Mdantsane’s breakdancing veteran, Azola Mteto, popularly known as B-Boy Ranks, etched his name into local hip-hop history by advancing to the quarter-finals at the Red Bull BC One Cypher national final in Cape Town over the weekend.
Mteto, who earned his spot at the national showpiece after clinching victory at the Eastern Cape qualifiers held at Hemingways Mall in KuGompo City in July, achieved a career milestone by breaking into the top eight for the first time in five national final appearances.
Reflecting on his performance, Mteto said while he executed a strong opening round, a momentary lapse in focus during the quarter-finals cost him the match against Johannesburg’s Sive Kona, known as B-Boy Swae V, who went on to finish as the tournament’s runner-up.
“I did well. I don’t have any complaints there. Second round, I lost focus, I’m not gonna lie,” Mteto said.
“The pressures of being in the nationals, sometimes you just lose focus. The level is higher here, and composure is everything.
“The opponent was more composed than I was, so he got the better of me.
“I had the material, it was just the mental game we played against each other.
“But he was the better man — congratulations to both him and the winner.”
Mteto noted that despite having a receptive crowd and a solid game plan, overthinking mid-battle disrupted his execution.
“I was my worst enemy because the crowd was on my side.
“In the quarter-finals, that’s where I started questioning what I should do and what I should not do.
“I had a game plan in mind and I didn’t stick to it. That’s when things started going crazy.
“But from where you are, you can only grow.
“This was a test for me — how far I am willing to grow from here on. Reaching the quarter-finals for the first time is a milestone I can be proud of.”
Looking forward, Mteto aims to shift his focus towards mentoring the next generation of dancers across KuGompo, inspired by the All-Stars workshop held at Hemingways on Thursday.
“They saw the vision during the workshop and got excited.
“They want to be here, and maybe next year it will be one of them representing us instead of me,” Mteto said.
Pefferville’s Keenan Gregory, known as B-Boy Booraks, also represented the Eastern Cape at the national finals, securing a spot in the Top 16.
Gregory drew motivation from receiving a vote during his battle from international Red Bull BC One All-Star and two-time world champion who is celebrated as one of the most decorated figures in breakdance history — Ali Ramdani, known as B-boy Lilou.
“I got one vote from Lilou. That motivates me to say that if an international All-Star B-Boy can see something in you, you must not give up on yourself,” Gregory said.
“That goes for any athlete or anybody wanting to do their own thing — just believe in yourself and keep carrying on.”
Beyond the stage, Gregory uses breakdancing to uplift young people in his community, offering free training sessions to keep local youth away from drugs and alcohol.
“I know I’m going to have to grind hard now so I can come back next year stronger.”
