A recent confirmed report states that Australian breakdancer Raygun has retired from the sport, professionally speaking, after the extreme backlash she received for her performance at this year’s Olympics.
Raygun aka Rachael Gunn announced her decision while appearing on the Jimmy & Nath Show in her native brazil, where she said she’ll no longer be competing in future competitions.
When asked if she’ll return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Raygun replied with a laughin “No!” She added, “I still break, but I don’t compete. I’m not going to compete anymore, no.”
Gunn admitted that she was planning to continue competing, but after the Olympics “that seems a really difficult thing for me to do now, to approach a battle […] the level of scrutiny that will be there.I still dance and I still break, but that’s in my living room with my partner,” she joked.
Raygun’s Olympic routine didn’t score a single point, which was highlighted by bouncing on her feet like a kangaroo, leading to a flood of jokes and memes online.
“I did not like that. It’s so many great breakdancers that I don’t know why they had this particular person doing that,” said superproducer Dr. Dre during an Entertainment Tonight interview. “It was funny, I got some laughs out of it, but what the fuck? […] There are incredible breakdancers out right now; I don’t know how that happened.”
The World DanceSport Federation has announced that controversial Australian breakdancer, Raygun, is currently the top-ranked breaker in the world. Her place at the top comes despite her viral showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, during which she failed to score a single point with her performance. In the wake of the announcement, the organization put out a statement clarifying how it determines its rankings.
“We would like to take this opportunity to provide clarity on the ranking methodology and address the concerns raised,” the statement began. “The WDSF Breaking World Ranking List is governed by the WDSF Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual (BRRM) and is updated based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months. Points earned in these competitions remain valid for 52 weeks from the date of the event.” As for Raygun specifically, they explained that she “placed first at the Oceania Continental Championships, October 2023 (ranking points will expire on 28 October 2024).”
Raygun competes during the Breaking B-Girls Round Robin Group B battle between Logistx and Raygun on Day 14 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at La Concorde on August 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The update comes after Raygun reaffirmed her belief that she’s the best breaker in Australia during a recent interview with the local outlet, The Project. “I think my record speaks to that,” she said of being worthy to compete at the Olympics. “I was the top-ranked Australian b-girl in 2020 and 2022 and 2023 … The record is there. But anything can happen in a battle.” She did, however, admit she knew her “chances were slim” at the international event.
Raygun also expressed her apologies for the public backlash the sport faced in the wake of her performance. As the Olympic games shift focus to Los Angeles in 2028, they’ll be leaving breakdancing behind. Be on the lookout for further updates on Raygun on HotNewHipHop.
Raygun says that she’s the best breakdancer in Australia and the controversy surrounding her performance at the Paris Olympics boils down to most viewers not understanding “the diversity of approaches in breaking.” Raygun discussed the event, becoming a viral sensation, and the accusations she’s faced in the time since during an interview with The Project.
“I think my record speaks to that,” she said of being worthy to compete at the Olympics. “I was the top-ranked Australian b-girl in 2020 and 2022 and 2023 … The record is there. But anything can happen in a battle.” She went on to admit her chances of actually winning were low. “I knew my chances were slim,” she said. “As soon as I qualified, I was like, ‘Oh my god, what have I done?’ Because I knew that I was gonna get beaten and I knew people were not gonna understand my style and what I was gonna do.” Regardless, she’s “very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced.”
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 09: B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia reacts during the B-Girls Round Robin – Group B on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
After the Olympics, rumors began to spread that Raygun had conspired to even qualify in the first place. “The conspiracy theories were just awful,” she said. “That was really—that was upsetting because it wasn’t just people that didn’t understand breaking and were just angry about my performance. It was people now attacking our reputation and integrity. None of them were grounded in any kind of facts. And obviously they’re still circulating. People still don’t believe the truth, but we do live in a different world now.”
Raygun Discusses Her Viral Performance In Paris
Raygun ended up not securing a single point for breakdancing and the sport will not be featured in Los Angeles at the 2028 Olympic games. Check out her full comments from the interview with The Project below. Be on the lookout for further updates on Raygun on HotNewHipHop.
Raygun is a viral breakdancer from Australia whose real name is actually Rachel Gunn. Overall, she went viral at the Olympics for some truly horrendous dance moves. Many felt like her moves made a complete mockery of the art of breakdancing. Interestingly enough, Gunn is someone who has studied the art form extensively on an academic level. However, this schooling did not prevent her from embarrassing herself on the world stage.
