Beatboxing is a fascinating part of hip-hop; it is a person replicating the sounds of a beatbox using only their mouths. I find beatboxing very intriguing, and have always wished that I was skilled with being able to beatbox really well. It may seem easy but once you actually attempt it you just end up with spit flying everywhere and no actual beatbox sounds coming out. It requires a lot of skill and practice, which many of the pros have mastered and made use of in their careers. The art of beatboxing has left a huge impression on hip-hop culture, it creates and unrefined raw sound that can't be reproduced in today's music using computer software produced beats.
Since actual beat machines were expensive and MC's couldn't afford them they improvised, thus beatboxing came into being. Some of my favorite beatboxers are Rahzel, Biz Markie, and Doug E Fresh; I believe they cultivated the foundation of a whole new era of hip-hop, back when beatboxing was still in its prime. According to Mary Elizabeth: “beatboxing is the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, voice, nasal passage and throat"(Elizabeth). Watching pro beatboxers is so interesting because it actually does sound like they're using some type of beat machine but all of the sound is produced vocally.
Not many people know where and when beatboxing began specifically, like many other aspects of hip-hop. However, most would say beatboxing originated from 'The Fat Boys', a group made up of: Mark "Prince Markie Dee" Morales, Darren "The Human Beat Box" Robinson, and Damon "Kool Rock-ski" Wimbley. Since Robinson couldn't afford a drum set he would replicate the sounds that would normally emit from a drum set (The Fat Boys). It's astounding how The Fat Boys utilized not having something and creating a completely new hip-hop subculture.
Beatboxing is a class of its own, just as other subdivisions of hip-hop it plays and important role. It gives people room to create raw music, without anything except them mouths. Beatboxing just proves how creative people can be; when they don't have the resources necessary to make music they create it themselves. These days, however, beatboxing isn’t very popular anymore. Human beatboxers have been replaced with free computer programs that anyone can use. Although there is probably still an entire community of people who revolve their lives around beatboxing who probably still appreciate the art. I hope one day beatboxing will make a comeback, maybe in some post-apocalyptic era where all people have is their mouths to create beautiful music.
"Amazing Human Beatbox." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Oct. 2006. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
Elizabeth, Mary, and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
"Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh - La Di Da Di (Full Version)." YouTube. YouTube, 04 May 2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
"The Fat Boys." The Fat Boys. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
Each week you bring up a new, fresh take on hip hop and you share it with the masses. Nice job here, too! I totally thought of Biz Markie when thinking of beat boxing. Did you know that he now appears on Yo Gabba Gabba and my daughter even recognizes him because of his beats?
ReplyDeleteI know this might be a stretch, but I wonder if there are any music professionals who have analyzed the beatbox and written articles on how it's done, it's success in hip hop, etc.? I'd love to read a music producer or music professor's take on the genre!
Your post shows a lot of detail about beatboxing and howit orginated. The structure of your text is good and well written out, especially with the in-text citation. Maybe you should try creating your own video of you beat-boxing? That would be really interesting. Or probably give us a demostration on how to beat-box (how to position your hands, techniques you use with the mouth/tongue) That could spice up your post more. The videos provided was actually fun to watch, I enjoyed them.
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