(percussive music) - [Arthur] As a drummer, I've always been fascinated by the power of rhythm.

It's the heartbeat of music, the driving force that moves us.

I've spent my life exploring percussion and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with sticks and skins.

But there's another kind of beat that's been around for centuries.

One that's not played on drum but on a different kind of instrument, the human body.

♪ Here we go now ♪ (beatboxing music) - [Linda] This is beatboxing, the art of creating rhythm and sound using only the human voice.

(beatboxing music) - [Arthur] As a drummer, I'm fascinated by this art form and how it compares to what I do.

Can the human body really compare to the power of a drum kit?

(drum beats) - [Linda] Arthur and I are going to meet with beat boxers from across the country to better understand the history of beatboxing and its impact on music today.

(beatboxing music) (both laughing) - Alright, let's not do that, let's not do that.

- [Arthur] So I'm meeting up with Karnish, the executioner today.

A beatboxing legend here in Minneapolis.

Oh, he's been all over the world though, he's been touring the world.

I got my drums with me today, we're gonna get in here and create.

I'm very excited to work with Karnish.

I've played with him a few times before at jam sessions here and there, but today is gonna be special.

Oh here he is, what am I?

- Good to see you, man.

- Likewise.

- I've been too long bro.

(beatbox music) What are some common misconceptions about beatboxing that you run into?

- One is that it's not music, a lot of them say it's making noises with your mouth.

A lot of people don't lead first foot forward saying music.

(beatbox music) I disagree, I think that noises are musical too.

You know, every instrument makes a noise and it's turned into music.

- Music.

(beatbox music) - Another misconception is that, not everybody can learn how to beatbox.

(beatbox music) But anybody can learn how to turn themselves into an instrument.

And that's what I believe beatboxing is.

It's the art of transforming your body into an instrument.

(beatbox music) - The art of creating music with your mouth, throat and body goes back to ancient times.

But the culture of beatboxing as we know it didn't emerge until the 1970s and 80s.

Back then, the word beatbox was used to describe drum machines, like the CR-7030 or the legendary TR-808.

So when early pioneers started mimicking drum sounds with their mouths, that became known as human beatboxing.

(train engine roaring) Right now we are in New York City, the birthplace of beatboxing.

But we're gonna travel across the Hudson River to Jersey City to visit the Beatbox House.

A collective of beat boxers who have won multiple world battle championships.

The band originated in Brooklyn over a decade ago and is made up of five core members.

Gene Shinozaki, (Jean beatboxing) Kenny Urban, (Kenny beatboxing) Napom, (Kenny beatboxing) Amit, (Kenny beatboxing) and Chris Celiz.

The boundary pushing group says they aim to rebrand the art form.

The notion that I have is that you started the group.

- Yes.

- Is that correct?

Okay, so how did you start the group?

- Basically we wanted a place where people could come who would beatbox, you know, to beatbox.

(beatbox music) - You know, we would see each other at every competition, you know, we would consistently be in like the top five.

So we were like, let's form a group.

- Yeah.

- You know, you start doing this thing that's really weird just by yourself, but you know you really enjoy it and you just keep doing it, and you want to find other people like that.

♪ What it is to live ♪ - [Linda] Though, the members of Beatbox House made their name by winning world battle titles, they told me that their focus has changed to making original music and exporting American beatbox culture to other parts of the world.

- What we're doing now is producing music basically, right?

We're making these electronic tracks, but instead of Gene picking a synth to use and pitching it we're just using, (Napom beatboxing) and then boom.

(beatbox music) - [Linda] What are some misconceptions that people have about beatboxing?

- That it's a party trick, that's like the biggest thing, people are like, oh, that's a cool party trick, you do a sound and they're like, oh that's a cool party trick.

But what we're doing is trying to show people that beatboxing is music.

(both beatboxing) - [Arthur] Today, beatboxing is an international phenomenon with a global battle scene that pulls in millions of viewers online.

And beatboxing can be found in the recordings of hip hop songs.

(upbeat music) It's even made its way into songs outside of hip hop like this one from Thorm Yorke.

(upbeat music) So how did the art of beatboxing grow to become so influential?

- It all started during the early days of hip hop.

Back then beatboxing became an alternative to drum machines which were not very affordable.

Early beat boxers learned to mimic the sounds of drums when a drum machine wasn't available.

Beat boxers accompanied MCs on the streets during ciphers, on stage at a show, and even in recorded songs.

♪ La di da di, we like the party ♪ ♪ We don't cause trouble ♪ ♪ We don't bother nobody where ♪ - [Arthur] But beatboxing didn't stay the accompaniment, eventually it became the main attraction.

Pioneers like Doug E. Fresh, Buffy from the Fat Boys, and Bis Markie will take beatboxing to new heights by incorporating beatboxing both on stage and in the studio.

The track "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick became an instant classic from one of the most sampled tracks in hip hop history.