There has since been a change.org petition leveled against her as some believe she cheated her way to the Olympics. Allegedly, there were more talented women breakdancers in Australia, although they got passed up for someone who should have never been there. Well, Raygun finally broke her silence with a video message, which you can check out down below. As you can see, she thanked her fans for their support, while also addressing some of the hate she has received.
Australian breakdancer Rachel “Raygun” Gunn speaks on the backlash she’s received following her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.pic.twitter.com/IA0g8WKy5q
Her loudest message in the video was addressed to the press, whom she claims has been harassing her and her family throughout this process. She just wants to be left alone, and will even be going to Europe soon so that she can have some downtime. Needless to say, it has been a rough few weeks for the Australian dancer. Only time will tell whether or not this is a scandal that she will be able to come back from.
Let us know what you think of the controversy surrounding Raygun, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that the controversy surrounding the breakdancer is justified? Were you outraged by her inclusion at the Olympics? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Athletes are back with their loved ones following the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but no one received as much attention upon landing on home soil as Rachel Gunn, known as “Raygun.” The 36-year-old Australian breakdancer joined a handful of her peers to compete in the first-ever breakdancing competition at this year’s Olympics. It was a historic moment for the culture, emerging from the streets of New York City decades ago to an international stage. It was a sight for Olympic fans across the globe, but Raygun stole attention for all the wrong reasons—and now, she’s being blamed for breakdancing being cut from the Olympics lineup in Los Angeles.
On August 9, Gunn showed off her moves in the B-Girl match, and it didn’t take long for her to go viral. Viewers took to social media with clips and questions, especially after Gunn received no points and placed last. Soon, it wasn’t just commentators looking for an explanation on how Raygun made it to the Olympics; breakdancers and those immersed in the culture were also puzzled. Then, rumors and speculation of corruption and Raygun cheating her way into the Paris Olympics flooded the internet. This further thrust the university professor into infamy, but her country—and the Australian breaking organization AUSBreak—have come to her defense.
By her resumé alone, it is clear that Gunn has a passion for breakdancing. She not only received her doctorate in media, music, cultural studies, and communications at Macquarie University, but she is also a professor there. Raygun is well-published on the art and history of breaking and Hip Hop, but it was her husband and coach, Samuel Free, who introduced her to the scene. He, too, is a breakdancer, and the two are well known throughout their country’s niche yet growing breaking community.
Although Raygun is popular in her area, especially considering her background in breaking academia, she seemed to have known she was out of her league. She told reporters after her performance, “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves,” per NBC News. Gunn also referenced certain moves that were highly criticized, including, at one point, her doing the Bunny Hop and the Sprinkler. Things were so bad that some accused her of purposefully trolling the Olympics with a poor performance. “I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative, because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”
Meanwhile, Gunn has continued to take considerable hits online and in the media. Her talents and skills have certainly been up for discussion, but the ridicule has also been significant. At the Olympics, fellow Olympians uplifted Gunn, rallying around her in laughter, fun, and support. They hyped up her routine, and she broke out a few moves for a crowd after being lifted through the mass gathering on someone’s shoulders as if she’d taken home the Gold. Despite the global pushback against her Paris Olympics performance, Gunn seems to be taking it all in stride publicly. Moreover, the World DanceSport Federation reportedly has offered mental health support.
Like any hot topic, viral moment, many expected Gunn’s Olympic snafu to fade into oblivion by the next major news cycle. However, her time in the spotlight was extended after misconduct allegations permeated social media. Videos sprung up on TikTok detailing alleged double dealings behind the scenes that allowed Gunn to take to the Olympics stage. It was purported that Raygun and her husband founded the Australian Breaking Association. The gossip accused the couple of making it financially difficult for other breakdancers to enter qualifying competitions in Australia, opening roads for Gunn and her friends to become judges and participants. It was highlighted that the dancers allegedly omitted from participating were from marginalized communities.
After the rumors of corrupt dealings quickly traveled through online platforms, a Change.org petition to the Prime Minister of Australia was launched against Gunn. With almost 39,000 signatures at the time of this publication, the petition demanded an apology from the breakdancing professor, calling the process “unethical.” It stated, “Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage.”
