I was at the front seat watching Elite Force's performance in Tokyo and Osaka 1994. By around 1992, Henry was already famous in the Japanese street dance community. We didn’t have the internet yet, but we regularly received videos featuring dancers from the U.S., including music videos, live show footage from programs like Soul Train, Yo! MTV Raps, and Party Machine. We would study the dancers in those videos, even though they only showed dancing for a few seconds at a time, watching frame by frame and rewinding repeatedly. This is how Japanese dancers had been learning street dance since the breakdancing era of the 1980s. As for hip-hop dance, starting with the New Jack Swing boom led by Bobby Brown and MC Hammer, we initially paid more attention to West Coast dancers, like the Soul Brothers (Def Jef’s dancers), The Scheme Team, and members of Pharcyde before they became Pharcyde. However, when the music video for Lalah Hathaway’s "Baby, Don't Cry," featuring the Mop Top crews, came out, we began focusing on New York dancers, and Henry’s popularity grew. I remember the music video and live performance of Mariah Carey’s "Emotions" being popular and adding to his fame, but PBS’s Alive TV episode Wreckin' Shop from Brooklyn had the biggest impact. Many Japanese dancers began traveling to NYC to go to clubs, watched the dancers, and sometimes secretly videotaped them to learn. They also took private lessons directly from New York dancers. In 1992, the Japanese hip-hop-influenced group ZOO featured several New York dancers, including Henry, in their music video. These were some of the reasons why Henry, along with other dancers like Stretch, Loose Joint, Caleaf, Peter Paul, Ejoe, Peek A Boo, Marquest, Rubberband, Brian Green, Voo Doo Ray and Marjory (RIP) and others, became famous in the Japanese street dance community in the early 90s.
@@kutmastak wow what a detailed synopsis! Thank you so much for adding to the historic ocean. Are you a dancer and one of the ones influenced by Wrecken shops impact?
@@enculturationpodcast I was a dancer in 90s and influenced by Wrekin shops. Thank you for the great interview. I have known Link for a long time and spent some time with him in Japan and NY but this is the deepest interview I have heard. The story behind Remember the Time shoot and meeting with Yasuko calling to Machine Harada was so interesting. Link is such a good storyteller. A Great job!
@enculturationpodcast You might associate the 90’s as being the Golden Age of hip hop because of the Mop Top Crew they changed the hip hop scene and really deserve a motion picture biopic 🎥🎬
Time Stamps --------------------- 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:34 - Learning to Love the Music 00:05:30 - Jams Before Hip Hop 00:07:11 - We're All Guests in the Culture 00:09:42 - My First Battle 00:13:03 - Original Inspiration For My Movement 00:14:02 - When "Hip Hop" came about 00:14:55 - Growing up with Caleaf Sellers 00:17:04 - Violence at the Parties 00:19:49 - Studio 54 00:22:46 - Nobody Wanted To Be Hip Hop 00:24:11 - First Introduction to Hip Hop Dance 00:28:40 - Life w/ Cassette Tapes 00:30:17 - Golden Age Of Hip Hop 00:32:23 - Elite Force & Breaking Barriers with Michael Jackson 00:38:47 - I want to see why you belong here 00:44:14 - Who is Snapping Fingers? (MJ) 00:49:50 - Coining Elite Force 00:55:37 - Working in Japan 00:59:41 - Becoming a crew & meeting Buddha Stretch 01:08:30 - We had our own Rap Group 01:08:52 - How I Got The Name "Link" 01:10:29 - Accountability As A Crew 01:12:38 - Early Challenges As A Dancer 01:14:32 - Hip Hop Needs To Be Informative 01:17:31 - Hip Hop vs Urban Choreography 01:18:01 - Staying Agile with Age 01:19:30 - Breaking in the Olympics 01:23:28 - Breaking Down Levels of Musicality 01:33:22 - Rap Lost The Message 01:33:46 - Hopsin - No Lyrics (Mumble Rap Parody) 01:34:53 - Battles & Judging 01:35:53 - Seiya vs Rama - Lineup Battle - Hip Hop 01:45:42 - Icee vs Sam Yudat - Summer Dance Forever 2023 - Hip Hop Battle 01:56:24 - Qualifications To Be A Teacher 01:57:53 - Seperation of Older vs. New Generation 01:58:13 - Each One Teach One - Support The Culture 01:59:35 - Closing Thoughts
Thank you so much for doing this!!! It was so insightful to hear Link speak. In the Seiya vs Rama battle, I wasn't sure which dancer Link said he'd vote for. Based on his previous comments I assumed it was Seiya, but would you be able to clarify which dancer he's referring to around 1:40:28?
I was at the front seat watching Elite Force's performance in Tokyo and Osaka 1994. By around 1992, Henry was already famous in the Japanese street dance community. We didn’t have the internet yet, but we regularly received videos featuring dancers from the U.S., including music videos, live show footage from programs like Soul Train, Yo! MTV Raps, and Party Machine. We would study the dancers in those videos, even though they only showed dancing for a few seconds at a time, watching frame by frame and rewinding repeatedly. This is how Japanese dancers had been learning street dance since the breakdancing era of the 1980s.
