The History of Yeek Culture

Culture, Editorial, Education, Hip Hop, History, Yeeking

July 10, 2024
Miquiel Banks

The Late 70s

As Disco is destroyed in the infamous Disco Demolition Night in 1979, the City of Atlanta’s NightLife is consumed by two major passions: Skating and Dancing.

Skate Culture

Throughout the A, you have hundreds of ATLiens spending their weekends hanging out at the Skating Rinks around the City.

Unfortunately, the Skate Culture is tough on new talent and to enter this Elite Scenario, you have one option: Join a Crew!

As part of a Skate Crew, you work on routines and work on ways to show the Community every week that you’re the BESTEST BEST!

As the Skating Rinks change from a place to Hang out to an Entertainment Venue, the pressure on the Skate Crews to entertain the “Non-Skaters” intensifies.

With this new intensity, the Skating Crews start doing incredible routines and as the routines get more advanced and more complex, certain Skate Crews realize they should add “Dance” Moves to their routines.

It is this small transition in Skate Culture that develops an “EXPLOSION” of Legendary Skate Routines across the A.

During this elevation of Skate Culture, a move known as “The Skip” becomes commonplace in the Skating Rinks across the City of Atlanta and its Surrounding areas.

It is the move, The Skip, that is a key moment in the transition from Skate Culture to the Yeek Culture.

The Electric Kings

The location is Westwood High School.

The city is Atlanta Georgia.

The Year is 1982 and like all Heroic Journeys, the story starts with one guy.

Anthony Francis.

An incredible and Phenomenal Dancer, Anthony Francis, is obsessed with Skating and Dancing.

His passion drives him to the next level and he finds himself in familiar territory.

Just like the Skating Rink, he found solace in a Dance Crew.

And now, the journey goes from one guy to three guys:

Ant Francis
Orlander Ransby (Little Limit)
Theo

Since Ant Francis is a skater, he takes a common skate move, the Skip, and uses this as one of the foundational dance moves of this new thing.

Together, they are focused on something new, but they don’t quite know what it is.Every day, they focus on dancing and routines.

Eventually, their hard work PAID OFF and the world witnessed a brand new thing.The Electric Kings get their first BIG BREAK at the Westwood Talent Show.

As the screams and chants roar across the gym, the new dance crew steps onto the stage and amazes the audience.

Everyone has the same question, what is this new dancing style?

And after the lights dim and the music fades, a new dancing phenom is here in ATL.

This is the OFFICIAL beginning of “Yeeking” being introduced to the world.

But, we must ask, was this DANCING or was this YEEKING?

It’s hard to say, but no one can underestimate their first show at Westwood.

Three guys ambush the stage and SHOCK the audience.

Unfortunately, the Electric Kings are a success and their career is short-lived.

This group, as we know it, only does ONE SHOW.And this show, at Westwood, is now lost in the annals of time.

The Dance Battle

As a skater and dancer, Ant Francis ponders the opportunities outside of the skating rink.

He spends a lot of time asking, how do I take the Dance Energy from the Skating Rink to the Dance Floor?

Every day, he ponders dance moves because he wants to take Dancing to another level.

A Greater Level.Greater than it has ever been.

Deep in thought, he creates new moves and new ways of dancing.

He spends a lot of time practicing and coming up with new moves.

As they say, Fate and Destiny often meet those who are ready for their appearance.

And as Fate and Destiny arrive, Ant Francis steps out on a regular Friday evening and he has NO IDEA this night will change his life forever.

He attends a Friday Night party at the South Fulton Vocational Center and as the Music pumps harder and harder, Ant Francis is met with a welcome sight during the 80s.

A Dance Battle!Across the Floor, a legendary Dancer from another High School (Lakeshore), Ron Ron, is ready.

Ant Francis eyes his opponent and goes to work.

Ron Ron responds.

They go back and forth and the crowd erupts in Joy and Ecstasy.

Before the night ends, everyone in the Vocational Center is aware of two names: Ant Francis and Ron Ron.

A few days later, Ron Ron reaches out to Ant Francis and asks the question that starts all movements, you wanna link up and create a dance crew?

Ant Francis says yes and together, he and Ron Ron work on new moves.As they practice every day, those initial questions come back to Ant Francis.

How do I take the energy of the Skating Rinks and put it in the Club?

How do I take the frenzied pace of Skating Routines and put that in our Dance Routines?

With Ron Ron’s energy and input, the dance crew shapes and forms.

As they work out the details, that famous question arrives.

What’s going to be our name?

At first, Ant and Ron Ron come up with several names, but none of them work.

And without a name, their crew appears to be half-baked and on the verge of death.

How F.D.C. got their name

No matter how much they practice or create new routines, they are bothered by ONE THING.

Back and forth, back and forth, they continue rehearsing and the ISSUE keeps popping up.

