An example of modern beatboxing

Biz Markie beatboxing

D.R.E.S. beatboxing in Atlanta

PKeliteBeats Beatboxing

Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments. Beatboxing today is connected with hip-hop culture, being one of "the elements", although it is not limited to hip-hop music.^[1][2] The term "beatboxing" is sometimes used to refer to vocal percussion in general (see vocal percussion for details).

History of beatboxing[link]

Prehistory[link]

People have imitated percussion sounds vocally throughout history. Two early examples are bol, which originated in India several thousand years ago, and the Chinese Kouji, a type of vocal performing art. These had little or no relation with rap, however, and have no direct connection to modern Eastern Hip Hop.

Other vocal imitative styles may have had some influence on the development of hip-hop, although this idea is difficult to prove. Significant examples include scat singing, associated with Jazz music, and puirt a beul, which originated in traditional Scottish music. Jazz, which developed from the blues and other African-American and European musical traditions and originated around the beginning of the 20th century, has also influenced hip hop and has been cited as a precursor of hip hop.^[3]

Additional influences may perhaps include forms of African traditional music, in which performers utilize their bodies (e.g., by clapping or stomping) as percussion instruments and produce sounds with their mouths by breathing loudly in and out, a technique used in beatboxing today.

Origins in hip hop[link]

The term "beatboxing" is derived from the mimicry of the first generation of drum machines, then known as beatboxes. "Human beatboxing" in hip-hop originated in 1980s. Its early pioneers include Doug E. Fresh, the self-proclaimed first "human beatbox",^[4] Swifty, the first to implement the inhale sound technique^{[citation needed]}, Buffy, who helped perfect many beatboxing techniques^{[citation needed]} and Wise, who contributed significantly to beat boxing' proliferation^{[citation needed]}. Wise inspired an entire new fan base of human beatboxers with his human turntable technique.

Modern beatboxing[link]

Shlomo beatboxing

Beatboxing's current popularity is due in part to artists such as Rahzel of the Roots, Kenny Muhammad, and Matisyahu who have promoted the art form across the globe.^[5] Websites also contribute substantially toward raising beatboxing's profile including HumanBeatbox.com and Beatbox Battle TV. Michael Jackson was known to record himself beatboxing on a dictator tape machine as a demo and scratch recording to compose songs Billie Jean, Tabloid Junkie, Who Is It, In the Closet, Streatwalker, They Don't Care About Us, Stranger In Moscow, The Girl Is Mine and others. He also uses his body to create sounds by breathing, stomping and clapping in varying ways in many of his songs.^[6]

Sometimes, artists will use their hand or another part of their body to extend the spectrum of sound effects and rhythm. Some have developed a technique that involves using their hands to produce very realistic scratching effects, which they use in beatboxing. Another artist from Belgium cupped his hands to make bird and ocean sound effects in his beatboxing, and so forth.

In 1969, John Mayall recorded "Room to Move" live on his Turning Point album, which features a vocal percussion solo from 1:48 to 3:00.^[7]

In the 1970s, bizarrely in one episode of the Benny Hill Show , Hill was called on to accompany a woman singing "Fever" but the band had no drums. Benny Hill mouthed the drum parts as on the Peggy Lee record fairly expertly, albeit not beat boxing in the modern sense it had similarities.

In 1998, Wes Carroll developed "Mouth Drumming," the first vocal percussion video instructional series (first on VHS, and later DVD). Many beatboxers credit this series with their entry into beatboxing.

In 2001, Gavin Tyte developed the first audio and text beatboxing tutorials on the Internet, then in 2002 he produced the first video tutorials on making beatboxing sounds and rhythms.

In 2002, Humanbeatbox.com went online and quickly became the hub of the online beatbox community.

In 2003, the first International Human Beatbox Convention (Boxcon) was held in London. Hosted by Alex Tew, Gavin Tyte, and Mark Splinter from humanbeatbox.com, beatboxers from all over the world gathered to jam, listen to talks, and share tips.

In 2004, Honolulu native Jason Tom began perpetuating the art of beatboxing throughout Hawaii after having caught Asian American vocal percussionist Elaine Chao entertain a crowd beatboxing on the Showtime At the Apollo television show. He then founded, Oahu's first beatboxing home base, the Human Beatbox Academy reaching out to Hawaii youth and communities.

In 2005, the World Beatboxing Championships was organised in Leipzig, Germany. Participants included Tom Thumb, Joel Turner (Australia), White Noise (Ireland), RoxorLoops (Belgium), Poizunus, (Canada), and Faith SFX (UK). After several rounds of beatbox battles and competitions, the finals between RoxorLoops (Belgium) and Joel Turner (Australia) was decided. The five judges had a difficult time picking a winner and called for two extra rounds, after which Joel Turner was declared World Beatbox Champion.