(beatbox music) - How is beatboxing important to the history and culture of hip hop?

- It's the instrument that you always have on you.

It's the easiest way to be a part of hip hop culture.

(Napom beatboxing) - A lot of people now say, beatboxing isn't just hiphop it's idiom, it's dance music, blah, blah blah, but I still feel like beatboxing is still hip hop.

Because for me, hip hop isn't just a style of music, it's a culture, and beatboxing kind of, it's stemmed from that culture of like, you know, people being oppressed and trying to speak out express themselves and beatboxing is a form of expression, you know.

- As the art form of beatboxing grew, more artists began contributing by innovating and creating new techniques.

Artists like Kenny Muhammad, Rahzel, Wise, D-Cross, Kid Lucky and many, many more.

Kid Lucky specifically was an important mentor and teacher for other rising beatboxers in the scene.

By the nineties, beatboxing was well known.

Even Queen Latifah got her start beatboxing for the group Ladies Fresh.

- As beatboxing grew in popularity in underground battle scene began to emerge, Kenny Muhammad and Rahzel became stars in the battle scene, this health beatboxing popularity spread overseas where competitions popped up across the world.

I got to meet some of the best battlers in the world.

The members of the Beatbox House all got their start by rising through the ranks of the international battle scene.

- Well, the main avenue for beatboxing is the competition, especially with a lot of young kids, like they want to get into this thing and they see that that's the lane, so it's like, okay, let me invest my time into like learning how to do that.

'Cause that's what we did, like our goal is like, let's win world champs, like let's win grand beatbox battle, and we did.

♪ Because it's a beatbox ♪ (beatbox music) - Beatboxing became a sensation online where battle videos and YouTube tutorials help bring beatboxing to millions of new fans.

As the community continues to grow, there are more and more women taking over the scene and winning titles.

like Kaila Mullady, DJ Hershe, Pe4enkata, and many more.

(Napom beatboxing) Napom has dozens of battle titles.

So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask him for a quick beatbox lesson.

Okay, I'm so nervous to ask but can you teach me how to do something?

- Yeah.

- Something easy, I am a singer, but like I am not a beatboxer.

- The basic one is boots and cats.

- Okay.

- So there's three sounds.

(Napom beatboxing) - Okay.

- So the first one is the B, you just gotta make a hard B sound.

So like, (Napom beatboxing) Do that like five times.

(Napom beatboxing) - It's hard.

(Linda beatboxing) Yeah, precisely.

- Okay.

- And then, (Napom beatboxing) So it's like a T and S together.

So if you go, and then add a little, after.

The last one is the K, So C where a K sound.

So just, (Napom beatboxing) (Linda laughs) - Like that.

- Pretty much perfect, you just want to try to put some more energy into that.

Feel that, (both beatboxing) (Linda laughs) Yeah, so now you gotta put the three sounds together boots and cats and yeah, keep it going, keep it going.

(both beatboxing) (Linda laughs) Cool.

- Nice.

- Okay.

(beatbox music) - [Arthur] So we know how beatboxing got it start, but I still want to know how it stacks up to someone playing the drums.

So to put it to the test, I challenge Karnish to a friendly game of horse.

- Okay, so I was thinking the idea would be like a kind of a game of horse, call and response, you do something and I'll try to replicate what you do on here.

- Okay.

- Let's do that for a couple minutes and then we'll switch it around.

(Karnish beatboxing) (drum beats music) (Karnish beatboxing) (drum beats music) (Karnish beatboxing) (drum beats music) Okay, let's go, let's switch it around, all right?

(drum beats music) (Karnish beatbox) (drum beats music) (Karnish beatboxing) (drum beats music) (Karnish beatboxing) That's cool, I like that, I like that.

That's tough.

Who do you feel like it's harder for a beatboxer to emulate drum sounds or a drummer to emulate a beatboxer sound?

- You're probably thinking it's as hard for you as I'm thinking it is for me.

- Exactly.

- Because for me, I feel like there's certain stuff my mouth can't do, and you're probably thinking well my hands can't do what his mouth is doing.

- My foot can't do that, that you doing?

(Karnish beatboxing) - 'Cause that's not a double kick, that's like a triple or whatever it is.

(Karnish beatboxing) - [Arthur] Today, beatboxing lives within, and beyond its hip hop beginnings.

(beatbox music) Beatboxing's origin story is about making do with what you have.

(Napom beatboxing) And that's why it's become such an innovative art form.

(Napom beatboxing) The innovative spirit of beatboxing is what has kept it around for over 40 years.

And why it's sure to live on into the future.

(Napom beatboxing) - Before you go, I wanna let you know about fight the power, how hip hop changed the world.

A new PBS series hosted by hip hop legend Chuck D, it's about how hip hop became a global movement that spoke truth to power.

Check out the link in the description below and let them know Sound Field sent you.

- It's the beatbox house and you're now watching Sound Field PBS.

(all beatboxing)