by Marcie Ortega
Daily Lobo
Breakin' Hearts started in an alley.
Four years later, the annual hip-hop festival at UNM will have several additions to it, said founder Cyrus Gould. With additions such as the flick-book competition and African drumming and dancing, Gould describes the expansion as a snowball that continually accumulates and grows.
"Were trying to bring people together," he said.
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With battles from B-boy to beatbox, the event will be held at the SUB Ballroom on Saturday and will include cash prizes for the winners.
Local beatboxer Zach Freeman said Albuquerque could be a rocking hip-hop town.
"The problem is people won't promote the music scene," Freeman said. "Pop culture right now is not dealing with the fact that it's not for people over 18."
Freeman said promotion of local musicians is important for the sake of enhancing the region's cultural and musical identity.
"What happens is musicians stop playing. They put down their instruments and become accountants or construction workers," he said. "It's just not good."
Freeman, a native of Hawaii, started vocal percussion at a young age and was influenced by his older brothers. He started his career with a Denver-based a cappella group called Graffiti Tribe.
In 2000, Freeman moved to Albuquerque and joined another a cappella group called United Dope Front. He now focuses on his own artistic vision, beatboxing with his group Freeman 3 under the independent label Cuezone Records. He also performs in local shows such as the Shadow Lounge Dance Party at Out Ch'Yonda.
"It's true underground," he said. "It's not about making money."
Freeman said he is helping out at Breakin' Hearts this year.
"I had to support that," he said. "I remember when it was started in an alley."
The B-boy battle will have a cash prize of $1,000, double the amount awarded in previous years. The event will be judged by Buddah Sacks and Jacob Lyons, a professional breakdancer known as Kujo.
Lyons, who has been the judge of B-boy battles around the world, said he tries to keep his subjectivity to a minimum. He likes to weigh the performance quality based on rhythmic capacity, execution, level of difficulty, and well-roundedness. He said he looks for originality and creativity.
"I like people to do things I've never seen," he said.
As for beatboxing, Freeman said the most important asset for competitors is the ability to keep time.
"You should think like a drummer and not like a rock star," he said.
Along with his musical projects, Freeman is program coordinator for Channel 27, the Albuquerque Public Access Television Center. The channel has been promoting Breakin' Hearts.
Freeman said he likes his job because it allows the exposure of local artists and events that normally would not have the opportunity.
Freeman said he hopes the battles will be more educational than competitive. He said it should be an opportunity for artists to share ideas instead of exchange insults.
"It's not about turf," he said. "Hip-hop came from not having shit."
