Photo by Francesco Belvedere
It was cold tonight. As I pulled into the Ralph’s parking lot, I didn’t see a single person in any of the usual spots. Then I saw a crowd in front of the Chase bank. I have often imagined what a powerful statement it would make if the dancers krumped in front of the Chase bank. And now it was happening.
The session began soon after we arrived. And then the iPod died. I’m not sure exactly what happened. Technical difficulties was all I heard the owner of the car whisper. There was silence for about 20-30 minutes. It was cold so every minute felt like eternity. Everybody was ancy to dance. One guy even pleaded with the small crowd if anyone had a car to volunteer for the krump cause.
Finally, someone drove up and had a CD player in their car. This was unusual because the routine is that someone just plugs their iPod into the car stereo. This was very low-tech, but nobody complained too much. People were happy there was music.
The session started up again. Big Mijo was there. The energy is always more amplified when he’s there. He is one of the founders of krump, and he gets much respect. After he danced Creez, a young krumper, looked at me, and asked, “Did you see Mijo dance?” Then he proclaimed him the best while making all sorts of pleased and excited facial expressions.
The kid in the picture above danced. He’s one of the wildest I’ve seen. His krump moves are often punctuated by yells of approval and awe from the crowd. I don’t know his name yet. And this picture was taken on a different night. He’s a regular.
Uni, one of the founders of the 818, danced. He always does. People love him. He got major love tonight, ooohhhs and ahhhs from the crowd. The reactions ranged from “Damn” to “What you saying?” to “Where you at, Uni?” All familiar krump calls.
Mijo danced again. Then Lil’ C arrived. He jumped in the session, and when he finished I heard him say, “That was just practice.”
Two kids from Spain were at the session. There usually are a few people from a foreign country each week. These guys weren’t first-timers. They had come last week too. You could tell they wanted to krump. They kept moving their bodies to the beat and air krumping, but they never entered the circle, at least not while I was there. Maybe next week.
The 818 Session 