Break the Chain Clothing Collaborates With Tommy the Clown and Coolaid the Clown

Article written by: SoJones Asmara
Posted on: May 6, 2009

Artists Tommy the Clown and Coolaid The Clown, otherwise known  as the gurus of Krump and Buck dance styles, are also two men who have saved the lives of thousands of young people across the Los Angeles area by mentoring them and teaching them to express their anger and aggression through dance, not gang-banging. They collaborate with Break the Chain® Apparel, a clothing company started by domestic violence survivor Tammi Burns. In 2006, Tammi formed a team of people who aspired to make positive changes in other’s lives by creating “clothing with a voice,” a clothing line with messages that would inspire social change. Tammi has a twofold vision and that is: to use apparel as a tool to help fund social programs, and to inspire change by delivering messages against violence and addiction in-style

Both artists are deeply involved in the project. Coolaid created the slogan “Don’t Bang, Just Buck” for the official Krump/Buck t-shirt, while Tommy was in charge on giving inputs on color selection and overall look. The collaboration started when Break the Chain® Apparel sent 40 shirts to Tommy and Coolaid for their young dancers to wear on performances and dance battles. The response was positive, as both Coolaid and Tommy’s dance crew agreed that the shirts fit their crew nicely.

Laurena Marrone Campos as the rep for Break the Chain® Apparel delivered the shirts straight to Tommy and Coolaid’s camp in Los Angeles and stated:

“These are two incredible men, they devote their time to helping kids who would otherwise be on the streets, selling drugs or failing in school. This is about much more than dance, this is about saving lives and giving hope and a voice through dance and community to a segment of the population that society cannot or chooses not to help.”

Tommy and Coolaid’s “Don’t Bang Just Buck” t-shirt is going to be sold online and both artists and clothing line will introduce its program, Project Chain Reaction (PCR) to inner city schools. In PCR, students come up with slogans such as “Make a stand against an angry hand” and “Meth = Death”. With a slogan in mind, students will be encouraged to develop art work based on their chosen social issue. The winning designer will be chosen to work together with Break the Chain® Apparel’s graphic designer to develop an edgy, eye-catching image screen-printed on t-shirts that will be included in Break the Chain® Apparel’s latest design. Among the issues to be included in the project are verbal abuse, underage drinking issues, self-esteem and gang awareness.

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