World-famous beatboxer visits MemAud
By Susannah Elliott, Entertainment Editor
February 19, 2006 | 10:37 p.m.
Rahzel was born to beatbox. The art form is what many enthusiasts label the “fifth element” of hip-hop, behind rapping, DJing, break dancing and graffiti. However, in areas like southeastern Ohio, many community members may not even know what beatboxing is.
A beatboxer (or vocal percussionist) like Rahzel can use only his mouth and a microphone to imitate all elements of a song, including everything from the bass line to the chorus.
A natural at his art, Rahzel explained that it starts with “taking your favorite song… and just imitating it — just like when you’re in the shower.”
He makes it sound so simple.
Rahzel started imitating the sounds on his mother’s records when he was as young as 8 years old. It was at this time that he began looking up to his cousin Rahim, a founding member of the Furious Five. While growing up in Queens, N.Y., Rahzel also watched hip-hop legends like Grand Master Flash and learned the elements that laid a foundation for what hip-hop has become today.
Rahzel is best known as a member of the Roots, a Philadelphia hip-hop group notorious for their live instrumentation and creative lyrics. However, he ventured into a solo career in 1999 and gained a reputation for single-handedly reforming the art of vocal percussion.
On Saturday night, Rahzel lived up to that reputation and represented the history of the hip-hop world that he was able to experience throughout his life. Accompanied by the skilled DJing of JS-1, he took requests from the audience and mimicked everything from Jay-Z to Kanye West to Wu-Tang – complete with the beats and chorus at the same time.
Rahzel, like any great performer, established a rapport with his audience immediately and made audience participation a key part of the show. He even went so far as to give $20 to anyone who could guess the next song. A man of his word, he handed the bill down from the stage when someone guessed correctly.
One of Rahzel’s last songs of the night was “If Your Mother Only Knew,” his tribute to Aaliyah’s “If Your Girl Only Knew.” Since its release on 1999’s “Make the Music 2000,” it has been the song to bring beatboxing back into the spotlight. Beatboxers worldwide have since used it as a standard for their talent, mimicking and battling each other with their different versions of the hit.
After introducing himself at the beginning of the night, Rahzel said, “I’mma take y’all back to the essence of hip-hop!”
He accomplished that and revealed his vision for hip-hop, showcasing beatboxing as the most artistically dynamic element. He realizes, though, that hip-hop has become heavily commercialized in recent years, and he strives to educate fans about the roots that made the genre popular.
“[More commercialization of beatboxing] could be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing,” he said. “As long as it’s not overdone, then it would be cool, I think. At this point, it’s kind of cool because it’s not everywhere. Just as long as, you know, in the next six years or so it’s not in your face.”
Rahzel also recognized that on campuses like Ohio University’s, where Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews Band still reign, many people attending the shows might not listen to hip-hop much. However, he hoped that “it would maybe educate a lot of people… like you might not listen to hip-hop a lot but you can see this side of it. You might just know hip-hop from what you’ve heard around, or in the news, or what’s been on MTV. But this gives you a different side of the art and what it’s about.”
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Visit Rahzel’s Official Web site at: http://www.mcarecords.com/rahzel