BBBRRRPPP-tschk BBBRRRPPP-tschk phhtt-phhtt-THPPPPUUUUT-wrrrrp
October 28, 2008 6:14 AM   Subscribe

 
Whoa. The intro to the first one didn't give me a lot of confidence, but day-um. I even briefly wondered if she (or the second one) could be somehow faking some electronics in. They are machines.

(Definitely not a visual medium, though. They all look like dorks doing this.)
posted by DU at 6:23 AM on October 28, 2008


This is mad, mad stuff. That last link (under "themselves") has a girl that does a long, uninterrupted tonal hum while throwing beats on top of it. I have no clue how she does it. Great post flapjax.
posted by micayetoca at 6:29 AM on October 28, 2008


Here's one more for y'all!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:30 AM on October 28, 2008


20 years after the fact, but pretty decent. I'd love to see some new take, some new style, something innovative. But it's great to hip hop being lived all over the world. They should team up with battle rappers and have the illest team freestyle battles known to mankind.
posted by cashman at 6:35 AM on October 28, 2008


Lucky Monkey and Sophia were awesome. Benngie, not so much. I'm guessing she's been listening to all those white rock bands whose pictures are stuck up on the walls behind her and it's damaged her flow irreparably.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:40 AM on October 28, 2008


Damn, I love beatboxing. Thanks for this.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:48 AM on October 28, 2008


IMPORTANT NOTICE: All persons are advised to fast forward to the 2:22 point of the last (themselves) link in order to avoid the dreadful MC trying to be all down and everything but basically sounding like, you know, an idiot.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:52 AM on October 28, 2008 [2 favorites]


In one of the videos some commenter suggests muting the volume and watching for some rip-roaring fun. This is probably the only youtube comment I've ever agreed with. It turns awesome into lawlsome.
posted by aftermarketradio at 6:52 AM on October 28, 2008


20 years after the fact

Metafilter: 8 years after the fact
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:54 AM on October 28, 2008


Amazing, thanks as always flapjax.

Am I the only one who want flapjaxmusic.metafilter.com ?
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:55 AM on October 28, 2008 [4 favorites]


I quite liked the Polish MC, flapjax, but that whole clip had me pondering the eternal question of why Polish women don't have any eyebrows.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:58 AM on October 28, 2008


So why is Youtube consistently marking videos with "Sorry this video is no longer available". Seems to be a new thing but about 1/4 or more videos posted to threads like this are unavailable to me. What gives?
posted by schwa at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2008


What gives?

Are you initiating the viewing from here and then waiting a time? For me, if a video is streamed off of a page (as opposed to at the youtube page itself), it'll "expire". Reload it or watch it at the page. Sometimes it does it at the page too, and you have to F5 it.
posted by cashman at 7:17 AM on October 28, 2008


They should team up with battle rappers and have the illest team freestyle battles known to mankind.

I've always wondered why you only see solo beatboxing. It must've originated to provide accompaniment to rappers.
posted by jack_mo at 7:19 AM on October 28, 2008


Dear AskMeFi: Do they sell Windex for the INSIDE of computer screens?
posted by not_on_display at 8:46 AM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite]


There are beatbox battles, and team beatbox routines, jack_mo (here's a team-DJ battle routine, just for yuks, while I'm at it).
posted by box at 10:35 AM on October 28, 2008


What no Bellatrix???? For shame! Her live shows are stunning. Here's her MySpace profile with inevitable barely-readable text and here's the YouTube video of her performance of "Fever" (in which she does the beats, bass, singing AND scratching, all live). A cut above most of the stuff in the OP, IMHO.
posted by infobomb at 10:46 AM on October 28, 2008 [3 favorites]


DU, one of the hard life lessons: If you're afraid of looking like a dork, you'll never do anything cool.
posted by shetterly at 10:49 AM on October 28, 2008


Oh man, finally, an excuse to post a link to me beatboxing the Super Mario Bros. Level 1 music. How long since I've waited for this moment. (And how thankful I am that it's not video.)

Yeah, I'm nowhere near as good as some of these folks, and this isn't terribly polished, but I just recorded it in a single take for the hell of it.

