On a September evening in East London, the warehouse walls of Shoreditch pulsed with beats and raw energy as the 2025 Red Bull BC One Cypher UK took centre stage. This wasn’t just another dance event, it was the UK’s fiercest breaking battleground, where the nation’s top B-Boys and B-Girls clashed for a shot at global glory in Tokyo.
Now in its 22nd year, Red Bull BC One remains the gold standard for one-on-one breaking competitions worldwide. The UK Cypher is more than a local showcase, it’s a launchpad for greatness. A victory here means a ticket to the World Final, and with breaking’s Olympic debut still fresh in cultural memory, the stakes have never felt higher.
Image credit: Red Bull
This year’s venue was 83 Rivington Street; an industrial space laced with strobes and soaked in atmosphere which set the tone perfectly. The crowd leaned in, the DJ laid down the foundation and the battles lit the floor on fire. It was raw, precise, expressive – everything breaking should be. From power moves, to rhythmic footwork to a dedicated audience that was high energy, the night was electric.
Image credit: Red Bull
One name dominated the B-Boy bracket: Sheku. A familiar face to fans of the scene, Sheku’s win marked his third UK Cypher title. Known for his ice-cold composure, he spun through his opponents like a seasoned veteran with the hunger of a first timer. He attributed his win to his drive, telling us: “I keep going until the last bit of air; I’m difficult to beat because not everyone has that drive. I left everything on the floor today.’’
On the B-Girl side, the competition was just as intense, with another multi-time winner coming out victorious in the extremely talented Solid. Her strong musicality and originality got her the win, something she was very grateful for – “It feels rewarding because I worked hard and I really spent a lot of time preparing, so I’m here for it!”
As the dust settles in Shoreditch, Sheku and Solid will prepare for Tokyo, where the world’s best will gather for the Red Bull BC One World Final in November. If London was any indication, they’ll arrive ready to take heads and make history.
When things weren’t popping off on stage there was still plenty to keep the audience entertained on the night. This year Red Bull teamed up with Street Fighter 6, bringing arcade stations into the space to keep the competitive energy high but the real highlight was a performance from grime legend D Double E.
Image credit: Red Bull
A true pioneer, the East London MC has spent over two decades shaping the voice of grime -with iconic ad-libs, lightning-fast flows and a style that’s as unpredictable as it is unmistakable. That was all on show at the event as he shut down the stage with a set that blended old school and new school. From the classic Street Fighter Riddim to his feature on Fredagain’s Victory Lap which got him his inevitable wheel up, the crowd were loving every second of it. We were able to catch up with D Double E on the night to ask him a few questions:
D Double E, today we are at the Red Bull BC One Cypher. What do you think of the event so far?
Boy, it’s mad still. It’s good to see the community still there, living man. Breakdance has got a mad history, I used to do breakdancing myself so it’s good to see that all that talent and skill is still being worshipped.
What are you most excited to see tonight?
I’m just excited to see some new styles and tonight we’ve got the best of the best so definitely going to be seeing a lot of shocking stuff and hopefully we can make some history.
As you said, today it’s the best B- Boys and the best B- Girls going head to head in a battle. Do you see a lot of similarities between break culture and grime culture?
Yeah man I see a lot of similarities the way each round is so fast. It’s like a 16 bar for a 16 bar and you keep the ball rolling, and everyone is just coming in with their style. And when the people watch they can see who is and isn’t peaking. It’s about doing it at all times because everyone can peak but can you be consistent?
Throughout your career you’ve worked with artists from Kano to Skepta and different brands like Red Bull today. How do you go about choosing who you collaborate with?
Boy I only collaborate with greatness. So yeah, we just stay in that sort of lane – if you can recognise greatness and you can link up then you’re in good hands.
Speaking of greatness, at this point it’s almost cliché to say that you’re a legend in the game. What does your legacy in music mean to you?
My legacy means it’s my life, so I don’t even look at it like that, it’s just my life. This is me, so I’m in a different window to the outside view. I’m just excited to be here and excited to be alive and everyone else can say what it means to them. But the main thing is my family and my kids and when they tell me what it means then it’s more powerful.
A lot of people will say you’re their favourite MC’s, favourite MC. How do you feel about that title?
I’ve got a lot of titles man. When people see me, they just call me legend. People call me legend more than they call me Double. So, yeah I’ve got a lot of different titles.
Is there a moment in your career when you looked around and thought ‘yea this is history.’
Yeah, a few times. There have been a lot but one special time in my life was Streetfighter, when I made the track Streetfighter and it got given to the people that was a special moment in my life.
What is the biggest myth about D Double E?
There’s no myth man, if anything I’m just down to earth. A bit more down to earth than people might think. I’m kind of approachable at times, but most of the time some people try to approach me at the wrong time, eating a meal or with family or could be in the toilet and someone just comes next to me (saying) ‘D Double E’ and these times you’re just trying to go toilet.
What track or freestyle of yours do you think is slept on?
I would say I’ve got a track called Life is a movie and I made a track out of all the movies that I love, and I would like to do a competition one day for people to try and pick out all the movies that I say in that song. I’ve got the number, I know how many I said.
What’s next for you?
What’s next for me is some new music. I’m going to be coming out with some new music, yeah I’ve got a few things coming soon. I can’t really speak on them, you know how I do it and keep it moving init.
Red Bull BC One London 2025 felt like a competition and a cultural capsule. The sounds, the cyphers, the diversity of expression all pointed to a thriving scene. Breaking may have global roots, but events like this prove the UK has its own dialect – and it’s loud.
Next stop, Tokyo.
For more information about the Red Bull BC One Cypher visit: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/event-series/bc-one
Follow D Double E on Instagram @omygoshitsddoublee
