By VICTOR CORONA

30 years after hip hop was born in the Bronx, New York, many of the people who were at the first block parties and heard their first rap or beat box and saw their first breakdance did not imagine what it would become and the places the genre would reach. not to mention the influence it would have on the generations to come.

 

More than three thousand miles away here in Los Angeles Hip Hop has helped influence a dance movement called Jerkin. The origin of the movement is still unknown but one thing that is clear is that is helping high school students like Liddo Prince from the 818 DGK Krew stay focused on his dancing.           

“Jerkin’ keeps me off the streets it makes things clear so I can stay out of trouble.” Liddo Prince said. “All my friends here make me want to stay up and go with them to places just to jerk and have fun.” 

Jerkin’ has become more than a dance it has become a fashion statement, gone are the days when it was cool to wear baggy pants and dark colors. All that has been replaced by skinny jeans and tight fitted bright colors.

“I’ am more in to my style, how I look. Before I had a shaved head, baggy pants, three x shirts but now I have fitted clothes, skinny jeans ‘geeked up’ as we call it.” 818 DGK Krew dancer Kidd said.  

The 818 DGK Krew used fashion to come up with their name. Many of the members met while at Panorama High School, one of the members JR is responsible for putting the crew together and coming up with the skater clothing line as their name.

The dancing involves low to the ground legwork, the dancers are constantly moving and have to be able to crouch, balance on one leg, stretch out the other, and then bounce and spin. Some of the signature moves include the Reject, The Pin Drop and the Sponge Bob.               

Many credit the New Boyz a duo made up of two friends from L.A. Ben J and Legacy for putting this new dance craze on the map thanks to their song “You’re a Jerk”. Yet it is unclear were exactly it originated but Kidd says      

“Jerkin started originally it was called the Hoover dance which started in the halls (juvenile hall). It started off as a gang dance people would throw up their sets as in their gangs signs and from there on, it when on as a dance.”    

When it comes to the music jerkin has a big hip-hop influence with its explicit lyrics and hard bass line with a high tempo of around 90-100 BPM’s.  

The fashion is more of a skater style of neon tight fitted color clothes, flannel plaid shirts, vest  skinny jeans, bright color hats to match your clothes and kicks from Vans, Jordan’s, Nike dunks or any kind of skateboarding shoes. It is basically mixing the fashions of the 80’s and 90’s. 

How long will this new dance craze last and what influence will it have on this generation is unclear, because it was just a few years ago that another form of dancing ‘Krumping’ disappeared after the 2004 documentary RIZE that followed the lives of krump dancers in South Los Angeles. “Music movements go through a 10 year period where they either grow or simply disappear.” Beto Gutierrez a social movement professor at Cal State Northridge said. “Take a look at what Reggaeton is going through right now as an example.

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