BON2 ON THE BREAK-UP OF TBB
- sweemo
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
In the interview conducted by Sir Norin Rad, Aby says: "...Batch broke up TBB in 1979 [...] but Bon2 and the Tremont Divison didn't realize that Batch had broken up TBB, but you have to talk to Bon about that."
So I did. Here is Bon2's perspective:
"When Batch called the meeting in 1979, I was asked to attend, but never knew, what the meeting was about. Me and about 18 members of my division walked all the way to the west side of the Bronx to attend that meeting at St. James Park, but when we got there, what I remember was; either Batch had just finish the meeting or the cops were there breaking it up... I think it was the latter, because what I remember is - when we got there, the cops were telling everybody to leave the park. That's why we all walked back to the east side of the Bronx, never got to hear what that meeting was about and I did not know that Batch had broken up TBB. I know this may be a little hard to believe in today's internet world. You got to understand there were no cell phones, no Facebook and the only communication we had with each other in those days was the word of mouth.
My chapter didn't have too many b-boys, we were known for graffiti writers, stick-up kids, fighters, partygoes and after 1979, that's just what we kept on doing. By me not knowing Batch broke up TBB, I kept TBB alive. At least in the East Tremont section of the Bronx, which was a big portion of TBB for I had close to 200 members at that time and I kept it alive up until this day.
It was Trac2, who brought this out to my attention in a phone conversation we had a while back. He said and I quote: "Joe, if you didn't know, that Batch broke up TBB, and you didn't break up TBB... By not knowing of the break-up, in reality, TBB never really broke up."
If I had to say which year was the year I considered TBB unofficially died out, I would have to say it was June 1st 1984. That was the year I went away for 7 years and it's as they say: "Take away the head and the body falls".
When I came home in 1991, I noticed that the neighborhood had changed drastically. Unfortunately, not for the better. I remember when word got out that I came home. It was big news and everyone came to the hood to welcome me back. There was a big crowd of TBB members all around me hanging out and reminiscing on the corner. People walking by started saying things like "oh shit, TBB is back!". But to me, it didn't feel the same. There was something different about it. No more DJs playing their music in the school yards, b-boys were still around, but they were not b-boying anymore... The only one still in the game was Crazy Legs, which is why we all pay him homage and respect. It was Crazy Legs, who kept the dance and the Hip Hop culture alive. And in my opinion, Bom-5 as well, because Bom-5 was representing TBB in Japan, which nobody knows about. I guess you can say that both Crazy Legs and Bom-5 was the life link of TBB until 1998, when Aby started it back up again.
Looking back, I don't think I would have broken up TBB anyway, because like I tell everybody - I come from a different breed of TBB. As Aby so eloquently described me to be in his interview. I'm not saying that for it to be glorified, but I'm just stating the facts. I think I would have challenged Batch not to break up TBB. And in my heart, I think he would have taken my advice. Batch is a sweet, humble and gentle guy with a heart of gold. I would protect him with my life. This is not to take away from his reputation as a man, because when it was time to get down, trust me, Batch got down! As I, on the other hand, was a bit more aggressive. More stern. More like a militant type, where respect was demanded as well as given. As I understood it years later, Batch broke up TBB, because it was getting out of hand. In his words I think he said: "we was getting like wild hyenas". But that was okay with me, because I knew how to handle wild hyenas! That's why I don't think I would have broken up TBB for that reason."
Thank you Joseph "Bon2" Borges for your time and willingness to share the precious history.
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