Krumping

Krumping originated from Tight Eyez & Big Mijo not from Clowning, a form of hip hop developed by Tommy the Clown (Thomas Johnson) in 1992. The two are related by form and origin, sharing the same basic speed and a similar movement pattern including rapid rhythmic bobbling and arm-swinging, as well as intermittent flexing of the spine and thrusting-out of the chest, more commonly known as a "chest-pop."

As others in the area picked up the clowning moves, the style morphed into something more frenetic and intense. Krumping crews sprang up throughout South Central, and Johnson realized a bigger purpose for the dance style he started. He opened the Tommy the Clown Academy, a recreation room where kids could study and dance after school, and he created the idea of the "battlezone" dance, which fetures dance-contests often billed as "krumpers versus clowns."

Krumping is a more aggressive dance form than clowning and is intended as an expression of anger or a release of pent-up emotion from the struggles of life through violent, exaggerated, and dramatic moves. Variation, individuality, and movement are the foundations of the krump or bobble-bounce. "Dissing” or jokes are often involved, as well as "sick" movements, such as snaking, grimey, or other sorts of actions with a degree of sexual connotation. Krumping also may or may not include fight moves and gymnastics moves, as well as moments of heightened aggression called "buck" moves.

The originators and leading early proponents of krump were the dancers Tight Eyez, Big Mijo. They trace their innovations to late 2001 and early 2002, when their style was perceived as too "rough" or "buck" for clowning.

Tight Eyez, who teaches krump and has produced instructional videos on the subject, regularly speaks of Christian healing and gives praise to Jesus when asked about krump. He distinguishes krump from clowning and from "the stripper dance" by its seriousness of purpose: Among the "don'ts" of krump, as he explains it, are the exaggerated wobble-walks of clowning and the buttocks-bouncing of the stripper dance. He also distinguishes krump from pop-locking and from hyphy (turf) dance styles because it is less precise and more freestyle. In one instructional video, Tight Eyez speaks of the three levels of krump, those being "bucking" (making aggressive-looking movements), "amping" (becoming genuinely filled with the emotions one is protraying through choreography), and "spirit" dancing (in which the dancer moves beyond choreography and is lifted into a religious dance "in the spirit").