Breaking
Breaking
10 things you need to know about Lil G
Get to know Venezuela's unstoppable B-Boy Lil G and find out how he battled against the odds to get to the top.
Lil G is a breaker who pushes boundaries and inspires others. But his success certainly wasn't handed to him and didn't happen overnight.
My biggest fight at the beginning, in truth, was social rejection
Lil G had to battle from 11 years of age to stay true to his passion and achieve his dreams. Not only did he have to win over his family, but he had to carve his name on the turbulent scene in his home city of Caracas, Venezuela.
"If it weren't for Red Bull BC One, I would still be drifting and living from one day to the next. Now I have a goal and a future," he says.
We caught up with Lil G to find out exactly what it took to get to the top and learn how he thinks the next generation should get there.
1. Changing perceptions
“My biggest fight at the beginning, in truth, was social rejection,” he says. ”Breaking was seen to be in bad taste in my country for the most part. It was nothing professional or that you could have a good future doing. I was still only 14 years old and it was difficult to understand many things but I knew I didn’t want to quit. I just kept doing it and kept my focus on the road in front of me. I could see obstacles that could mess up my motivation, but at the same time was starting to discover ways with breaking that I could earn respect and change peoples perceptions.“
The biggest challenge was to overcome social rejection
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
2. B-Boy life in Venezuela was no easy task
“I’d describe the scene from Venezuela as raw power or in Spanish ‘Potencia en Bruto’. The hip-hop scene here is still developing; we have graffiti writers, many rappers and there are also occasional parties and underground battles. I say 'underground battles', because in Venezuela B-Boy battles are organised by breakers or crews, without any support from sponsors or the government. They're promoted via word of mouth. A fee is collected from the participating dancers and from this money the expenses and prize money are covered.”
3. Crew love runs deep
“When I started out, like I said, becoming a professional breaker in Caracas was not looked at as a decent or traditional career choice. My family didn’t approve. I was born Gibrahimer Beomont, but was given the name Lil G by my crew, Speedy Angels Family. I joined and started travelling with them when I was 14 years old. Because I was still underage and not permitted to travel along, Speedy Angels took the official role as my legal family.”
Speedy Angels took Lil G under theirs wings and helped him become a champ
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
4. Winning over his family
"When my family saw the time, energy and passion that I dedicated to my art and breaking, that’s when they started to accept it. Today, they are very proud of me and respect me for what I’ve achieved. In the end, everything I’ve been through has been a highlight for me. But having the support of my family and my people, that’s been my biggest battle of all and also my biggest win."
5. Looking up to the next generation
“I got inspired to start breaking at 11 years old by watching Shadow and Cannon perform. B-Boy Storm (Germany) and Salah (France), were also huge influences because of how they live and fight for their love of breaking. Today, I am looking at my family and the new generation coming up and hoping that will be inspired in the same way and contribute to breaking like I did.“
Lil G does airflares at Victoria Station in Mumbai
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
6. What he would be doing instead
“If I had not become a breaker, I would for sure be playing basketball at a professional level.”
7. His toughest competitor is himself
“In all the victories, competition wins or whatever that I’ve won, I’ve felt the proudest when I’ve been able to battle past my own mind. Whenever I step on a stage I must beat myself to be able to win, so my hardest competitor has always been me.”
3 min
Water vs Fire
It’s a battle of the elements as BC One All Stars Menno, dancing in water, and Lil G, dancing while on fire, have the most visually stunning dance off.
Be sure to download the free Red Bull TV app and catch the Breaking action on all your devices! Get the app here
8. Lessons learned
“I’ve learnt a lot on my journey, but one of the most important lessons is to be able to deliver something that you can also receive; which is to listen, accept my mistakes and forgive when someone hurts. By following these, every day I learn something new and everything that I once saw negatively works out positively in my life.“
9. Favourite place
"Red Bull has changed my life in mad ways. It’s led to all the experiences that have made up my history, made me what I am today and taken me across the world. I’ve grown so much professionally as well as spiritually. Because of that, my favourite place for battles is in Asia. The public and organisation are very good, plus you always have great energy from everyone. You are unique when you arrive and that makes me feel purposeful in those places.”
Lil G in Shanghai
© KENSTYLE/Red Bull Content Pool
10. What the road ahead looks like
“My biggest fight as a B-Boy so far was to be able to maintain my discipline and perseverance, as well as be able to continue at such a high level with all my responsibilities today. If you want to get anywhere with B-Boying, you need to travel and you need to work extremely hard. I sometimes sleep on floors, often don't get much sleep and even still now and then there isn't any time to eat. It’s not easy, but if it’s your passion and you don’t give up, the sacrifice will always be worth it."
