The Bronx Boys Rocking Crew is the first Latino rocking crew and the founders of the original style of floor rocking. The first incarnation of the crew was known as The Bronx Boys (A graffiti crew.) Established in 1974 it was founded by Cash.  This version of the crew was heavily involved in hitting (writing) the metro buses throughout the Bronx. The crew's original founder Cash along with Shark and later Batch would make up the crews founding leadership. As things would die out with Cash and Shark, Batch established The Bronx Boys Rocking Crew with the blessings of Cash before his passing.  The Rocking crew would go on to become a large crew.  TBB became a force to be reckoned with due to the sheer amount of members and the high quality of the rockers that got down on the floor. Members within the crew were skilled innovators of various foundation moves that are still considered standard in the culture.  Being the creator of the 3 Step move, Batch helped usher in the dance from "goin' off" to "rocking".  With TBB being a large crew and the first Rocking Crew to have various chapters throughout the Bronx, many other members also created foundational moves from the mid to the late 70's.

 

In 1976 Cash and Shark departed and in 1977 TBB became so big that it caught the attention of Afrika Bambaataa, the head of the largest organization in the Bronx, The Zulu Nation.  Afrika Bambaataa had called Batch to meet with him at one of the Zulu headquarters in Webster Projects to discuss a peace treaty.  Bambaataa wanted to make sure that no one (especially young children) would get hurt in the schoolyard parties that were being  thrown.  From that day forward, TBB and Zulu would meet as brothers and sisters at any event or parties.

 

With the climate of the Bronx in the 70's being a place of significant poverty, many youth dealing with street life first hand were in the position to parent themselves and had to find their own way.  Many established their own value system. TBB being no different than many at the time had been influenced by what they saw and some took a different route while others focused on their craft.  Those who were influenced by street life got caught up and this influence took its toll on the crew.  With this being the case, Batch saw the crew going in a direction which he did not feel was positive and productive.  He reluctantly made the decision to call a meeting at St. James Park on June 16th, 1979 where he officially disbanded the crew.  Many loyal members still felt the need to uphold the legacy and continue to represent TBB.  Members Jimmy Dee and Jimmy Lee set out to make a reincarnation of the former crew, to keep the legacy of the original Rocking way.  Jimmy Lee and Jimmy Dee decided to call their new crew Rock Steady.  When Batch asked Jimmy Dee "why that name?" Jimmy Dee responded "Batch, because TBB Rocking Crew was always Rocking Steady! You get it!"  Many of the original TBB members joined into this new version of the crew, but as time progressed many stopped Rocking and moved on in life.

 

With the original members no longer on the scene the crew's name found its way to Manhattan with new younger members who took the name to the next level throughout the public via the media.  With that taking place the history of the original members was lost in the shuffle for many years. It would appear that the legacy of the original Rocking Crew would be lost. But in the mid to late 90's media publications on hip hop culture and rocking in particular (the media was calling it b-boying or "break dancing") was very popular and received a lot of attention.  The proper history in many media outlets did no justice to the roots of the culture and did not tell the true story.  Some claims were outright false. This being the case Aby (Batch's younger brother) went out to clarify the falsehoods being published about the crew.  In 1998, with Batch's blessings, Aby (along with fellow original member Trace 2) set out to restore the legacy of The Bronx Boys Rocking Crew.  Aby became President and Trace 2 became Vice President.  When reinstating the crew, Aby altered the name of the crew slightly. It became The Bronx Boys/Bronx Girls Rocking Crew Global.  With over 50 chapters worldwide, TBB's legacy has been rejuvenated.  Many chapters work within their communities to teach the youth about our roots and culture. TBB/TBG Rocking Crew has indeed taken on a new life.  Not only does TBB contain b-boys and b-girls, but also MCs, DJs, writers, poets, activists, educators, photographers, videographers, promoters, and professionals from all walks of life. TBB/TBG is diverse and multi-faceted and will continue to grow in knowledge as we cement our legacy.