(I'm a drummer, too, so that helps a bit.)

It's weird--I can actually whistle and hum at two different pitches, too, but I can't quite "actively" control the pitches separately. Once I can... I'll be able to harmonize with myself in a way that sounds like I'm a wayward radio station that's not quite locked in.

Beatboxing: The fastest way to get in good with the ladies.
posted by disillusioned at 11:30 AM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite]


Freaking sweet post, flapjax. Definitely makes me want to learn how to beatbox, especially for the sheer incongruity with my public image. Maaaaaan.
posted by Phire at 12:15 PM on October 28, 2008


fluteboxing
posted by Arch_Stanton at 12:37 PM on October 28, 2008 [4 favorites]


That link is trippy, Arch_Stanton.
posted by Phire at 12:52 PM on October 28, 2008


Damn, flapjax wins the internet today. We can all go home now.
posted by mullingitover at 1:15 PM on October 28, 2008


Fuck me, there's nothing '20 years after the fact' about that fluteboxing link. Those guys were just plain awesome. I thought, 'shit, how's anyone gonna follow that flutebox guy', and then beardyman just plain blew him away...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:20 PM on October 28, 2008


Hey infobob, thanks for the heads up on Bellatrix. She kicks total ass. Total.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:42 PM on October 28, 2008


I've been wondering if it's physically possible to beatbox without waving a hand around. I think the fluteboxer proves it, but he's kind of a dubious example, what with the flute and all.
posted by moonmilk at 5:57 PM on October 28, 2008


Some of this isn't half bad, but in reality doesn't take that long to learn. If anyone would like a metric of how well somebody can beat box, aside from clarity, is a) can they keep a beat and b)how long can they keep it? You'll notice most of them can't do either of these well.
posted by P.o.B. at 11:17 PM on October 28, 2008


If anyone would like a metric of how well somebody can beat box, aside from clarity, is a) can they keep a beat and b)how long can they keep it? You'll notice most of them can't do either of these well.

You know, P.o.B., I don't entirely disagree with you on these points: they certainly were some of the first thoughts I had when considering this phenomenon of beatboxing. I'm a drummer myself, and this matter of keeping a beat is perhaps something worth considering when evaluating what these girls are doing.

But on the other hand... is it? Really? After all, they aren't driving a band. They aren't backing up rappers. They're beatboxing as a solo art, and they are, you could almost certainly say, addressing a somewhat *limited-attention-span* audience. The purpose of their beatboxing, then, really has little to do with the purpose of a drummer in a band. So, I think perhaps your metric is not necessarily the best one to use when judging what these girls are doing. The quick-change aspect of it seems to be part of the overall aesthetic.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:53 AM on October 29, 2008


So I was being lame and looked up how to do this. There are many more vids floating around the 'nets for this, I'm sure, but this seems like a decent intro guide. MeMu collab anyone?

Not really. But man, that 16-year-old Sophia aka KiddBeatz gives me hope for myself.
posted by Phire at 3:48 AM on October 29, 2008


Good point, and I completely agree. Beatboxers shouldn't be measured with the same metrics used for, say, Max Roach or Bill Bruford. When beatboxers are used in songs the songs are written through and it is rarely used in an improvisational environment (which is kind of a shame, it would be cool to see beatboxers jamming and bouncing stuff off the other musicians)

A quick link to contribute to the thread. It's from Dave Chapalle's Block Party. Ignore the first half where he is being silly, the important part starts at 3:22, when the waiter in the restaurant raps and Chapelle beatboxes.

And Arch_Stanton, that flutebox guy is mental.

posted by micayetoca at 3:50 AM on October 29, 2008


This is kind of marginally beatboxing, but I love it anyway. Water Bear!
posted by moonmilk at 11:25 AM on October 29, 2008


But on the other hand... is it? Really?

Granted, flapjax, it would depend on what you are trying to gauge. Entertaining? Sure. Are they actually good? Depends. The last link you put up actually has some very skilled beatboxers. I would say that set of women can keep a beat, control it and change it so it didn’t sound like they were just randomly making sounds.
posted by P.o.B. at 4:06 PM on October 29, 2008


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