Flippin' the light fantastic 

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Erykah Badu

B-Boy City Eleven arrives this weekend in Capital City with the somewhat ambiguous theme "One Mind." It's been more than five years since veteran bboy Romeo Navarro and cohort Denise Rositas created this three-day celebration of dance, competition, and activism to "bring the true essence of hip-hop by allowing those with the best skills to rise to the top."

In other words, this isn't "You Got Served." Movement aside, the highlight of this installment of Bboy City is a screening of the Top 5 hip-hop short films of all time, including the Bboy classic, Wildstyle, curated and hosted by director Charlie Ahearn. In the late '70s and early '80s, Aheran directed a kung fu flick titled The Deadly Art of Survival using Super-8 film and a budget of $2,000. Many consider his followup to be the most authentic take of hip-hop ever commited to celluloid, and featured icons like Fab 5 Freddy, Lee Quinones, Lady Pink, and Rammelzee.

The other elements of Bboy City should also shine with scheduled appearances by Austin staples Bavu Blakes, Tee Double, and graf writer Broke Rodriguez.

Those willing to venture further north for their hip-hop/soul/R&B fix should not miss Erykah Badu's "Official Prince Afterparty" in Dallas. Miss Badu has recently hosted a series of surprise events with guests including Talib Kweli, dead prez, and Musiq Soul Child, and her June 11 date will include a live jam session with a surprise purple guest. •

By M. Solis