The first UK Beatbox Championships took place in 2005 with Faith SFX taking the national title.

Also in 2005, Beatbox Battle TV was founded September 2005 at the 1st Beatbox Battle World Championship event by Bee Low, B-Film, and Philibox. Today, it has become the largest beatboxing film archive in the world.^[8]

In July 2009, The World Beatbox Association (WBA) was founded, and set about organizing the first American and Canadian Beatbox Championships.

Recently, a 2009 Beatboxing World Championship took place wherein over 52 beatboxers, including many females, competed for the title. The female British winner Bellatrix (UK), the male Swiss winner, ZeDe (SUI), and the band Under Kontrol (FR) are now the holders of the largest beatboxing title.

The first-ever American Beatbox Championships took place in 2010 as the centerpiece of the 2010 International Human Beatbox Convention in Brooklyn, New York. Many Americans are emerging on the world beatbox scene such as Matisyahu, Dachi Johnson, Billy Gillette, Blake Lewis, Blasterisk, Kidd Lucky, Frisco, and many others.

In 2011, Singapore's first ever monthly beatbox battle: 808beatz was scheduled to kick start on 10 December.^[9]

At 5.15.2011 created an international cummunity of the beatbox lovers "GBX" (Global BeatBoX), based on the audioserver in RaidCall, server address: 645699

Modern beatboxer Layth performing at Audio club, Brighton

.

Notation[link]

As with other musical disciplines, some form of musical notation or transcription may sometimes be useful in order to describe beatbox patterns or performances. Sometimes this takes the form of ad hoc phonetic approximations, but is occasionally more formal.

Standard Beatbox Notation (SBN) was created by Mark Splinter and Gavin Tyte ^[10] of Humanbeatbox.com in 2006^[11] as an alternative to International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription, which had been used sparingly before then.

In 2010 the UK beatboxer Shlomo worked with composer Anna Meredith on a "concerto for beatboxer and orchestra", and developed a simple phonetic notation in order to create a score for the beatboxer.^[12]

World records[link]

According to the Guinness World Records, the current record for the largest human beatbox ensemble ^[13] involved 1,246 participants and was achieved by Vineeth Vincent and Christ University (India) in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, on 5 February 2011.

This record was beaten by Google Employees on November 14, 2011 in Dublin with 2081 people participating. It was achieved by Shlomo and Testament.^{[citation needed]}

Selected beatbox discography[link]

This list is a selected discography of commercial releases which are mostly/entirely beatbox-based or are otherwise notable/influential records in the history of beatboxing and its popularisation.

1980s[link]

• Michael Winslow - Police Academy (1984)
• The Fat Boys - Fat Boys (1984)
• Bobby McFerrin - The Voice (album) (1984)
• Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick - The Show, b/w La Di Da Di (1985)
• Just-Ice (featuring Davy DMX on beatbox) - Back to the Old School (1986)
• Wise - Just Say Stet (1985), Faye (1986) & Stet Troop 88 (1988)
• Biz Markie - Goin' Off (includes beatbox track "Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz") (1988)
• Vanilla Ice - Havin' a Roni - from To The Extreme (1990)

1990s[link]

• Rahzel - Make The Music 2000 (1999)

2000s[link]

• D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik - Have Mic... Will Travel: The EP (2001)
• Kyle "Scratch" Jones - The Embodiment of Instrumentation (2002)
• Killa Kela - The Permanent Marker (2002)
• Rahzel - Rahzel's Greatest Knock Outs (2004)
• Marcelo D2 - Acústico MTV^{[citation needed]} (2004)
• Björk - Medúlla (2004)
• Joel Turner - "These Kids" (2004)
• Matisyahu - "Live at Stubb's" (2005)
• Beatbox Battle - "Beatbox Battle Express" (2005)
• Biz Markie - Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz (2006)
• Poizunus - A.D.D. (Active Dreaming Disorder) (2007)
• Kid Beyond - Amplivate (2004)
• Blake Lewis - A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream) (2007)
• Logan Henderson - "Big Time Rush" (2009–present)

2010[link]

• Felix Zenger - "Won't Say a Thing" (2010)

See also[link]

• List of beatboxers
• List of American beatboxers
• Hip hop music
• Konnakol
• Scat singing
• Puirt a beul
• Breath Control: The History of the Human Beat Box
• Michael Winslow

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikinews has related news: Wikinews interview with America's Got Talent finalists At Last

David William Crowe (October 18, 1933 – May 12, 2000) was a New Zealand cricketer who played three first class matches for Canterbury and Wellington between 1953 and 1958. He was the father of New Zealand international Test and One Day International players Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe; and uncle of the actor Russell Crowe.^[1]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Player profile: Dave Crowe from ESPNcricinfo

