Born against Casper. One of the most talked bboy battles online. This battle was really dope not only because two of the dopest bboys were battling it out on the floor, but the atmosphere of their battle - that cypher - just, whoah! Off. The. Chain. So many things were going on I don't even know where to begin to write this.
Context
Obviously being all the way in New Zealand I wouldn't know the exact details but from what I know it all began in Korea while Born was hitting the cyphers. Casper entered the circle after Born but eventually the whole thing became a one on one battle between the two. It was said that Ness had sent Casper to battle Born because Ness had wanted to recruit Born into the Mighty Zulu Kings since the IBE in 2005. This probably explains the bit in the video when Casper put something in Born's hand - probably the MZK medallion, before signalling the MZK sign and flashing his own MZK medallion around his neck.
In 2007, during Bboy Unit 9, Mind 180 (plus Casper and Nasty Ray) were hitting up the cyphers back stage. Rivers arrived on the scene and Keebz decided to call the whole crew out. The reason behind this call out was merely the fact that the Korean bboy scene had grown exponentially through the years (pre-2007). It was to test them and introduce the idea of cyphering; it was an opportunity not to miss, especially when bboys over in Korea were considered celebrities. What we got was a re-match between Casper and Born while at the same time we also got one of the meanest crew on crew cypher battles ever posted online. And when something like that is posted online, we get pages and pages of opinions clashing.
I totally enjoyed these battles but people on the internet get too analytic and judgemental over it without having objective claims. Were they even there? 95% of them probably weren't and should be in no position to suggest claims that aren't even half the truth.
Who won?
At the end of the day, I reckon both are winners of their own accord.
During the first cypher in 2005, most people believed Casper was the obvious winner. Others refute this claiming he steadily possessed clean moves but didn't really match up to the music. Born on the other hand had the music and the beats to a T. I do agree with these points, but perhaps I don't either.
I am probably someone who can defend Born for eternity - if I made a habit of being irrational that is. Truth to the matter is, Casper is legit! I back tracked to watch whether Casper was just busting out moves without listening to the music as claimed and all I got to say is that's a load of bull. He was definitely hitting beats, and fast ones too. In terms of Born getting smoked, I didn't see it. Born held his ground but Casper just came out better. No smokin' here.
Now the second video I absolutely love. I watched the whole footage with both their crews in the cypher, not just the cut with the both of them, and the level of the battle was so heated up it was on fire! I admit, it did kind of looked like Casper was saving his rounds for Born. He was circling Born like a shark in the water. Whatever he did though it worked to his advantage. In terms of winning, others found it clearer this round to judge Casper won. I'm not so keen to jump on that bandwagon yet though.
A bboy anthem was playing and it was literally an invitation for Casper to kill beats. He didn't, not that he had to of course. But I did find he was too busy filtering everything else just to show Born his moves; his dancing was half done. Born on the other hand always dances to the beat regardless of whether he's trying to outclass Casper's moves or not. This kind of character is always what wins me in the end. Still, I think both bboys are just too raw for their own good.
ANYWAYS, I know it's been quoted a lot but omg did I love Casper's "I don't understand what you're saying [while doing UFOs], but understand this [threads]". It was totally fresh. On Born's side, "my style, my flavour" was also off the hook - it became like a quote bboys would wear.
Talking Smack
No matter what people say about Born and Casper being in good terms, I can't help but think that there was actual beef between the two. I don't know why. The first footage Born looked like he wanted to Ghost Bust Casper's ass and Casper didn't just want to battle Born - he was out to slay him. In the "re-match" Born and Casper were the only ones talking smack directly to each other while their crew members were throwing random comments to whomever. Was it just me?
A lot of people seem to dislike Casper for running his mouth off like that but I don't see what the problem is. Was he being disrespectful? Hell yeah he was, him and his crew were. But they had the right to - it was a battle and that was a strategy. The way I see it, both crews were feeding off each other's intensity and it just made for an even more hyped battle.
People talked about the language difference, that it was unfair Casper was saying all these things in English which Born could not understand. Born actually has quite decent English. He just chose not to talk smack. That's also his strategy. Born once wrote, "My goal is not to be the best bboy. I just want to be a bboy with a good attitude."