As for hip-hop dance, starting with the New Jack Swing boom led by Bobby Brown and MC Hammer, we initially paid more attention to West Coast dancers, like the Soul Brothers (Def Jef’s dancers), The Scheme Team, and members of Pharcyde before they became Pharcyde. However, when the music video for Lalah Hathaway’s "Baby, Don't Cry," featuring the Mop Top crews, came out, we began focusing on New York dancers, and Henry’s popularity grew. I remember the music video and live performance of Mariah Carey’s "Emotions" being popular and adding to his fame, but PBS’s Alive TV episode Wreckin' Shop from Brooklyn had the biggest impact.
Many Japanese dancers began traveling to NYC to go to clubs, watched the dancers, and sometimes secretly videotaped them to learn. They also took private lessons directly from New York dancers. In 1992, the Japanese hip-hop-influenced group ZOO featured several New York dancers, including Henry, in their music video. These were some of the reasons why Henry, along with other dancers like Stretch, Loose Joint, Caleaf, Peter Paul, Ejoe, Peek A Boo, Marquest, Rubberband, Brian Green, Voo Doo Ray and Marjory (RIP) and others, became famous in the Japanese street dance community in the early 90s.
@@kutmastak wow what a detailed synopsis! Thank you so much for adding to the historic ocean. Are you a dancer and one of the ones influenced by Wrecken shops impact?
@@enculturationpodcast I was a dancer in 90s and influenced by Wrekin shops. Thank you for the great interview. I have known Link for a long time and spent some time with him in Japan and NY but this is the deepest interview I have heard. The story behind Remember the Time shoot and meeting with Yasuko calling to Machine Harada was so interesting. Link is such a good storyteller. A Great job!
These are great Vinh! Started to listen to the beginning and ended up going through the entire discussion. Link has so much to share.
Amazing stories and insight. Real talk from a real artist. Respect, Link!
Knowledge bombs 🔥🔥
Inspiring and motivating as always ❤
Link - you are just the best for me when it comes to hip-hop: took your calsses back in 2010 .
blessings and much respect , thanks for doing this podcast .
Dope dope dope conversation! Learnt so much AGAIN! I wish I could ask these questions even half as well as you did to Link man
What did you walk away with from this convo ?
@enculturationpodcast You might associate the 90’s as being the Golden Age of hip hop because of the Mop Top Crew they changed the hip hop scene and really deserve a motion picture biopic 🎥🎬
support from Mongolian dancer :)
Great Job bro, I'm Greatful to listen him, gods of hiphop 🙏🏼✨️
Thank you for tuning in! 🙏
@sahilskillz Excellent comment they need a motion picture biopic.
Time Stamps
---------------------
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:34 - Learning to Love the Music
00:05:30 - Jams Before Hip Hop
00:07:11 - We're All Guests in the Culture
00:09:42 - My First Battle
00:13:03 - Original Inspiration For My Movement
00:14:02 - When "Hip Hop" came about
00:14:55 - Growing up with Caleaf Sellers
00:17:04 - Violence at the Parties
00:19:49 - Studio 54
00:22:46 - Nobody Wanted To Be Hip Hop
00:24:11 - First Introduction to Hip Hop Dance
00:28:40 - Life w/ Cassette Tapes
00:30:17 - Golden Age Of Hip Hop
00:32:23 - Elite Force & Breaking Barriers with Michael Jackson
00:38:47 - I want to see why you belong here
00:44:14 - Who is Snapping Fingers? (MJ)
00:49:50 - Coining Elite Force
00:55:37 - Working in Japan
00:59:41 - Becoming a crew & meeting Buddha Stretch
01:08:30 - We had our own Rap Group
01:08:52 - How I Got The Name "Link"
01:10:29 - Accountability As A Crew
01:12:38 - Early Challenges As A Dancer
01:14:32 - Hip Hop Needs To Be Informative
01:17:31 - Hip Hop vs Urban Choreography
01:18:01 - Staying Agile with Age
01:19:30 - Breaking in the Olympics
01:23:28 - Breaking Down Levels of Musicality
01:33:22 - Rap Lost The Message
01:33:46 - Hopsin - No Lyrics (Mumble Rap Parody)
01:34:53 - Battles & Judging
01:35:53 - Seiya vs Rama - Lineup Battle - Hip Hop
01:45:42 - Icee vs Sam Yudat - Summer Dance Forever 2023 - Hip Hop Battle
01:56:24 - Qualifications To Be A Teacher
01:57:53 - Seperation of Older vs. New Generation
01:58:13 - Each One Teach One - Support The Culture
01:59:35 - Closing Thoughts
Thank you so much for doing this!!! It was so insightful to hear Link speak. In the Seiya vs Rama battle, I wasn't sure which dancer Link said he'd vote for. Based on his previous comments I assumed it was Seiya, but would you be able to clarify which dancer he's referring to around 1:40:28?
Sorry for the delayed this response, YT didn't send me a notification on this for some reason. He voted for Seiya
@@enculturationpodcast Thank you!!
Grateful💯🔥🫶🏿
🤩 "Promosm"