Between the global breakdance boom of the early eighties and the presence of hip hop dances at the dusk of the decade (notably the Kid n’ Play Kickstep and the increasing visibility of dance troupes such as Scoob and Scrap and I.O.U. through rap videos), a lesser-discussed period of hip hop dance existed.
During the mid to late eighties – and in 1986 especially – a plethora of rap records were released with a particular dance as their central theme. The majority of lyrics were instructive, but unlike the ‘you can breakdance’ style raps from the early eighties – such as Dutch group Alex and The City Crew’s epic adventures on K-Tel’s Breakdance album of 1984 – these songs also blended a narrative with the dance commands. Often illustrating a scenario with humour, these stories contextualised not only the dance in question, but the wider frame of hip hop dances.
For example, World Class Wreckin Cru’s ‘Cabbage Patch’ recounts a situation whereby attending a party, various attempts at dance crazes were met with tragic endings: “… When I stepped to the floor it was a total wreck / ‘Cause I tried to do The Wop and almost broke my neck …”, “ … Hurt my back when I tried to bust The Centipede …” and, “… Saw my homie Dr. Dre cold rubbin’ his neck …” before launching into the Cabbage Patch dance, which is, as the Wreckin Cru claim, “… only for fresh kids …”, presumably safer and, most definitely fresher. Interestingly, the World Class Wreckin’ Cru’s Cabbage Patch dance differs in its instructional moves to the version by Miami’s Gucci Crew II from the same year. As much as potentially attesting to regionality in dance moves, this also suggests differing and bespoke senses of ownership within the territories of hip hop dance, and the two phenomena are, of course, innately linked.
The Wop is possibly the eighties dance that most headz might shout out if asked to name one that comes to mind; Disco Twins and Starchild, Rockwell Noel Featuring Poet, and B-Fats all rocked The Wop on record the same year. As often as different artists bust their own version of dances on record, other dances were referenced, dissed or called out as defunct or inferior. In addition to the Wreckin Cru’s comical references to The Centipede and The Wop, in ‘Woppit’, B-Fats claims that The Wop is “… taking the place of / The Pee Wee Herman / And the Fila …”, and ensued with “… a combination of The Wop and The Boogaloo …” on ‘The B-Fats’, on ‘The Steve Martin’ EPMD stated “… You may have seen the Pee-Wee Herman but it’s had it’s turn …”, and on ‘Mudd Foot’, Biz Markie attested with affection:
“You know, you, you can’t do ‘The Butt’ off this music
You can't do ‘The Wop’, can’t do nuttin’ else off it
Can’t do the ‘Michael Jackson’
Only thing you can do off this music is the ‘Mudd Foot’
Can't be doin that ‘Arsenio Hall’
I don’t know, I don’t know how he do that, m-heh-heh
Or that I.O.U.’n, Scoob and Scrap’n
And anybody else dancin’
Only thing you can do off this, is, the ‘Mudd Foot’”
The placing of these lyrics within the timeline of their releases helps us to understand not only the chronology of each dance craze, but the fluctuation of attitudes to each dance insitu. In a period of hip hop culture where dance is often forgotten, these records confirm its presence and visibility. Below is a list of 13 records that illustrate this (these are not intended to suggest they are ‘the best’, nor is this list exhaustive).
‘Pee-Wee’s Dance’ - Joeski Love (1986)
‘Do The Fila and The Pee-Wee Dance’ - MC Boob (1986)
‘The Fly’ - World Class Wreckin Cru (1986)
‘The Biz Dance’ - Biz Markie (1986)
‘Do The Whop’ - Disco Twins and Starchild (1986)
‘The Wopp Sensation’ - Rockwell Noel Featuring Poet (1986)
‘Woppit’ - The B-Fats (1986)
‘The Wiggle’ - Rappers’ Convention (1986)
‘Cabbage Patch’ - World Class Wreckin Cru (1987)
‘The Cabbage Patch’ - Gucci Crew II (1987)
‘The B-Fats’ - B-Fats (1987)
‘The Steve Martin’ - EPMD (1988)
‘Mudd Foot’ – Biz Markie (1989)
I imagine that there are countless other regional and localized dances that were created either as hip hop dances in their own right, or as dances translated into songs as forms of representation or reification. These dances may embody strong signifiers through their intended moves, either as a holistic dance or a series of individual move-related signifiers; whether the moves are actually carried out in space and time or purely as agency for song writing, is, almost incidental.
Why should I speculate on this?
The sole reason is because of a song I recorded in 1988 called ‘The Ill Dance’. This song has, until recently, remained in the analogue vaults, and for good reason, you may argue.
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