There's that saying, 'lose the battle and win the war', which I think described this situation well. With Casper "disrespecting" Born, he garnered himself a strong base of haters, while Born, although having "lost", have not one person "hating" on him. That's why I respect Born. I also respect Casper for sticking true to the roots of bboying because what he did was how they did back in the day and there was no wrong in him talking smack like that. Bboys often forget that a battle is a battle. There's no lovin' in a battle.
Let's get some history lesson rollin...
Getchu Educated
In "Introduction to Hip Hop through Bboying" I stated that this form of dance promoted peace, unity and funnelling energy into something creative. However, when will we ever need peace and unity if there was no hatred and discordance to begin with? Bboying was born because of this hateful partition between people. If we go even way back, we need to understand that one of bboying's derivative dances is Uprocking, which was performed mainly by New York gangs in the 60's. Burn from Rock Steady Crew had said:
All the gangs would fuckin' rock. They would hustle and they would rock. You're a gang member and you go to somebody's neighbourhood to dance and you got fifteen people lined up behind you ready to kick ass. Much tension. If I go in there and dis you, your friends are going to jump me. Some get mad 'cause they got burned, but the real ones, they got respect. They used to dance and smoke weed. The term was rock, burning and jerking. That's bullshit about how dancing took the place of fighting - they were gangs, they always fought.And for Bboy Trac-2, this is what he had to say about uprocking, "They would have get-togethers between the rival gangs for specific turf and the two warlords would go at it, and the winner to that dance actually decides where the rumble's going to be held".
Before bboying became a dance which settled disputes in a peaceful manner, it originally had been nothing but a prelude to actual fighting. Fighting was always expected. They would talk shit because they know it will eventually lead to fighting. Even in the 80's, the battle between the Dynamic Rockers and Rock Steady Crew in August 1981 led to tables turning and fighting. The battle itself was too heated and chaotic to be judged that it was difficult to determine who had won leading to the dispute of who did and didn't win.
Yes, bboying today has developed into a dance that promoted peace, unity and love but at the same time we can't forget its roots; it was a war dance symbolic of raw aggression. Casper probably embodies that philosophy regardless of whether he was aware of it or not. Ness, an OG, once said he can't bboy when he feels happy, he needs to feel like ripping someone's head off. Words right out of the mouth of history. In some sense, Casper is like that - ego and cockiness are all part of the game. On the other hand, Born embodies the kind of bboying after it had moved away from the gangster-thug era. There's nothing wrong with a bboy having a good attitude and neither is there with someone who has a smack attitude.
Therefore...
"Although participants in the hip hop culture are constantly battling each other the game is never won. They can win one moment and lose the next and therefore there is a limit to this longevity of status"
Win or lose you can't judge Casper based on his character. Battles are the essence and chemistry of hip hop. Battles are to be won and you'd do whatever to win. In a battle you'll either lose or gain reputation, but regardless of the outcome, Crazy Legs once said, that battles are also the method in which you'd form partnerships and gain friendships. Besides, that's how he met Ken Swift and Frosty Freeze.
And history remains true, again. BOOM!
In 2011 Born wrote, "Even though it was my 6th time visiting Los Angeles, Casper, Smurf, and the Concrete Allstar Crew are always fun to chill with. It was good to see them again since we haven't seen each other for a long time... Casper was the same old Casper, full of pride! haha. He told me that he was planning to travel soon but he seemed like he didn't really care. lol".
Beef? Sounds like a lot of bromance to me.
In fact, Mind 180 featuring Casper and Nasty Ray may have changed the Korean scene after this cypher. Cyphers weren't central to the bboy scene in Korea - bboying originally just lived on the stage. But these boys brought cyphering to them. Mex One wrote,
For the first time the big stage was taken away and that moment in time may have changed the Korean bboy scene forever. Born got down with Flava Squad soon after, and Korean bboys started travelling to the states more to compete and learn more about the culture. The Korean scene now is much different than it was in 2007. For a moment in time, we will always remember an era that truly changed many things in our community.