And one day, they decide to ATTACK the Issue.

They sit down, put on some early Hip Hop, and let their brains wander.

Ant eyes Ron Ron and Ron Ron responds, “we need a new name!”

Since it’s 1983, they pull out sheets of paper and start writing down names.

One round and the names don’t work, so they ball up the paper and throw it away.

By the third round, Ron Ron smiles and a warm energy engulfs his soul.

He snaps his fingers and responds, “I got it Ant, I got it!”

And, on a sheet of paper, Ron Ron writes the name down.

And with this name, the history of Yeek Culture begins.

Ant takes the sheet of paper, eyes it, and smiles.In black ink, the letters STAND BOLD and BRIGHT.

F.D.C.

And then Ant asks, “what does FDC mean?”

Ron Ron jumps up and down, “Fresh Dancing Crew!”

Ant Francis and Ron Ron celebrate.

Then, they get to work.

They do ONE SHOW as F.D.C. at the Halftime Show at Lakeshore High School.

Under the lights on the field, the new dance moves capture the audience.

Screams erupt from all sides of the stadium as two teenagers take “The Spirit of Mother Hip Hop” and EXPLODE this energy across an entire Football Field.

Rows and rows of teenage girls, screaming and yelling, make their way to the field with LOVE in their wheat-enriched skin and potpourri smiles.

After the performance, Ant Francis recognizes the “spirit” in the air.

He senses a change is coming, but this time, the change isn’t a name.

It’s much more involved.

And like a start-up company, the change is the fate of all successful companies.GROWTH.

The Original Five

Excited about what’s happening, Ant Francis invites one of his homeboys from The Electric Kings.

When Orlander shows up, they show him the routine and he’s excited.

He jumps up and down, bouncing, and responds, “I’m in Shawdy!”

This excitement infects Ron Ron and when he returns to Lakeshore, he reaches out to two of his homeboys (Slick Nick and Straw).

When they arrive to practice, the legend of Yeeking and F.D.C. begins at this moment.

When people think of this legendary Yeek Group, they think of THE ORIGINAL FIVE:

Ant Francis
Ron Ron
Orlander
Slick Nick
Straw

The Rise of F.D.C.

As the Original Five, F.D.C. starts their historic Talent Show run at Benjamin E. Mays High School.

While backstage, they hear roaring and yelling and screaming from the crowd.

But these men are battle-tested and they sit idle, quiet, deep in thought.Waiting for their name to be called.

As Ant Francis stretches, Slick Nick and Straw pace back and forth.

This is their first show and they are excited, nervous, and a bit jittery.

And after a wave of noise, there is an awkward silence.

More Silence.

💡 The next group is a dance group and their name is F.D.C., the Fresh Dancing Crew!

Ant Francis smiles and motions, let’s do it.

And for the first time in ATL History, the Original Five hit the stage at Mays High School.

Like a throwback to earlier days, they capture the power and dancing of the Temptations, the Jackson Five, and breakdancing crews.

But this is a different kind of energy, a different form of dancing, an entirely new SWAG.

And the crowd soaks it up!As the crew flies through their routine, the audience is captivated and their incredible response is unbelievable.

After the last note resounds and the crew pauses, the audience is aware this is something new.Something Original.

And something definitely ATL.

It is this group of people, the people in the audience, who have the right to make this statement.

💡 I was present in the building when Yeeking, the indigenous and authentic ATL Hip Hop Dance Craze, was revealed to the world.

And just like history, Yeeking is not accepted at first and the crowd goes with WHAT THEY KNOW – Breaking and Popping.

As a result, the Original Five lose this talent show to a breakdancing group (Hot Gritz and No Eggz), but their legendary performances are best remembered from these talent shows:

Columbia High School
Therrell High School
Sylvan High School
Fulton High School
M.D. Collins High School

New Members

So, they respond by going back to practice harder.

Under the leadership of Ant Francis, the Original Five reach unforeseen heights with original routines and dance moves.

After tasting the stench of losing, the Original Five takes over local talent shows and their style of dance is something new and something fresh.

This new dance craze has no name, it’s just called Regular Dancing or Club Dancing.

However, this new craze will become known in the Future as Yeeking.

As their style becomes legendary and famous around the City of Atlanta, it is obvious this new dance craze is taking over the older forms of dancing:

Like all evolutions, this new style of dancing improves upon the Old and during the takeover, some of the Older Dances spill over into the new dance craze known as Yeeking.
From the Skating Rinks, Yeeking is infused with the Dance Move, the Skip, and it becomes a fixture in the Early Dance Moves of Yeeking.
From the Breakdancers, Yeek Dance Routines follow the tradition of Playing Sports, particularly Baseball and Football.

Suddenly, a new dance style, Yeeking, is here in Atlanta.F.D.C is considered the first Dance Crew from the first Era of Yeeking known as the Founders Era.

