By the middle of the 1980s, the breakdancing fad was reaching critical mass. The artform had spent years bubbling up from the streets, and by 1984 it had gone mainstream with the youth of America. The year saw the release of the major motion picture Breakin’, a movie that starred actual breakdancers Shabba Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp in the roles of Ozone and Turbo as well as a young Ice T.
Before the year was out, a sequel – Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo – was also rushed out to theaters.
Musically, the electro style of hip-hop that was favored by breakdancers had its biggest year on the pop charts with a pair of top 10 hits namechecking the style: Irene Cara’s “Breakdance” and Ollie & Jerry’s “Breakin’… There’s No Stopping Us”. The latter was actually taken from the soundtrack to the first Breakin’.
But perhaps the most authentic breakdance cut to garner national attention was from a crew in Brooklyn called Newcleus.
Released on the independent Sunnyview label, the song had its roots in a previous recording that was something of an anti-hip hop record, as group member Cozmo D thought the style of music was frivolous and silly.
But in the process, he ended up making a sort of electro “Rapper’s Delight” with a beat that breakdancers could really sink their teeth into.
And while it missed the top 40, peaking at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100, it became a favorite of the streets and an enduring classic of a street movement whose influence can still be seen over 40 years later.
Newcleus pops and locks in at #51 with “Jam On It.”