Suga Pop

"'Suga Pop" is a internationally-recognized "street dance" practitioner and choreographer based in the United States, with family ties to New Zealand and Samoa. He is renowned for his execution of the styles "popping" and "locking" (collectively grouped under the umbrella term "funk styles") that are associated with the U.S. West Coast, particularly California. His crew affiliations include the Electric Boogaloos, The Lockers, and Rock Steady Crew. [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200.]

History

In his early years, Suga Pop moved back and forth between the island of Upolu in Samoa and New Zealand. As a teenager he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii to attend Kaimuki High School. In Honolulu Suga Pop quickly built a reputation for himself as a dancer which followed him to Los Angeles later in life, where he became associated with the dance moves of "popping and locking". [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 2000.] In an interview with Dance Channel TV, Suga Pop attests that up until 1978 "there was only locking." Popping came later. [Interview with Suga Pop and Popin' Pete. Dance Channel TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzwS-ycF7ds] Suga Pop moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s and early 1980s movement of popping. [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200.] He received instruction in this type of dance from the inaugurators of the dance itself: the Electric Boogaloos. [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200.] He was a dancer for Sesame Street and this gig moved him from the West Coast to the East Coast. [ Culture Moves: Suga Pop. 2005. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 09 April 2008. http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/dance/gallery/suga-pop.htm] While in New York, he also learned to b-boy. [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200.] At age 18, he appeared in music videos with Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Prince. [ Culture Moves: Suga Pop. 2005. HELLO!Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 09 April 2008. http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/dance/gallery/suga-pop.htm] Eventually, Suga Pop would return to California to perpetuate the practice of popping and locking. Suga Pop's collaboration with percussionist Sheila E encouraged him to think about the music that spurred his dancing career. [ Culture Moves: Suga Pop. 2005. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 09 April 2008. http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/dance/gallery/suga-pop.htm] The world of dance encouraged Suga Pop to become a musician himself, and he began to learn many instruments throughout his dancing career. [ Culture Moves: Suga Pop. 2005. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 09 April 2008. http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/dance/gallery/suga-pop.htm]

Legacy

Poppin' and lockin'! This Samoan dancer is recognized as one of the means by which East Coast dancers in the United States would learn the dance practices of West Coast dancers. Suga Pop formed a band called Pop's Cool Love, which released an album, A Man, in 1991. [Culture Moves: Suga Pop. 2005. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 09 April 2008.] In the United States, Suga Pop has produced his recordings and managed those of others. He has been recognized as one of the key contributors in the international street dancing scene. [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200.] The group that Suga Pop formerly managed, The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E, has also heavily influenced the Samoan hip-hop scene. [Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200.]

References

*Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200
*Culture Moves: Suga Pop. 2005. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 09 April 2008.