Charlie Puth

What's cool about the beatboxing is I was so afraid to sing in front of my peers, my parents, anybody. I just wouldn't do it. So in sixth grade, I would turn to beatboxing because it made me feel better. Like, I can beatbox 'Drop It Like It's Hot.' Doing that a bunch of times eventually gave me the confidence to sing in front of people.

American Musician

Rob Sheffield

When I started out as a music journalist, at the end of the 1980s, it was generally assumed that we were living through the lamest music era the world would ever see. But those were also the years when hip-hop exploded, beatbox disco soared, indie rock took off, and new wave invented a language of teen angst.

American Journalist

Doug E. Fresh

It's like having a conversation. Doing beatbox for me is as natural as talking is for someone else. Sending sound through a certain part of my throat, so that I am accurate every time. It's not like whatever happens happens, this is a focused sound.

I was probably like 13 years old, 14. And I used to walk home doing the beatbox from school. That's how I created it. There was no walkmans back then, no iPods, no CDs. There was just me. Back then there was the boom box.

Biz Markie

I love kids. Every time I go around people neighborhood, they're like, 'Biz! Yo Gabba Gabba!' They want me to beatbox all the time for them.

James Murphy

Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys gave me a present: it's a boombox with a keyboard and a beatbox in it. You can't make that up.

I'm always trying to come up with something new and unique. I do a beatbox with a harmonica.

Rachel Platten

I can beatbox. Well, sort of. I have one beat that I can do, but people get fooled.

Cara Delevingne

I love to beatbox and have been doing it before I even knew what it was.

English Model

Mario Vazquez

I can dance, act, beatbox and whistle very well.

Beatboxing originates from hip-hop culture; it's not just sounds, but part of a musical tradition.

Cultural Roots

Beatboxing is often a live performance act demonstrating vocal agility and creativity.

Performance Art

Beatboxing is casual and usually associated with informal events, not formal ceremonies.

Informal Context

Beatboxing as an art form is strongly connected to the hip-hop community.

Hip-hop Connection

Beatboxing often accompanies other performers, like rappers or dancers.

Collaborative Performance

There are beatbox battles and competitions showcasing individuals' skills.

Competitive Scene

A beatbox machine is a piece of electronic equipment for musicians, not just a hobby.

Studio Equipment

Beatbox machines are used in music production to create backing beats and rhythms.

Music Production

Operating a beatbox machine requires knowledge of music sequencing and rhythm.

Technical Skill

 But that's cheating. And it hurts your throat. So there's things you can't do, and these limitations on the human voice have always really annoyed me, because beatbox is the best way of getting musical ideas out of your head and into the world,

The polyphonic me PIPE...

 to help me out with this. So there we go. This is the first time this has ever happened in the history of mankind. Human beatbox to a cockroach leg. When you guys go back to your high school, think about neuroscience

Beatbox

Cultural Roots

Performance Art

Informal Context

Never forget "Beatbox"

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