Breaking
Breaking
Lilou and Brahim vs Crumbs and Remind: Reunited for a special battle
Four influential breakers from France and the US reunited for a special exhibition battle at Red Bull Lords of the Floor 2026, and an unexpected call-out: a must-see clash available to watch for free.
In a special exhibition battle, in San Diego, California, two globally renowned breaking pairs reunited: Crumbs and Remind (from Style Elements crew), and Lilou and Brahim (formerly from Pockemon crew). It was France vs USA, in an epic, throwback showdown that brought all the hype of the '90s and early 2000s. There were no judges, just four breakers battling for pride, reputation and the continued desire to express their style, in front of an excited, energized crowd.
01
Crumbs and Remind: the architects who influenced generations of breakers
Crumbs and Remind are members of one of the most legendary, influential breaking crews in history: Style Elements. Formed in 1994 in California, United States, Style Elements built their reputation by winning major competitions like the 1996 Radiotron championships, Battle of the Year 1997 and Freestyle Session 1999.
With members who practised every element in hip-hop, including breaking, dj’ing, beat boxing and more, they influenced the whole breaking world with their creatively original approach to the dance. Bringing a style and flavor to the dance floor that captivated generations, their influence was shipped around the world on VHS tapes.
Remind and Crumbs are architects of breaking whose influence is undeniable
© Vibrancy
Donnie Counts, known as B-Boy Crumbs, became famous for his complex and unorthodox breaking approach. He has a seemingly endless arsenal of moves and intricate threading combos. He was an innovator in the art of stacking (chaining) freezes, while changing levels from his shoulders, to head, elbows and handstand. His signature moves include slow motion halos, bouncing head halo freezes and many more. To see Crumbs break is to watch a technical master of the dance, who prides himself on always being original.
Ariston Ripoyla, aka B-Boy Remind, fully expresses his artistic personality through every movement of his breaking. Dynamically rhythmic, he transitions from move to move, always living inside the pulse of the music perfectly. He might snap into a no-handed, Buddha pose, headstand freeze or suddenly stop his body mid-flow and channel all his creative movements to one arm, leg or head movement. Remind embodies a unique freedom of movement, bringing a larger than life presence to every dance floor he steps on.
02
Lilou and Brahim: The French connection that took battle attitude to another level
Lilou and Brahim were both members of the infamous Pockemon crew, from Lyon, France, and embodied the fearless, 'never back down' mentality of French breakers. They stamped their name on the breaking map with wins at competitions such as Battle of the Year 2003 and the 2006 UK Bboy championships. When it comes to breaking they're known for their raw energy and wildly dynamic routines. They also appeared in mainstream spotlights when touring with Madonna (MDNA Tour 2012).
Lilou and Brahim conquered stages worldwide and toured with Madonna
© Little Shao
B-Boy Lilou, whose full name is Ali Ramdani, is arguably the most unpredictable and comically expressive b-boy on the breaking scene. When he hits the floor, his legs sweep, spin and move at crazy angles. It’s common place to see him dive backwards into a headstand freeze, and demonstrate dynamic threading combos. He also knows how to bring a crowd to their feet with his wild, spontaneous antics. On top of this, Lilou is a multiple-time world champion, and was the first breaker to win the Red Bull BC One World Final twice - in 2005 and 2009.
Brahim Zaibat, who goes by the artist name Brahim, is a b-boy who combines strength with contortion-level flexibility, and explosive power. He flawlessly executes upside down power moves into deep inverted handstand freezes, able to bring his knees all the way to his chin, or pull his feet past his ears. He does all this in one explosive, controlled snap, and can hold the freezes as easily as if he was standing on two feet. Brahim won second place in the French TV show Dance Avec Les Stars alongside Katrina Patchett in 2013.
03
What is Red Bull Lords of the Floor?
Red Bull Lords of the Floor was created to pit legendary duos against each other, meaning there is no better stage upon which to meet. The first Lords of the Floor, in 2001, was a legendary event. It was the first-ever Red Bull breaking competition, and brought the best duos from all over the USA to compete against each other. There was a second edition in 2002 and the Return of the Lords in 2024 saw legends and new duos of current and younger breakers.
Crumbs and Remind are veterans of the Red Bull Lords of the Floor stage, competing at both the 2001 and 2002 events. Crumbs also competed at the 2024 edition.
B-Boy Crumbs of California's Style Elements at Lords of the Floor in 2001
© James Newman
04
Why the Lilou & Brahim vs Crumbs & Remind exhibition is a must-watch for b-girls and b-boys
These four breakers are legendary. During the '90s and early 2000s both duos helped elevate their crews to iconic status through representing on the biggest stages in breaking. They influenced how people break today, though many breakers from the newer generations don't even realise it.
The battle in San Diego was a display of the raw energy and battle attitude that drew thousands of youth, from around the world, to breaking. Both duos demonstrated the personal breaking styles, moves and crew routines on which they built their reputations.
Lilou and Remind fully expressed the animated characters that have made them the memorable personalities everyone gets fired up to see dance. Crumbs and Brahim displayed their ‘all business’ competitive spirit, going blow up combo, for blow up combo. With the DJ dropping classic tracks, the crowd loved every second of what they saw. What no one expected was the added bonus of the call-out after the battle, between Remind and Lilou.
The four had exchanged words on social media before the exhibition, with Remind saying, “they aren’t legendary to me” and “we’re not doing any of their moves, they’re doing our moves, so automatically, we win.”
They aren’t legendary to me...
Lilou and Brahim confidently laughed off Remind’s comments, with Lilou saying, “I accept you, if you think this, and I think you will change your mind after the battle. See you in San Diego.”
This made both duos more fired up in their battle energy on the night. Tensions ran high and Remind called out Lilou to continue, immediately after the battle finished. The two battled outside their hotel, with no hosts or DJ, just a crowd of onlookers from the event, eager to see more, and in true hip-hop fashion, repeating the unwritten rule of 'no touching' each other, as it’s about speaking with your moves.
The two breakers went back and forth but not with long, competition rounds. Instead, they demonstrated their knowledge of the dance, based on what the other prompted or challenged them to show. It was a call-out battle about displaying the craft of breaking, not about winning. Lilou even did the whole call-out in his socks, kicking off the saddles he’d come outside in.
The call-out, battle energy was high, but the exchange was done with respect. This showed when Lilou did an airchair freeze and Remind said, “my crew made that up.” Lilou acknowledged this by saying, “big props to your crew, of course, bro.”
In the end, the battle finished with the Remind and Lilou hugging, having settled and released all tension on the floor, through the dance, as it's done in breaking. Lilou told everyone watching, “big respect to Style Elements.” Thanking Lilou, Remind changed his comment from before and said to everyone, “this guy is a new legend. He earned my respect.”
05
How to watch the Lilou & Brahim vs Crumbs & Remind exhibition battle 2026
You can watch the battle on Youtube @RedBullBCOne and below:
Red Bull Lords of the Floor
