The Gods of Hip-Hop

The Gods of Hip-Hop The lessons I've learned at my 1st Les Twins workshop

The men who have influenced my life are few. My father tops the list. He was a creative genius. He played piano at a level to rival the greats. He composed music and had a natural talent since his childhood.

My father was a complex man. His knowledge of music heavily influenced my choices in what I listen to and how I perceive all art with music involved.

In 2020, I found myself in desperate need of inspiration. God/Goddess/Universe (I'm not sure what to call It) put Les Twins in my orbit. I won't go into too much depth about my situation, but I'll say that I was very ill and seriously depressed.

I'm a proud nerd. I love research like a dog loves treats and belly rubs. I found myself scrolling YouTube trying to find something that would lift the fogginess in my brain. Les Twins popped up in the algorithm. The first video was of Larry Bourgeois dancing in Piccadilly Circle. I remembered him from past videos and winning the World of Dance competition with his twin brother.

The song playing in the background is by the artist -Yebba. I didn't know the artist though the first note compelled me to pay attention. Her voice melts as she croons about a lover she can't stop thinking of despite infidelity. Larry's movement is a work of art. His hands are graceful even when the emotions in the music hit hard. He embodies music from the beginning. I'm in tears at the end of the 5:09 minute video.

I feel emotions bubbling up that I've deeply packed away. The songs states, "I'm bout to lose my mind." The song isn't about a lover anymore. It's about me struggling to keep my sanity after being given a life changing diagnosis.

The next recommended video starts to play. Laurent is dancing in Greece. The song is by the artist Nao singing -In the morning. Larry tells the audience that his brother wants to 'talk' to them. Laurent's expression is so serious that I barely noticed his body is moving. By the end, he dropped to the floor in a split so hard I felt my body jump from the thud sound. Larry wraps his arms around his brother's waist. Laurent bends at the waist and screams. Again, I'm in tears.

I knew immediately that I needed that type of release. I had to find a way to get my own bottled-up emotions outside of my mind. Writing is my art therapy. It has helped me through all the worst moments of my life. Les Twins became my muses.

I searched everything I could to find about these identical twins and what they possessed that could pull emotions out of me the way they did. A combination of extreme musicality, physical body control and insane creativity started to lift me out of the fog.

As I started on a healing journey, I took in copious amounts of Les Twin videos. I also changed my daily routine by adding in physical therapy, changed my diet and started writing a novel. On August 13th 2023, I attended my 1st Les Twins workshop. I gifted them the novel titled – The Gods of Hip-hop – which I wrote during the time I adjusted to a new life of chronic pain.