Jump Off battles Jump Back for 2012

The Jump Off, London’s most notorious hip hop battle event, made its return to London yesterday after a three year hiatus since Astoria was closed down for demolishment.

It’s been quiet for a while with few events meeting the same level of excitement and action that combines emceeing, dancing, music producing, comedy and booty shaking all squeezed into one night (and into a model’s G-string!).

While the physical presence of The Jump Off events disappeared for a while it’s continued as an entity online, setting offices up in London and New York and producing original hip hop video content for thousands of subscribers on YouTube.

Jump Off is recognised as the event where many of today’s grime and hip hop scene including Labrinth, Professor Green and DJ Charlie Sloth emerged, and especially for dancers, where Plague, Boy Blue Entertainment and Diversity all threw down ahead of making it big on television and in film.

Team Beast Mode and the seasoned Prototype, a fusion of the original Kruel Intentions (KI Crew) with members of Plague and Smash Bro’z battled in the street dance battles.

After only ten minutes it was over with Prototype the undisputed winners taking all the judge’s votes and the cash prize home and stay on until they meet defeat or win five consecutive battles in a row.

Jonzi D is on the dance judging panel, with Marlon ‘Swoosh’ Wallen of Flawless and Kenrick Sandy of Boy Blue, who sit with two other judges on rotation.

“The last Jump Offs were launch pads for a lot of people’s careers" said Jonzi. "I hope that the technical level remains high for 2012”

Is he worried about any tough calls? He explains: “No, I have a responsibility towards excellence not favouritism.”

As Jump Off continues its return it will be interesting to see whether the scene has changed. Now that so many of the events' alumni are signed, on the radio or in movies, what has will the next wave of new talent bring?

The money at stake is as big as ever, but how about the newer generations that has never been to a Jump Off? Time will tell.

Jump Off takes place at Fabric London every second and fourth Monday of the month.

For more hip hop events like Jump Off, see the Breakin' Convention Calendar