Ever since the unforgettable impact that the recent earthquakes left on the island of Puerto Rico, Hip-Hop legend and man of the people Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon has been on the front line to help people reconstruct their lives after an unprecedented natural tragedy. Now, that this country is facing a similar, unprecedented tragedy that has already claimed over 10,000 lives, people are still looking to Crazy Legs for answers during these questionable times.
While home with his family, including his son who he believes, will test positive for COVID-19, the Bronx native and founder of the legendary, world-renowned Rock Steady Crew speaks to TheSource.com about his take on the coronavirus crisis, how he and LA-based b-girl Logistx helped other dancers around the world combat boredom of the quarantine and how the virus has personally hit home for him.
In a very candid phone conversation, the 54-year-old Red Bull BC One international representative was very adamant about his priorities in regards to the recent coronavirus pandemic When asked for his insight of what the country is actually facing, Legs cynically replied, “Well, we al know you can’t trust the government anyway (laughs).” He went on to say, “I have absolutely no reason to believe much of anything that is not coming from an expert. There’s a lot of sofa scientists and biologists out there, people who have an opinion, but don’t have the qualification to say much of anything. I don’t want to speculate my self into panic and go crazy, but for me, I feel more inconvenience because I was about to be on my way to Puerto Rico to bring solar showers to children that were affected by the earthquakes. I’d rather be out there doing that because even when all of this stuff is over and everyone goes back to normal life, those people that were affected by the earthquakes still don’t have a normal life.”
Besides coming to the aid to the people of his ancestry, the Rock Steady Crew living legend has a big responsibility at home as well. With his son being a likely candidate to test positive for coronavirus, Legs says he’s not going to allow that potential diagnosis to steer him away from his family duties. “Keepin’ it a hundred, my son has been sick and we’re still waiting for the test results to come back, but I’m not going to allow myself to get hysterical without having the full details,” admits Colon. “I would say he’s more than likely going to test positive. I’m going to be a concerned parent, but I’m not going to let my mind [lay tricks on me because it’s just not productive. Am I worried? Yeah. Am I freaking out? No.”
Crazy Legs continues to be a pillar in the breaking and dance community as a whole and many look to him for advice, especially during a time of crisis. The ability for that community to connect with one another is essential, so he and LA b-girl Logitx created a virtual platform for the global community of breakers to interact. When asked about that connection, Legs stated, “he is someone of the “now” generation and she’s super inquisitive, super intelligent and she cares beyond the dance. That’s what teaches cultural integrity and what keeps pushing the culture forward by passing on information to the next generation.”
Servers of the community like Crazy Legs are very optimistic about the result of the stay-at-home order imposed on everyone in the country. He contends that people cannot even conceive of the feeling they will feel when the quarantine is lifted in the U.S. “People are going to be in for a big surprise when they feel that true amount of emotion that they’ve been holding inside when they see their loved ones again,” he says.
Hopeful that a contingency plan from Red Bull to still hold the BC One World Finals are in place and rescheduling his annual Puerto Rock Steady Festival to October from June, Crazy Legs has not allowed the coronavirus curve to dampen his future planning. More importantly for him, the only thing that can’t be regained is time, which will fair very well for the real creatives. “Doing all of the things I’ve done in Puerto Rico and visiting places that are third world countries that are going through so much devastation. life has to continue on certain levels. I’m not throwing an event or anything, but we have to work on what’s going to come after all of this is completed. We have to make sure that we’re still being productive and a lot of people re going to be needed.”
