Three days, three events, one family—and a weekend I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.
I’ve been trying to find the right way to write about this weekend for days now, and I don’t think there is one—so I’m just going to tell it the way it happened.
The Floorlords Crew turned 45 this year. Forty-five years since 1981, since two groups became one and started something that’s still going. We planned three days across Boston and Cambridge to mark it—battles, DJs, the whole culture out in the open, the way it’s supposed to be. What I didn’t plan for was how heavy it would feel to actually walk through it.
Two weeks before the anniversary, we lost Yhinny Matos—Lady Bug. She was the first official bgirl the Floorlords ever had, and the first of us to marry inside the crew. She and Flex built a family together; their son is a grown man now, in his twenties. Losing her right before this weekend knocked the wind out of all of us. We didn’t get to grieve first and celebrate after—we had to do both at the same time, every single day.
So this whole 45th Anniversary was for her. Every cipher, every battle, every record spun—that was us celebrating her the only way we know how.
Friday — Downtown Throwdown
This is the one that gets me every time. Free, all-ages, outdoors—no barrier between the culture and whoever’s walking by. The kids took the floor over completely, and I mean completely. Watching them own that ground made everything that came after feel a little lighter. We threw in an exhibition battle, and the rest of the night was just good music and good energy, the way Friday’s always supposed to feel.
Saturday — Mass Appeal
Saturday the tempo changed. The 2v2 Lottery Concept Breaking Battle and the 2v2 Open Styles Battle brought out dancers who came to rock, no question about it. This was one of those nights where you remember exactly why you fell in love with this in the first place.
- Breaking 2v2 LottoThoms Sawyer & Bboy Babalu
- Open Styles 2v2 LottoThe Eric Sun & Baez ACR
Sunday — United Styles
Sunday closed everything out with the 3v3 Crew Breaking Championship and the Rocking Battle—$3,000 on the line plus $1,000 for freshest crew, judged by people whose names are written into this culture’s history.
- 3v3 Crew ChampionsDynamic Rockers
- Freshest CrewNBK JC 201
- Rocking ChampionVitamin Da Governor 3.0
City of Boston
September 13th, 2026—Leanskee Day.
And then, on top of everything else this weekend held, Mayor Michelle Wu declared September 13th “Leanskee Day” in the City of Boston. I still don’t have the words for that one. Forty-five years of this crew, a sister we just lost, and then the city stops to say your name out loud. I’m taking that as more proof that what we’ve built here matters—not just to us, but to Boston itself.
Thank you
To our judges—BBoy King Ruen, Box Won, Ken Swift, Leanskee, and Rawkit Power—for lending your history and your eyes to this. To our DJs—Leanskee, DJ Fleg, and DJ GI Joe—for keeping the energy right all weekend long. To our hosts, to every crew that traveled in to battle with us, and to Boston and Cambridge for showing up the way you always do.
And to everyone who showed up and supported all weekend long—whether you competed, judged, spun records, took photos, cheered from the sidelines, or just stood in that circle with us—thank you. You’re the reason this crew is still standing after 45 years.
Forty-five years deep, and this culture is still alive because of every single one of you.
Rest easy, Lady Bug. This one was for you.