Be Cool

Lawrence always wanted to be cool. He always wanted to do a backflip and to breakdance like his hero, the 80s breakdance pioneer Shabba Doo from the movies Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. When Lawrence tries to do a backflip in his parents' home he puts his foot through the wall. Mrs Leung is not pleased. But neither is Lawrence, as the incident serves to reinforce his feeling that he's never been cool. This week's quest then is to become cool. So Lawrence registers for a big breakdancing crew battle in Federation Square, using fake credentials and a fake crew, Shabba Law Law are coming at ya! Despite his parents' misgivings, Lawrence heads to Los Angeles, the home of cool, his hero Shabba Doo, and the best breakdancers in the world. There he immerses himself in the hip-hop world, and with the assistance of his new friend and breakdance teacher, B-Boy Drew Looner, he starts to learn some moves. He also goes down to South Central LA to be mentored in rap by Rifleman, the so-called 'fastest rapper in the West'. Lawrence adopts a rap name, Shabba Law Law, builds his coolness and his confidence with Rifleman, and takes part in a midnight curbside 'cypher' (a freestyle rap battle on the street, as featured by Eminem in the movie 8 Mile). His rhymes about his innocent, 'uncool' life win respect from the tough sharks in the pool. He is starting to talk the talk - but he still can't quite walk the walk.