Breaking at the Olympics is a testament to hip-hop’s influence around the world

By Char Adams, NBC

Logan Edra grew up learning about the four elements of hip-hop: rapping, graffiti, DJing and breakdancing. Now, she’s taking that knowledge and her love for the Bronx-born street dance style to the Paris Olympics.

“We’re part of this movement for the culture,” Edra, 21, who goes by Logistx, said in an interview. 

“It’s about peace, love, unity and having fun. There’s already cultural influence, cultural impact; the only thing this adds is attention. We’re just getting more eyes on the culture.”

Breakdancing began in the 1970s within hip-hop culture, which highlighted Black American struggles and creative expression. Fifty years later, hip-hop’s influence in music, culture, art, fashion and sport has spread throughout the world, leading to international competitions and now the debut of breaking at the Olympic Games. The sport has come a long way from the energetic B-boys and B-girls practicing gravity-defying moves on slabs of cardboard in underserved cities. 

When breakdancers Edra, Jeffrey “B-boy Jeffro” Louis, Victor “B-boy Victor” Montalvo and Sunny “B-girl Sunny” Choi take their talents to the Olympics for the first time as Team USA this summer, it will highlight the influence of hip-hop and its impact on communities far and wide. 

“Hip-hop drives culture in general. The music has been the thing you see the most, but the Olympics really shows how important this dance form is. It’s incredible to see the global reach of hip-hop, especially through dance,” said Lavall “B-boy Brisk” Chichester, a Brooklyn-born breaker who is chief marketing officer of B-Boy & B-Girl Dojo, an online breakdancing school and resource site.

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