Phil Tayag talks about his dance performance at the Dreams Are Never Gone Festival.

It was decades ago before the termhypebeast was even born that a group of fans of sneakers, streetwear, and hip-hop were a mystery to the rest of the world.It is easy to find someone who fits that mold in both a positive and negative way.It is difficult to find someone who works in a profession that fits the mold.HIDDEN HYPEBEASTS is a new series with the goal of seeking out individuals who may not come off as one at first, because of their job or occupation, but truly exemplifies the culture once you peel back the initial metaphorical layer.Jabbawockeez is the CEO, creative director and co- founder of the world famous dance crew.

While the Jabbawockeez have been a cultural phenomenon in our space for the last decade, taking off after winning season 1 of America's Best Dance Crew, they have typically danced under the guise of their now famous white masks.Most people didn't know that the dancer was the original founder of the group when he hit the stage with Bruno Mars at the 60thGrammy Awards this weekend.

The story of the Jabbawockeez has been documented multiple times over the years, but Tayag's tale offers further insight into how a group of close friends and dancers turned a counterculture into a mainstream phenomenon that connected at the core with streetwear, music and dance.Tayag offered words of wisdom before he even started his story.He says that more than dance, it has always been about communicating and expressing an idea.

He never had a job that did not involve dancing, even though he worked in a boutique for about five months.The West has its own interpretation of the culture from the ’70s and ’80s.

Most of us are familiar with the hybrid style of the '90s when we see the Jabbawockeez perform.There were bboy moves, it was hip-hop, but there was also freestyle, abstraction, dancing up top, not going to the ground and stuff like that.He describes a transition from the locking to the popping movement of the house era and then the new jack.Bruno has a new jack style that combines elements of swing, soul, funk, pop, hip-hop and R&B.

Growing up on the West Coast, Tayag was unafraid to tell it like it is.We were halfway thugging when we grew up.Maybe you were one of the drug dealers.You were part of a gang.Everyone was trying to figure out what they wanted to do, but it was all street culture.The dance is still considered to be a counterculture today.The creation of the Jabbawockeez was due to the connection between the cultures.

Kevin "KB" Brewer and Joe "Punkee" Larot were part of the Three Muskee crew along with Gary "Gee One" Kendall and Randy "DJ".He mentions Bruce Lee, Rock Steady Crew and Michael Jackson as sources of inspiration and transitions into talking about how the unique style of their crew was welcomed warmly by fans.People could have been against what we were doing because we mixed a popping style and then just went on the ground to some bboy shit.We were doing all of that over an abstract beat by DJ Shadow or Mix Master Mike.It got weird but we liked what we were exposed to.

A side project called " Byterz Will Be Eaten" was founded by Tayag during the same time that Jabbawockeez started to gain traction.He references the competitive nature of hip-hop for the birth of the term, when he was in bed and felt tired of biting.

Being part of a movement that presents something new and unique to the world naturally results in everyone wanting a piece of it.Tayag encourages proponents to add their own twist as the creative director for his BWBE label.What are you doing instead of taking?He has found that the common bond between dance communities and streetwear communities is music.Like a fire beat to anchor a great dancer, artists and producers have influence in starting and ending fashion and sneaker trends.Bruno Mars was the big winner over the weekend.

The Jabbawockeez were two weeks into their show at the Luxor when Bruno Mars reached out to them for the first time.

At one of his shows in Vegas, I was kicking it with him.Two years passed as Mars went on tour and the Jabbawockeez grew their team and global shows.After receiving another call from Mars, the Jabbawockeez would finally get to collaborate with one of the greatest forces in music.The collective would work on the Super Bowl, 24K Magic, That's What I Like, and most recently Finesse.

Before talking about Sunday night's performance, Tayag shouted out the name of the performer.She had a lot of energy to that thing.She is similar to what people see on social media.She is that way and that is why everyone is rooting for her; she is one of us.It was just blunt and honest.He says that the new generation wants genuine people.

The success and love shown during theGrammys performance was a direct reflection of the genuine bond Tayag and Mars have developed over the years.The sneakers had to bring the juice, and that's what Tayag said before the show.The old and the new were fused together.Sean Wotherspoon wore the Air Max 1/97 and the Jordan 1.We wanted to be able to flex on them quickly and felt like it was the right opportunity.He says that the sneakerhead in us all was a nod to the people around us.

Since the beginning of hip-hop culture, there has been a connection between sneakers and dancing/bboying.I feel like dancers have yet to button up their shoes in a specific way.The flat soles on the adidas and PUMA joints make the gliding look bad.He states that people are breaking in Sock Darts and Frees now.The topic of how sneakers have become part of pop culture is also discussed.

We are wearing a basketball player's shoe that was supposed to be worn on the court and we are turning it into some street stuff.We are wearing jeans and basketball shoes that are meant for the court.Even with skating from Vans and DC, we saw Nike come out.Street culture is a product of the internet and pop culture.relaying a message of communication to close out our chat, "Street culture in general is a driving force in pop culture point blank."It has a bunch of eyes looking at it from different perspectives and we were able to give a nod to hypebeast, streetwear and sneakerhead culture.Right now, it is a reflection.It was great to have a cool strong vibe.

More than dance, more than anything, it has always been about communicating and expressing an idea.

The Jabbawockeez have blessed pop culture with their unique and weird style for over a decade and while at times they took on the persona of the man behind the white mask, on a Sunday night in New York City's world famous Madison Square Garden.If you haven't heard of him before, you know how a boy came up with his friends from NorCal and grew into men to create a global phenomenon and glided their way across the biggest night in music.

There is a hiddenhypebeasts-phil-tayag-dances his way on to the grammy-stage.