It continued, “Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”
LAustralia’s Rachael Gunn (L), known as Raygun gestures next to US’ Logan Edra, known as Logistx, during their battle as part of the Women’s Breaking dance Round robin of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris, on August 9, 2024. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
This news not only spread like wildfire but also introduced a new level of vitriol against Gunn. While Raygun hasn’t made an official statement regarding the accusations, AUSBreak denied any wrongdoing in the Olympics selection procedure. “We condemn the global online harassment and bullying of Raygun,” they shared in a statement. “The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is immense, especially against the opponents in her particular group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.”
They added that the qualification process lasted over two days and adhered to the “World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) regulations, which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the process aimed to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.” AUSBreak further explained the vetting process. “The Oceania Olympic selection event (The QMS 2023 WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships) in October 2023 brought together the top Breakers, both Bgirls and Bboys. A panel of 9 international adjudicators, a head judge and a chairperson who oversaw the competition, using the same judging system at the Paris Games and trained to uphold the highest standards of impartiality. These judges are all highly respected in their respective communities and in the international Breaking scene.”
While Rachel Gunn has remained silent, she has been vindicated by officials. Moreover, her country, team, and fans stand with her. Australian Olympics chief Anna Meares said she loves Rachel and condemned the media for “giving air time” to the “trolls and keyboard warriors.” She added, “I absolutely love her courage. I love her character and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has… She is the best breakdancer female that we have for Australia.”
Meares seemingly also accused critics of being sexist. “Now you look at the history of what we have had as women athletes, have faced in terms of criticism, belittlement, judgement, and simple comments like ‘they shouldn’t be there,” she stated. “One-hundred years ago, leading into Paris 1924, Australia sent a team of 37 athletes – none were women. One-hundred years later, we have 256 women representing here.” However, the criticisms regarding Raygun intellectualizing Hip Hop and breaking culture without the fundamental ties to its origins and representing it at the Olympics continues to spark debates worldwide.
Rachel Gunn, the breakdancer for Australia who goes by the name, RayGun, is facing accusations of “unethical conduct” after her viral performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Thousands of upset fans have signed a Change.org petition that claims she manipulated the selection process to her “own advantage” by setting up her “own governing body for breakdancing.” The statement is addressed to the Prime Minister of Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee.
“We, the undersigned, call for immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions of Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears in the selection process for Australia’s female breakdancer representative at the upcoming Olympics,” the petition says. “Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage. Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”
RAYGUN of Australia during the Breaking, B-Girls Round Robin at La. Concorde on the fourteenth day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Picture date: Friday August 9, 2024. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
It doesn’t appear that Gunn has addressed the petition; however, she has spoken on the backlash she’s received over the quality of her performance. “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best—their power moves. What I bring is creativity,” she said during a press conference. “All of my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. I go out there, and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.”
Dr Dre had lots of connections to the 2024 Olympics. His frequent collaborator, Snoop Dogg, was a torch bearer and meme machine during the games. Dre performed alongside Snoop during closing ceremonies. Plus, the next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, meaning Dre and Snoop will effectively be everywhere. The legendary producer enjoyed the games for the most part, but he had huge problems with one competition in particular: breakdancing.
Dr Dre has been a hip-hop star since the 1980s, so he knows a thing or two about the four elements. He did not like (or recognize) what he say, however, during the Olympics. “I did not like that,” Dre explained to Entertainment Tonight. “It’s so many great breakdancers that I don’t know why they had this particular person doing that.” The person in question was “Raygun,” an Australian woman who went viral for being, well, bad at breakdancing. She got zero points from the judges, and became a meme overnight. Dr Dre admitted that the Raygun bit was funny, but lamented what could have been a real opportunity for a real dancer.
“It was funny, I got some laughs out of it,” Dr Dre conceded. “But what the f*ck? There are incredible breakdancers out right now; I don’t know how that happened.” Dre wasn’t the only producer who had a problem with Raygun’s performance. Pete Rock hopped on Twitter during the breakdance competition and mocked the dancer’s moves. “Ooohhh sh*t,” he wrote. “Wait, that bunny hop kangaroo sh*t she was doing took me way down to floor. This is so messed up.” Dr Dre is going to do his part to ensure that the 2028 Olympics will be taking things a bit more seriously. How? Well, he plans to compete as an athlete.
Dr Dre told Entertainment Tonight that he plans to try out for the U.S. archery team. “I stopped for a while, and my son bought me a setup,” he explained. “I don’t know if it’s for my birthday or Father’s Day or something like that. So I have it set up in my backyard.” The producer noted that he first developed a passion for archery in middle school. “Wouldn’t that be interesting to go, especially with it being here in LA, and win the gold medal,” he pondered aloud. One thing’s for sure: he can’t do worse than Raygun.
