Photo: Peter Ou
Peter Ou
What exactly is beatboxing?It’s the art form of making music with the human voice and throat.
How old were you when you started?I was 13. I saw this guy beatboxing on eBaum’s World — before YouTube existed — and I was completely blown away. I couldn’t believe it was humanly possible. Today, there’s YouTube and you can type in “beatboxing tutorial” and you’ll find hundreds of videos that will explain exactly how to make every sound possible, and how to master every technique. But back then, there was only one guy on the entire internet that was making basic beatboxing tutorials. His name was Tyte fromhumanbeatbox.com. I watched a bunch of his videos and learned the basics through him. Once I got them down, I scoured the internet to see other guys do it, and I learned from them. The big guys at the time were Rahzel, Kenny Muhammad, Faith SFX. I would watch their stuff and emulate what they were doing.
What steps did you take to build your career?Starting in my early teens, I performed in talent shows; any opportunity I got, I would try to get myself out there and perform. When I graduated from college, I got a job in Las Vegas doing administrative work at a school. I did it for nine months and I knew it wasn’t for me.
I quit and booked a flight to New York and I started to street perform — we call it “busking.” It definitely helped me learn a lot about being a performer, and helped me develop my craft to where it is now.
I definitely had to sacrifice a lot, especially in the beginning. Busking isn’t easy and you have to give up a bit of financial stability in the beginning so that you can grow, but eventually the money will come. That’s been the case for me.
These days, I’m only doing shows — colleges, corporate events, weddings, parties, festivals, competitions. I have one coming up in October, where I’ll be representing America in the loop station category. It’s called theGrand Beatbox Battlein Poland. Hopefully, I’ll do well there, repping New York.
Allan Muriel
How does someone go about busking?I had to research for a couple weeks to learn what equipment I would need and how to scout prime locations. Once you learn that, then you need to have a bag or something people can leave money in. Once that’s all set, you have to show up and just do it.
So what was it like just going out on your own?It’s very, very nerve-wracking the first time you do it. It feels awkward, you know? You set up and start to perform in the middle of the subway platform while people are minding their own business and it almost feels intrusive at first. But over time, it becomes easier.
Was there a moment while busking when you felt like you really “made it”?Sure — but I can definitely talk more about my worst moments. One time, a group of teenagers were in front of me, enjoying my music … or so I thought. All of a sudden, one of them grabs my bag with the money in it and they ran towards the train. I started chasing after them but fortunately they dropped the bag and left. They took around $20 from it. I’ve had lots of drunk hecklers too, and they’re nonstop.
How much money did you make in the beginning, and how does it compare to what you’re making now?In the beginning I barely made anything because I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know how to get the crowd going or how to engage anybody. I was kind of performing to myself, to be honest. I think I made $40 for the first few hours.
Then over time, as I learned to work the crowd and how to choose what songs worked best, the money definitely changed. It depends on the spot and time — so there are many variables at play — but the most I’ve made in a day is like $500 to $600. It was probably on a holiday. A good day is $300, but if you’re stuck at a bad spot then it could be $50. It really depends.
What are some of the ways you keep your voice and throat healthy?Vocal warmups are key. We do a lot of the same things that singers do, likelip trillsandNG exercises. You have to warm up your vocal chords so that you’re ready to perform. I also do different breathing exercises.
If it’s a big show with around 1,000 people and I’m really nervous, I’ll do some deep breaths, like diaphragmatic breathing, through my belly. That definitely calms the nervous system. You will immediately feel your breath and your heart rate slow down. I’ll also do different things to get pumped up, like jumping jacks. Sometimes I’ll put my hands up in the air and scream, “I got this! I got this!” I’ve done that in the past before battles. It helps me get into the right mindset.
As a beatboxer, we also have to keep our microphones clean. It sounds gross but when you beatbox into a microphone, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. If you keep beatboxing into it, your likelihood of getting sick goes up big time. What I do is, I screw off the top of the microphone, which is called “the grill,” and I replace it with a new one. I’ll clean it and replace the foam part with a different foam. I have a whole basket full of microphone grills and foams that I use after each session to keep my equipment clean.
My advice? Don’t make it … corny? If you use your real name as your beatbox name then you shouldn’t run into any problems.
What’s one thing that you know now, that you really wish you knew early on?I competed in a battle in Switzerland back in 2015, and I was super excited. I was stoked because I was repping New York, but then I lost in the first round. The guy who beat me eventually won the whole competition, so I didn’t feel too bad, but I learned that in a battle setting, the best way to advance is to perform your best material in the beginning. Never, ever, ever save your best stuff for later because you might get disqualified early.
Apollo
How important is social media to a beatboxer?It depends. It’s important because you can put your music out there and get booked that way but I like to focus on performing in person first and social media second. Performing live is really where I shine.
What are some misconceptions people have about your career?The one that comes to mind is that, if you tell someone, “I’m a beatboxer,” they kind of look down on you, mostly because they’ve never heard of it. They think it’s a party trick or a novelty, and they don’t really understand how nuanced it is and the history it has.
Beatboxing is a form of music and people can downplay that aspect, or they’re just totally oblivious to it. That’s always a challenge. People don’t always respect what beatboxing is, but I’m sure that will change over the years as it grows.
What’s advice you can give to a young beatboxer who would like to have a career in beatboxing?Start early. Put yourself out there early. Get as much performance experience you can get in front of other people, not just practicing in your room, so you can get as much feedback as you can. You also definitely need a little bit of self awareness. You have to audit yourself to know that you’ve got the skills.
If you’ve got the skills, start as soon as possible. Put your foot down — no plan Bs. That’s my advice, and that’s what I’ve done.
source: people.com
