Ice-T shared his excitement for the breakdancing competition at this year’s Olympics in Paris on Sunday (July 29). As it is the sport’s inaugural year, the entertainer said it might be the biggest moment in the culture’s history. “The Breakdancing event at the 2024 Olympics could possibly be one of the HipHop culture’s proudest moments,” he tweeted on X. “Because Breaking is absolutely nothing but HipHop.”
Ice-T has a long history with break-dancing. He appeared in the first breakdancing film, Breakin’, in 1984. His character raps and hosts the breakdancing battles at an underground nightclub.
In December 2020, Ice-T paid tribute to Breakin’ star Adolfo Gutierrez Quiones, better known as Shabba-Doo. He wrote on X, “I just lost ANOTHER close friend… SHABBA-DO. LA dance legend. You may know from the Breakin Movies.. Has passed away… FFUCK 2020 SHABBA-DOO MONTAGE.”
Breaking is one of Hip-Hop’s four elements, which includes DJing, MCing, and Graffiti. Breakdancing is often referred to as “B-Boying.” A form of hip-hop that is often overlooked.
The newest addition to the Olympics was introduced in April. NBC Olympics reported that breaking topped 1 million viewers at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, far outpacing other sports. Both the organizers and athletes hope to bring that magic to the biggest stage in sports.
Actor and Legendary break dancer Michael Chambers, better known as Boogaloo Shrimp, told TMZ on Friday (July 28) that he hopes the Olympics will spawn more opportunities for future break dancers. He said, “Life’s passion is finally making it into the Olympics — legitimizing the art form in the mainstream — and hoping it’s going to help breakdancing brothers and sisters make a few more bucks here and there.”
Break-dancing at the Paris 2024 Olympics begins on August 9. Official times have yet to be announced. The 2024 Olympics will be streamed on NBC.