The 2024 Olympics were very special for a lot of reasons, including the debut of one of hip-hop’s staples, breakdancing, as an event. While the decision to omit it from the 2028 Games is a sad one, it might make sense to some casual consumers thanks to one particular B-Girl this year. One of Australia’s representatives, Rachael Gunn AKA Raygun, lost all three of her one-on-one contests with a total tally of 54-0. But more than the loss itself, the online reaction to her performances was so mocking, disgusted, and critical that she spoke to ESPN about it.
“What I wanted was [to] come out here and do something new and different and creative,” Raygun expressed. “That’s my strength, my creativity. I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?” Compared to other Olympic happenings, this was a pretty controversial moment overall, especially for the hip-hop community.
“I love Rachael, and I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them airtime, has been really disappointing,” the Australia team’s Chef de Mission Anna Meares said of Raygun’s performance, which Snoop Doog witnessed along with everything else at the Games. “Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm. And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has.”
Meanwhile, breakdancing continues to define a lot of hip-hop culture, and they still celebrate it as an integral part of the art form and community. Sure, it doesn’t have the same relevance and presence it used to have, but rappers like Common still get teased for their B-Boy moves every once in a while. It looks like the Olympics won’t be the one carrying the torch for the culture on a grand, global scale. So let’s find the next big breakdancing moment, let Raygun redeem herself and her art, and give more shine to the culture that birthed this tradition and the cultures that appreciate and respect it skillfully and tastefully.
Breakdancing is one of hip-hop’s five pillars, and seeing it at the 2024 Olympics in Paris is quite the wild sight for the culture and art form as a whole. Sadly, this global exposure and reintroduction in the popular societal sphere probably won’t make you very happy if you’re bummed out about people forgetting about this pillar more often than not. That’s because a lot of these displays proved to be pretty cringe according to social media’s comically unimpressed reactions. Many of them took aim at a particular b-girl Raygun, although other Olympians also caught strays and jokes about their efforts.
Still, a lot of Olympics fans and viewers found some truly worthwhile and engaging performances during these breakdancing one-on-ones. Even though most of what’s going viral is the more seemingly embarrassing fare, just like with every other event, there’s always something special to witness. Hip-hop’s had a pretty eventful presence in these games this year, with Snoop Dogg pretty much being the poster boy for a lot of it. Surely, more closed and centralized hip-hop circles have a lot more to say about this breakdancing.
Elsewhere, artists like Pharrell think that the Olympics should reinstate their arts competition. “We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” he expressed at the event’s Louis Vuitton party. “Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in… Why not take this moment to bring awareness?” The LV creative director referred to the five medals awarded in fields of music, painting, architecture, literature, and sculpture from 1912 to 1948. Breakdancing is definitely a start, although it seems like they didn’t kick off on the best foot this year.
Meanwhile, there are other Olympics-slash-hip-hop moments that were perhaps not as embarrassing as some breakdancing, but were nonetheless not the typical display you’d see from the genre. This includes Travis Scott and Quavo’s impromptu performance of the U.S. national anthem. Huncho Jack and Jack Huncho were giving it their all, but if they had a mic in front of their hands, it would be a pretty bad performance. But they didn’t mean to take over a Super Bowl stage with it, so let’s let them be proud hip-hop stars and at least make the jokes funny and not mean.
The film that spawned a sequel and cemented itself in pop culture, turns 40
Breakin’ became an instant hit in the Hip Hop world for putting the dance culture on the map. The film features not only a storyline that captured audiences even outside of the Hip Hop world but some of the greatest music written at the time that was being included in the world of breakdancing.
With a cast made up of Hollywood elite and established Hip Hop players like Ice-T and dance sensation Michael Chambers a.k.a ‘Boogaloo Shrimp’, the film follows Kelly (played by Lucinda Dickey), a young jazz dancer that struggles with her style and takes it to the street with the help of her friend Adam (Phineas Newborn III). Adam introduces Kelly to two street dancers, Ozone (Adolfo Quiñones) and Turbo, who was played by Chambers, who in turn show her their dance crew and ways, and their endless competition they have with rival crew Electro Rock.
The crews in the film struggle with both their rivals, and also acceptance by Kelly’s dance instructor, who disapproves of the hybrid style the dancers perform alongside their street affiliation, but through it all, Kelly soon becomes a sensation with the crowds and finds success.
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