Stuff Magazine presents Rising Stars in Boston.
By Erin Souza and photos by Ian Barnard.

Mr. Mayan Tamang

To call the Floorlords Hip-hop legends is like saying the Sox are pretty good at baseball. The nearly 30-year-old breakdancing crew is like the John Hancock building — a piece of the Boston landscape that is synonymous with the city but also holds a worldwide reputation. For proof that the group continues to attract fresh and fierce talent as it nears its fourth decade, look no further than 28-year-old Mayan Tamang, an urban renaissance man with breaking, photography, videography, and fashion-design experience under his streetwear belt.

Mayan the Lion of Zion, as he’s known to the guys in his crew, has been a member of the Floorlords since 2006, realizing a dream first sparked when he saw the b-boys perform at a show almost 10 years ago. “It was always my dream to become a Floorlord after seeing them,” he says. In 2006, he also launched Mayan Tamang Limited, his line of T-shirts and hats that’s been picked up by streetwear giant Karmaloop and other like-minded shops.

If Tamang’s got anything in spades — aside from refreshing humility and incredible talent — it’s heart. It was his love for all things hip-hop that got this Boston native watching old-school breaking videos and drawing graffiti. Channeling his passion for the new and unique, he traveled to his father’s native Nepal and Japan, learning international styles of street dance and drawing inspiration from his travels and all types of dancing: ballet, funk, disco, you name it. Up next for the young multi-tasker? Karmaloop just scooped up a bunch of his limited-edition hats, and he’s looking forward to performing with the Floorlords in Miami on April 25 for their United Styles hip-hop show. Even in the steamy South, we know this Boston phenom will have no trouble taking the heat.