Artist Spotlight – Broken Arms and Crooked Legs

Culture, Editorial, Education, Hip Hop, History, Storytelling

December 6, 2024
Miquiel Banks

Introduction

Broken Arms and Crooked Legs (BAACL) is an Original Hip Hop, B-Boy, and Breaking Group in the early 80s that was established in Atlanta Georgia.

They were a prominent force in Early ATL Hip Hop Culture and they were known and featured in the Cultural Environment that is UNIQUE to the Southern United States – The High School Talent Show.

ATL Cultural Swag and History

To properly understand the Historical Significance of BAACL, we must look back at the Original ATL CULTURAL SWAG that began in the early 1900s.

The first skating rink opened in the early 1900s in the Old Fourth Ward and established Atlanta Georgia as a driving Creative Force and Outlet for the Indigenous and Rich Cultural Heritage of ATL.

As the Pioneer for Roller Skating in the Continental United States, Atlanta Georgia DEFINED this new Cultural Phenom by embedding it in the City’s Basic Unit (The Black Family), ensuring that Roller Skating would survive for several generations.

During desegregation in the 50s and 60s, local roller rink owners maintained racial divides by hosting theme nights for Indigenous ATLiens, solidifying the Cultural IMPACT into a subculture, unique to Atlanta Georgia.

During the early 70s, Atlanta skaters coined the term “crisscross” to describe a maneuver where skaters cross their feet laterally in sync with the music.

After that, it was smoothed out and it was called it the “cross slide.”

In the 70s, a new and vibrant generation (the Hip Hop Generation) took the concept and theory of the cross slide, and they asked a different question.

They asked, what if we take this ONE MOVE and instead of doing it separately, do it TOGETHER as a Group?

With this question, the new generation of Skaters CREATED an entirely new thing – The Dance Routine.

Armed with a new outlet, the ATL Skaters added thematic Skate Groups, originating what we today call Line Dancing, and this vibrant frenzy is now labeled as a SkATE ROUTINE.

 Whether the Skaters took the concept from Dancing or Dancers took it from the Skaters is unknown, but the PERFORMANCE AESTHETICS of ATL Skaters elevated it beyond the rest of the GLOBE and after witnessing its impression on its audience, we must acknowledge it as a DISCO-INFLUENCED AND HIP HOP PERFORMANCE ART.

This new wave of Skaters innovated the Crisscross and the Cross Slide by creating an entirely and unique move – The Skate Skip (and we will come back to this concept).

As a result, we now refer to this history as “Skate Culture.”

Arrival of Broken Arms and Crooked Legs (BAACL)

Now, back to the advent of BAACL and their arrival on the Dance Scene in ATL.

While the rest of the Breakdance Crews in the Continental United States (Rock Steady Crew in NYC, New York City Breakers in NYC, etc.) introduced the world to Breakdancing on TV via the BATTLE SEQUENCE, BAACL put a Southern Twist and Genius move on the Battle Sequence by introducing ROUTINES in their performances, which is a DIRECT DESCENDANT of the Skate Culture.

Taking the concept of ROUTINES from Skate Culture, BAACL electrified Talent Shows with their arrangement of Group Routine, but they added another element that was UNIQUE to ATL Hip Hop Culture.

This new element is now known as Sports and Themed Routines.

BAACL is credited with being the FIRST GROUP to do Sports-Oriented Themed Routines, which included Playing Baseball, Running Bases, and other comic antics, adding to their Cultural Value and Legacy.

BAACL ruled local ATL Talent Shows until an unknown Skater, Ant Francis, left the Skating Rink one night and asked a different question.

What if we take the SKATE SKIP from the Skating Rink and take it to the Dance Floor.

And it is this question that drove Ant Francis to create FDC (Fresh Dancing Crew), the first Group to start new ATL Frenzy – YEEKING.

But Today, we acknowledge the power of BAACL and their contribution to ATL Hip Hop Culture.

However, like ELECTRO MUSIC, the local ATL populace has NO DIRECT KNOWLEDGE of this insider information or history.