Breaking
Breaking
Lilou and Brahim vs Crumbs and Remind: Reuniting for a special battle
Four influential breakers from France and the US reunite for a special exhibition battle at Red Bull Lords of the Floor 2026 – a must-see clash available to watch for free.
The competition arena of breaking has seen many duos make their names. Two of those globally renowned pairs are Crumbs and Remind (from Style Elements crew), and Lilou and Brahim (formerly from Pockemon crew). During the '90s, and early 2000s, both duos helped elevate their crews to legendary 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.
Now Crumbs and Remind will team up again to take on Lilou and Brahim in a special French breaking vs USA breaking exhibition battle at Red Bull Lords of the Floor 2026 on Friday, August 21, in San Diego, California. There will be no judges. This battle is all about pride, reputation and the continued desire to express their style.
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 1995 and 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. Style Elements is the kind of crew that influenced generations of breakers by being among the first ones, and that 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'll snap into a no-handed, mediation 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. It’s common to see him bust out a moon walk in his top rock or do his signature Michael Jackson inspired kick, which he sometimes does to his own head. When he hits the floor, his legs sweep, spin and move at crazy angles. He also knows how to bring a crowd to their feet with his dynamic threading combos. When Lilou is competing the only thing that's certain is that nothing is certain. 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
The battle will be a display of fully developed breaking styles, cultivated over decades, that have left their mark all over today's breaking - sometimes obviously, sometimes subtly. We're going to see what happens when the animated characters of Lilou and Remind try to outshine one another. Plus, Crumbs and Brahim are two ‘all business’ competitors, who are always ready to go blow up, for blow up, with any opponent in front of them.
The breakers come from an era where rivalries and competition beef was a natural part of breaking, and they've already exchanged words on social media. Crumbs complemented Lilou and Brahim as “worthy opponents”, but Remind said, “they aren’t legendary to me” and “we’re the better team. 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.” And Brahim fired back, “you will see very soon.”
05
How to watch the Lilou & Brahim vs Crumbs & Remind exhibition battle 2026
The battle will be live on Youtube @RedBullBCOne on August 21, 9:30pm PST (August 22, 6:30am CET) and available to rewatch on RedBull.com soon after that.
Red Bull Lords of the Floor