As a result of the F.D.C., several new crews sprang up around the City of Atlanta and the Yeek Dance Craze flourishes throughout the 80s.

As their fame continues, they add four new members:

Lady J
Devyne Stephens
Breez
JC

And the rest is ATL Hip Hop History Shawdy!

The ATL Talent Show Experience

Atlanta Georgia (1985)

The Southern United States

D.M.Therrell High School Talent Show

The Original Blueprint for Reality Shows like American Idol, the event known as the Talent Show IN THE SOUTH is a huge event for the American teenager.

However, in Atlanta, the Talent Show is on steroids!

Tonight, in the historic gym of Therrell High School, a monumental event is about to take place.

As the parking lot fills with cars and teens get off the MARTA buses and rush to get a good seat, the energy soars through the air.Izod shirts, Sebago shoes, Guess jeans, and Legwarmers crowd into an old and worn-down Gymnasium.

As the host walks to the stage, the frenzied teenagers yell and scream and shout.

This is the night they’ve been waiting for.

There’s more than magic here.

There’s power and energy and a presence.

And it’s EVERYWHERE!

And suddenly, the host speaks.

💡 “Tonight Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat here on this stage and I promise, you will not be disappointed. For the first time in the history of Atlanta talent shows, the top four groups from around the city will compete in one talent show. No longer do you have to call your buddies and bet your Friday pizzas and chocolate milk about who’s the best. Tonight, you’re going to find out!“

Loud shouting and cheering!

💡 “That’s right, tonight, we’re giving you what you’ve been waiting for. Tonight, you are going to see the following acts on one stage: Your very own Kool-Aid and Raheem, Broken Arms and Crooked Legs, Hot Gritz and No Eggz, and a new kid on the block – the infamous FDC!”

Incredibly loud shouting and cheering from the crowd!And with no further ado, let’s bring out the renowned Hot Gritz and No Eggz.

There it is.

The frenzy, the hypnotic trance!

The teens behind us scream and kick the back of our seats and we listen.

💡 “Shawdy, this is what I’ve waiting for! This is going to be AWESOME shawdy! I told Black and Junebug they should’ve come, they missed out, this is the best talent show of all times, of all times, of all times, yeah shawdy!”

💡 “SSssssshhh, here they come!”

And silence.

Not your typical silence, but a new kind of silence, a dramatic silence.

The kind of silence before you light the stove to sizzle bacon.

The kind of silence before the flames explode from the Space Shuttle.

The kind of silence before a Nuclear Bomb explodes!!!

And the energy escalates with every performance.

The Hot Gritz performance is electrifying and intense.

Then, the Broken Arms gang entertains at a high level, totally intense, but a different feel.

And the teens are eating it up, they can’t get enough!

The only thing more intense than the energy in this place is the repeat button.

That’s right, the repeat button.

Every ten seconds, from behind us, we hear the word shawdy.

💡 Shawdy, shawdy, shawdy, shawdy, shawdy!

Oh God, put an end to our misery!

And just as we are sick to our stomachs and can’t deal with it anymore, a MASSIVE storm takes over the building and two rappers take to the stage.

And the beat is pulsing, pounding, engaging.

And one of them turns to the other one and they look out at the crowd and hold their mics in our direction.

And the crowd screams on cue.

💡 Cause It’s AWESOME!

And the beat returns as each rapper delivers a powerful message about them being the greatest.

We’re caught off guard, we thought this was a dance-off because all the performers up to this point had been dancers.

But in our awestruck seats, we are entertained by two powerful personalities and we wonder what the future holds for them.

We look down and around, we don’t have any way of knowing.

We turn around to the kids and ask them.

💡 “Excuse me, can you tell me who was that on stage?”

The kids giggle and laugh and murmur something under their breaths, then they respond.

💡 That was Kool-Aid and Raheem, the greatest rappers in Atlanta shawdy!

Oh My God!

Not Shawdy again!

Before we can respond, the lights flicker a few times and a heavy drum roll as a powerful beat escapes the speakers!

Finally a song we know!

As we groove in our seats, we eye the stage as a new group emerges and performs one of the most intriguing, intricate, and inspired routines we’ve seen.

Ever!

We mean it, ever!

From the Freddy Krueger to the New York Smurf to the Prep, this new group is performing at a high and intense level.

The highest tonight!!!!

And we can’t take it, they got us.

And we can’t sit, are you serious right now?

We get up and start dancing and moving and we’re unable to stop or slow down or even talk.

We leave our seats and follow the kids out into the walkway and against the balcony and in the aisle.

Wherever there’s room, we dance and dance and dance at a high pace.

For a few seconds, we look down at our arms and notice goose bumps.

On our arms!

On our legs!

They are all over our body!

