What a year 2018 was! As a crew Clean North has had its share of ups and downs over the years but I thank God that 2018 had many more positive moments. As we look to the future and make more preparations for the year ahead, it’s great to look back over the last year and celebrate the good things that have taken place and the effect Clean North has had in our city (Bradford) and in the breaking/Hip Hop community.
The year began with us wanting to connect more with other crews and bboys/bgirls in the scene but not just at events. We wanted to visit training sessions as it allows us to jam and chill with others from different cities, in a more relaxed setting. We started with Sheffield and we all had a great time, there were a few exchanges and dope cyphers. Big shout out to the Sheffield bboys for their hospitality and raw energy. This was an inspiring trip and helped towards renewing our energy as a crew.
Never in the history of Clean North have we had so many performances and work as a crew. The sheer amount of work that has happened has been incredible. Through Tranquil Productions and independently Clean North has had double the amount of performance work and workshops. It was such a blessed year for us, we all got to spread Hip Hop to new areas in Bradford and connect more with the public and youth of our city. The most notable of our performances was the Bradford Bid showcase which was held at the National Media Museum. We played a massive part in making the case for huge financial investment to be made into Bradford by local businesses. This was a successful event and helped towards securing the future of the Bradford BID Development Group.
Then came the birth of Elijah. What an amazing experience it was for us all as a crew, when me and Fox needed help to adjust to having our newborn baby, Clean North were holding it down. They made up for being two members short for a few months and stepped up to the next level, to make sure the crew stayed on point. They also provided some fresh gear for him to wear, including his first pair of shell toes.
At such a young age, who knows what Elijah will do when he grows up but whether breakin or something different, he will have the support of Clean North growing up. He has already spent his early years in the presence of Hip Hop legends and loves the music, so we are sure he’ll be breakin in no time.
Clean North still maintains its strong position among the crews of Bradford, each and every member has made progress this year taking the crew to the next level. A big part of that progress is due to hitting events and connecting with the other breakers in the UK. This year we managed to hit jams in Bournemouth, Bradford, Derby, Leeds, London and Sheffield. We also took many other bboys & bgirls from our city with us to these events, so we could help improve their breakin level and help build up the scene in our city. Whilst hitting many of these jams the great thing to see is the new generation of breakers coming through and the positive attitude they have, more people seem to be enjoying themselves and the level of breakin is definitely going up, which is great to see for us as a country. Clean North managed to take the win at the Bradford Brawl and both Spider and Airdy managed to reach the final of a few events this year.
Another great achievement is that out of the 6 breaker of the months (BOTM) two of those positions are held by Clean North members Labyrinth and Spider. The posts celebrating the BOTM will be posted later this month so please look out for these.
The last achievement of Clean North which was a massive feat, was their involvement in successfully delivering the Tech Styles International event, Tech Styles 5. Without the drive and determination of many members from Clean North, this event would not have happened. Everyone worked super hard to bring all the elements together and Clean North were a big part of making sure our guest bboys & bgirls had a good time during their stay in Bradford. This is an official word from Tech Styles International “It’s amazing to see a crew from the host city getting involved and helping to improve the experience of the people visiting Bradford & the Tech Styles audience, Clean North were instrumental in making Tech Styles 5 one of the leading UK‘s events.”
As a word of encouragement to other crews on the scene we would like to say please keep going and pushing through the hard times. We have been through many trials over the years and it’s not been easy, but we are now in the best position we have ever been in. We past our 15-year mark and we hope to be even stronger when we reach our 20-year anniversary. It takes everyone in a crew to do their part and to make it successful, there are no free rides and no places for ego if you are going to stand the test of time. When things are going right it’s hard to beat that feeling of having a strong supportive crew around you to chill, train and battle with.
We hope to connect with more people this year and will hopefully see you in the cyphers, jams and battles in 2019 peace and love.
Clean North represent!
