. bitch...!!

[mikecee907]

He got B-Boy of the Millenia or some shit.

[billaroxybong]

I MET HIM TODAY. HES SUPER COOL.

[v1ncethefunk]

no one could explain the true art and exploitation of bboying better. big ups to you kid zoom.

[hillcrestG]

great footage here!

[Wheelman1580]

GOD this is so true! Ride the music don't focus on the acrobats hit that beat ken swift is dope!

[xeno09]

this is a GREAT video!

[Keegiee]

he was mad skinny back then, now he's buff as hell

[Joshjoker]

yo its crazy i was just dancin with him like 2 day at a skool in NYC he's pretty skinny n short but he's NICE lol it was crazy dancin with such a legend lol

[4eastwood4]

Anyone know what this is really from? It's not from Style Wars, the documentary on Graffiti made back in the 80's, because obviously Ken Swift is much older now than he was in the 80's and I've watched the documentary and this stuff isn't in there.

[eimajecnerwal]

Could it be from the dvd re-release extras? They're nearly as good as the documentary.

[early90slova]

PRINCE is alright, never my fav. but wish KURIAKI was still livin

[imran106]

he has true style man !!!

[kamujin]

word!

[duntochible]

Amen

[2hottforpc]

STFU

[jaybelak]

true, true and true!

[dancecrazeV]

00:45 to 00:52 thas some mad footwork right there aight!!!!!

[dancecrazeV]

kennyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

[bboyfeellucas]

nicee words

[ATRevolution]

Ken Swift is a legend!

[Thunda1986]

gaveme more understanding of b boying more than anything I imagianed

[danplasma]

shit, one deep ass brutha

[wcbombers21]

dAMN i HAVE SO MUCH MORE RESPECT FOR kENNY, You are a true pioneer, and brilliant dancer thank god for putting you on this earth! god bless always! =D

[swingincountrymutha]

hea a positive brother with a true artists mind . Good to see. Thank you.

[fownkee]

fahh wish i could go 2 the bronx where hip hop started in 1980-1982 bboy Ken swIft

[worldcreationz]

hes beter than crazy legs 4 me

[bboygroupie]

now i'm in love with ken swift!

[WcOx5]

GREAT words

[mgmburna]

tru shit, right on the dot, couldn't have sayd it better myself

[yohannness]

Big respect.

[skilledbboy]

well said....

[KingIshaqq]

Very nice vid-

[Khultan]

Between 20: and 24:. When NOBODY in the 60s, and without a doubt, the 70s....NOBODY thought of anything of the people in the ghettoes of America other than disdain, scorn, disgust, especially mainstream USA and corporations....

[wcbombers21]

After seeing Ken swift talk about B-Boying I have a deep respect for him now, he talks about the very soul of the Dance, and I love that he talks about how the dance was always about Battling other Neighborhood kids, and Not the screen, so true Hollywood made some awful movies about Breaking. the Best one sorry to say was Flashdance keep it swift Kenny mad Respect fro Los Angeles California you the shit kid.

[bboygroundbreaka]

2:47 to 3:13

[bboygroundbreaka]

MADD respect

[bluesugar58]

that's hottt

[kzfive]

Much respect to Ken & RSC and all the pioneers who paved the way.

[bugstrut]

joeydisco9572, sorry man, but you're wrong about the origins of Poppin'. Yes, there are some moves, which date back much further than 1970s California; but 90% of the moves did come from there - particularly Fresno, and particularly Boogaloo Sam, and the rest of the Electric Boogaloos.

[gorgonwhora]

they lived in a bungalow! =)

[Nacfilms]

If B-Boying was a Martial Art. Ken Swift would most definitely be the Bruce Lee of it all.

[Pirate7X]

Respect to:

***ROCK STEADY CREW & UNIVERSAL ZULU NATION***

Respect to Prince Ken Swift, Mr. Wiggles, Legs and all RSC immortals.

Peace*Unity*Love*Havin' Fun!

[XTOP5]

WOW-->Let's give it up to the ROCK STEADY CREW,THE DYNAMIC ROCKERS AND THE NYC BREAKERS...And all of the bboy pioneer's who put this shit together-->And lets show the love to all the new style bboys who have taken the game to the next level-->It's all good.

[joeydisco9572]

thats right real bboys were breakin one time with the beat and lyrics of a song ,flow is very important, and let me tell the word something, popping did not start in the west coast maybe that re run bull shit, but just go back to every movie, video, and documentary and just look at the dates,

[ten08]

i think one thing he said was incorrect, bboying is to find respect from others and not saying f*ck you or get of my block, because of this people say that bboying is associated with gangs and sh*t, thats what gives bboying a bad reputation. Other than that, everything he said is true.

[destroya333]

What he meant was that its not meant for the stage because of some gestures or taunts that breaking has. Its a way of provoking a guy and sort of "showing him up" with your own skills.

[destroya333]

watch it again about 1:30 on the video he explains this

[PnoyDude]

Someday, everyone from hiphoppers to jrockers are gonna fall in love with bboying, because they'll discover how beautiful an artform it truly is. Oh, and if you've seen a commercial of Bboy Kazu--HE IS ROCKING THE BEAT IN IT! :D

[PnoyDude]

Bboying is the truest form of expression. You combine knowledge of the mind, athleticism of the body, and most of all you free your soul. One thing I WILL disagree with is that bboying IS respected! ;) I think Ken Swift probably hates how breakers nowadays takes the culture onto big stages and in front of so many cameras, but if it weren't for these very actions no one would love breaking as much as we all do right now and there's nothing wrong with spreading the love.

[SiLLyTriX]

OUTLET MAN. cuz we're tired of every day boring life.

[Khultan]

Oh, that's what I do. I absorb and retain.

[petree]

word. hella true shit.

[bboyweet]

wow

[pukelovetite]

motha f**kn awesome!!! HANDS DOWN!! there you go.. from the prince himself .. absorb and apply!!

[sergioknuf]

-Ken Prince Swift-

Steady As A Rock!

Way to Fresh!

[hobodivine]

I know this clip empties my head everytime I watch it! It's humbling and inspiring at the same time.

[Holyfiremikey]

I dont' know man, I keep watching this over and over, wow Ken Swift's soul is deep

[Holyfiremikey]

this is inspiring and beautiful

[bboyroe]

Kenny with the TRUTH..

[yell0wcarsHURT]

ken swift is the greatest. took a workshop of his recently hella dope. mad respect.

p.s. what type of hat is kippy wearing in the still photo? it looks real funky, I dig it.

[k1dn1ce187]

Love the shuffle Kenny does (with hand on hip) in the second b/w clip just before he changes direction and starts bustin six step... ...that shits dope...

[fishmonger101]

sorry for late reply b.. that's called a tic tac.. it's used when u change the direction of your six step..

[Tempest87]

i love ken swift....see the freashest kids dvd..breaks down the entire bboy culture

anyone going to the rock steady crew aniver

"I give you da dick" haaaa

[skribblez01]

dang..........................­..........

[pjstyles86]

this is deep.