But we can’t stop and well after the group leaves the stage, we are still dancing and grooving to Doug E Fresh’s The Show.

Boom!

Oh My God!

And it engulfs us.

The beat, the dancing, the beatboxing, the lights!

And the teens surround us.

And push us to continue.

Every time we dance in a sequence, they chant.

💡 Yeek! Yeek! Yeek!

And then we spin and bend down, close our eyes, and lose our minds.

Nothing is real.

Nothing exists.

There is light and darkness.

All in the same space.

There is no past or future.

There is ONLY NOW!

There is only music and our bodies.

In one harmony. . .

💡 Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…………….UUUYYYYAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

And when we stop, the frenzied twitching continues.

Our bodies still move.

They won’t stop twitching.

They want to go back.

From wherever we came from.

They want to remain in this frenzied state.

What is happening to us?

To me?

And one teenager taps me on my shoulder and smiles . . .

💡 “How does it feel to be so CRUNK shawdy?”

The Funk Shop and Northside Drive

Two dancers from F.D.C., Devyne Stephens and Derrick Nicholson (Slick Nick), open a Dance Studio on Northside Drive in the early 90s, right across the street from Bosstown Studios (Bobby Brown) and down the street from DARP Studios (Dallas Austin).

As Choreographers, Slick Nick and Devyne have clients ranging from Monica to TLC to Queen Latifah and other Major Hip Hop Acts of the 90s.

Word of their success is known across the CIty of Atlanta and, eventually, LaFace Records executive, L.A. Reid approaches Slick Nick on Northside Drive and offers him an incredible opportunity.

L.A. Reid asks Slick Nick to take a job as Lead Choreographer for LaFace Records for one year, but Nick refuses to take the job.

Later, L.A. Reid offers the same job to Devyne and Devyne accepts and the rest is History.

Devyne goes on to do all the Choreography for LaFace Records and, after that, he goes on to do all the choreography for BadBoy Records.

As a result, all the Hip Hop dance moves that the World falls in love with during the 90s is Yeeking.

Simultaneously, another Yeek Dancer, Christopher Chapman, is responsible for dancing in famous videos from ATLGroups like Outkast, Ludacris, etc.

The Yeek Festival

Recently, the Yeek Fest has been held in Welcome All Park.

This park is located in South Fulton, the same city where Ant Francis and Ron Ron battled in the Vocational Center three decades earlier.

Spearheaded by Old School Members of the Yeek Movement, Ted Rush (Guess) Sweet Melodi, and Kool-Aid (Obsession), this Annual Festival and Dance Celebration is a monumental move and push to promote Yeek as an ATL Cultural Movement

.It is a powerful and incredible collaboration between the City of South Fulton (Councilwoman Helen Willis), Ted Rush, Sweet Melodi, and Kool-Aid (Obsession) to preserve and cultivate the Yeek Culture.

The Yeek Eras

The Founders Era (1980 -1985)

The Innovators Era (1985- 1990)

The Prime Era (1990 – 1995)

The Bounce Era (1995 – 2000)

The CRUNK Era (1997 – 2010)

The TURN UP Era (2010 – 2021)

The Yeek 2.0/Comeback Era (2022 – Present)

Yeek Groups (by Era)

The Founders Era (1982 – 1985)

**** Shabba Do Inc.**
**** Hot Gritz, No Eggz**
**** Broken Arms and Crooked Legs**
F.D.C. – Fresh Dancing Crew (Ant Francis, Ron Ron, Orlander, Slick Nick/Derrick Nicholson, Straw/Rod Nicholson, Lady J, Devyne, Breez, JC)
The Stray Cat Preps (Redd)
The Atlanta Dream Team
The W.I.G.O. Pac Jammers
Freshomatic (Nine/Carlos Kemp)
I.J.C. – International Jamming Crew (Poisonman/Mike Jordan)

💡 * NOTE – These groups are break dance groups and have been included in this listing because they were ACTIVE during the Founders Era.*

The Innovators Era (1985 – 1990)

Guess (Ted Rush, Nine/Carlos Kemp, Torion Harden)
A.P.R. – Atlanta Party Rockers
T.C.P. – The Crowd Pleasers (ADog/Anthony Wilkins, Poisonman/Mike Jordan)
YEEK KINGZZ (ADog/Anthony Wilkins, Poisonman/Mike Jordan)
Obsession (Kool-Aid/Carlton McDuffie, Pumkin/Likesa Byrd, G Money/Gary Watson)
2 Crucial
100 Percent
Passion
Georgia Jammers
The Untouchables
Jam Silk
911 (Shatterah/Kay, 9 Millet/Carlos, Kelvin Creshindo, Poisonman/Mike Jordan)
4U2NV (Poisonman/Mike Jordan)
Just Us – Female Crew (Torion Harden)
Little Rascals