Will Smith
Smith in 2011
Born	Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. (1968-09-25) September 25, 1968 (age 43) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Other names	The Fresh Prince
Occupation	Actor, producer, rapper
Years active	1985–1993, 1997–2005 (rapping), 1990–present (acting)
Spouse	Sheree Zampino (m. 1992–1995) «start: (1992)–end+1: (1996)»"Marriage: Sheree Zampino to Will Smith" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Will_Smith) Jada Pinkett Smith (m. 1997) «start: (1997)»"Marriage: Jada Pinkett Smith to Will Smith" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Will_Smith)
Children	Trey Smith Jaden Smith Willow Smith
Website
www.willsmith.com

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968),^[1] also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood.^[2] Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office and the only one to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.^[3]

Fourteen of the nineteen fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million, and four took in over $500 million in global box office receipts. As of 2011, his films have grossed $5.7 billion in global box office.^[4] His most financially successful films have been Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch and Seven Pounds. He also earned critical praise for his performances in Six Degrees of Separation, Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations for the latter two.

Family and early life[link]

Born and raised in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia, Smith also lived in Germantown in Northwest Philadelphia. His mother, Caroline (née Bright), was a school administrator who worked for the Philadelphia school board, and his father, Willard Christopher Smith, Sr., was a refrigeration engineer.^[5][6] He was raised Baptist.^[7] His parents separated when he was thirteen,^[8] and did not actually divorce until around 2000.^[9]

It is untrue, though widely reported, that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to the school,^[10] although he was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" there.^[9] According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."^[11]

Recording and acting career[link]

Smith at the Emmy Awards in 1993

Early work (1985–1995)[link]

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as turntablist and producer,^[12] as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime".^[12] They gained critical acclaim and won the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category (1988).^[12]

Smith had a line in "Voices That Care", a 1991 Persian Gulf War song by a celebrity group. Smith spent money freely during his early career and underpaid his income taxes.^[12] The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income.^[13] Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.^[12]

The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world," studying box office successes' common characteristics.^[8] His first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) which he starred opposite of Martin Lawrence.

Breakthrough (1996–2000)[link]

In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw.^[14] He later struck gold again in the summer of 1997 alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the summer hit Men in Black playing Agent J. In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.^[12]

He turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved.^[15] Though in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West he stated that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better."^[16]

2001–present[link]

Smith in September 2009

In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending a record breaking three premieres in a 24-hour time span.^[17]

He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.^[18]

On December 10, 2007, Smith was recognized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world renowned theater in front of many fans.^[19] Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews,^[20] its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique".^[21] A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood."^[22] On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith has been selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.^[23]

Smith is currently developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he will star as Taharqa.^[24]

President Barack Obama has stated that if a film were to ever be made about his life, he would have Smith play his part, because "he has the ears". Obama stated that the two have discussed a possibility of a film based on the 2008 election, but this may not happen until the end of the Obama presidency.^[25]

Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012. In it, Smith will play Agent J for the third time, being one of his more popular earlier roles coincides with the fact that it will be his first major starring role in four years.

On August 19, 2011, it was announced^[26] that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to make a new album. Edwards has worked with artists such as T.I., Chris Brown, and Game.

Smith and his son, Jaden, are currently filming After Earth, which is set for a 2013 release.

Personal life[link]

Nobel Peace Prize Concert December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow

Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his involvement in the lives of his own children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us."^[27] Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us".

Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc.,^[28] a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden^[29] and Philadelphia.

Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. He donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama.^[30] On December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Obama had won the prize.^[31]

Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious"^[32][33] and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different."^[34] He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths."^[35]

Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [...] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel".^[36] Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which uses Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.^[37] Federal tax filing showed that Will Smith donated $1.2 million to the school in 2010.^[38]

In 2012 he expressed support for the legalizing of same-sex marriage, in an endorsement of president Barack Obama's declaration to adopt this stance on the issue.^[39]

Discography[link]

With DJ Jazzy Jeff[link]

• Rock the House (1987)
• He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988)
• And in This Corner... (1989)
• Homebase (1991)
• Code Red (1993)

Solo[link]

• Big Willie Style (1997)
• Willennium (1999)
• Born to Reign (2002)
• Lost and Found (2005)

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Film[link]

Box office grosses[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Iannucci, Lisa (2009). Will Smith: A Biography. Greenwood. ISBN 0-313-37610-7. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Will Smith

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Will Smith

• Official website
• Will Smith at the Internet Movie Database
• Will Smith at Yahoo! Movies
• Will Smith on Charlie Rose in 2002
• Will Smith at People.com
• Will Smith discography at MusicBrainz