Alert to all United States citizens, we may be pre-exposed to soon come under attack by another planet. Apparently we are being watched by undercover robots that have taken on human form in order to annex planet earth. My partner J-Butters and I have witnessed one of these spies appease a crowd of venerable college students at a Baltimore nightclub called the Ottobar on Sunday December 14, 2003.

The evil android disguises himself as a human beat box performer and calls himself Rahzel . He also goes under the alias the Godfather of noise. He is approximately 5’10, 240 pounds in the skin of a black male. He has taken on the life of a brother from the hood that became successful and can be spotted wearing a baseball cap, jeans, sneakers and football jersey. It appears as though Rahzel has been programmed to produce all sounds of planet earth. He has the ability to leave many people in awe so extreme to the point a fan rushed the stage and blinded me and J-Butters with a strip tease that did not tease but tortured us for 7 to 10 minutes. Rahzel can also cause others to be forced to hop on stage and break dance even if they aren’t that good at it.

Be careful of this powerful force. It is also said that his crew the Roots may be possible robots also. His DJ is named JS1. He may also be in on the soon to come invasion. DJ-JS1 has dropped a dope ass CD called Ground Original with oblivious guest artist such as, Big Daddy Kane, OC, Special Ed, Krs-One, Masta Ace and many more artists who may be intermediate victims. Please be careful.

That was the most bugged out show I’ve seen in a while from the beats to the girl getting on stage trying to shake her ass that was crazy.

You just gotta improvise with it. That’s the beauty of hiphop you don’t know what’s gonna happen from time to time. From time to time, shit changes and switches around and its cool. It’s never boring.

This cat Yo Yo Ma said you have a mic with some special effects buttons that enhances your beat boxing ability. Is there any truth to that?

I’ve been working with a few companies on some designs but it hasn’t hit the market and I haven’t been able to test it out. I’ve been speaking to the creator of the MPC and the Kai drum machines, and a couple other people but for the most part its just straight raw. I haven’t even touched that level yet. I’m still in the raw cocaine mode right now. I ain’t break anything out yet.

Since you put out the solo album, I haven’t seen you with The Roots as much especially when they tour. What’s up with that, how come you don’t roll with them like that anymore?

What I’m doing now is trying to hone in on my talent for what I’m gonna be doing ten years from now. I’ve been doing a lot of television and film trying to break into that market. I’ve been doing a lot of animation and voice overs and stuff. I’ve been working with Miramax on some situations and I’m just thinking long range. Everything is still cool with the group. They gave me the blessing to do what I need to do. I don’t want the beatbox to be just the side show. Kids are coming up doing the beatbox, I want them to know they can make a living and its some serious business. They can take it to the next level and it’s not like you just come in when somebody ain’t got no music or DJ and you’re the last resort or the side dude. I want people to know you can take it to that limit on your own. It’s a little step I wanted to take as far as what I do with the beatbox to show kids you can take it to different levels it doesn’t necessarily have to be one thing. A lot of people were getting used to it being one thing so I’m just trying to break it up a little bit but everything is still love with the crew.

Just in general, when people are good at one thing and try something different a lot of purists will be like why don’t you just stick to that thing and not experiment. I know with the album and mixtapes that you’re rhyming on a lot of heads are probably think why are you even bothering to rhyme when you are so ill with the beatbox.

That’s what I’m saying I’m trying to get people out of that zone of being used to one thing. Back in the day you had to know how to do everything. If you only knew how to do one thing people wasn’t messing with you. My DJ, Js-1, still does pieces and still throwing up and back in the day you had to be really about hiphop. It was the whole culture, it wasn’t one thing like make a hit record and now its over that’s some corporate shit. It has nothing to do with the culture. Around the way you had to know how to everything and that’s the hiphop I grew up on. So everybody is like why are you rhyming you need to stick to the beatbox or why are you doing a twix commercial and I’m like back then you had to do that or you wasn’t happening. If you really think about it all the cats who did their thing were diverse.

That’s true because that’s how mad heads came in like oh that used to be such and such’s dancer or something.

Exactly. Jermaine Dupri was dancing and P-Diddy was dancing with CeeCee Penniston, but people don’t understand that aspect they are used to the way corporate has molded everybody like this is who you are. In actuality if you are a dope lyricist and a good writer I’m quite sure you can write some movies and books. Why put yourself in a box? That doesn’t do anything for your career and that’s what I learned being down with the Roots. You pay respect and sample those who came before you, but at the same time don’t limit your creativity. If you can pick up a drumstick, a guitar, or play the piano, you can come up with your own melodies. Don’t stagnate yourself. If you’re a rapper or an emcee don’t just be like I just want to make albums and go on tour and have a hot video, you gotta think long term. I think that’s why hiphop is still here because a lot of cats are thinking long term and the world finally caught up with them like the roots. If you’re talented then you gotta spread your talents out so people will know what time it is especially those looking up to you because then you give them room. If you telling somebody that being an emcee is the only thing that’s gonna get you out of the hood then they not thinking nothing else. They just thinking make this album, but what if that don’t work. Don’t put your eggs in one basket like mom used to say and that’s the key to longevity. I’ve learned that from the Roots and people who I’ve worked with over the years. They encourage that. If you can write then write, don’t be afraid. If someone is comparing you to Rakim then yea you not gonna be up to par, but that’s Rakim he changed the way people rhyme. As far as a beatboxer I think I’m doing good.

Who’s your favorite beatboxer?

My favorite beatboxer was Buffy from the fat boys. His style was real simple but the power he had on the microphone was like nobody else. Till today I haven’t heard anyone even myself and I try to imitate. When I said soundman, give me some more bass or give me some low end he didn’t need that. That shit was popping you in your chest hard. You would come out with your best trick and he would just overwhelm you. It wasn’t nothing crazy or any trickery just straight beat and it was so hard and powerful you knew you lost because you couldn’t hear yourself talking. To me he was the best dude. Doug brought all the little clicks into the game. He changed the game up. To me Doug brought class to the beat box. He was a pure entertainer. He looked good, he had the freshest shit on and he was rolling with Slick Rick with the silk suits on. Biz brought the comedic side to it. He broke that barrier where it was cool to be a little funny. You also got Bobby Mcferrin and Michael Winslow who took it to another level to TV and orchestra.

How did you get started in beat boxing and how has the respect for the craft changed over the years?

I got started when I was young. My biggest influence was my cousin Raheim from the Furious Five and I think that pushed me into hiphop to be a part of it. Back in the day, everybody was beatboxing and break dancing and everyone would take turns. I excelled more than anyone else did because I was trying to get on the mic when it was time to throw a jam. Everybody wanted to write rhymes, but I took the beat boxing serious because there were twenty emcees in the neighborhood and two microphones so I was like they have to give one to the dude doing the beatbox. So that was my strategy to get on the mic and I just kept practicing and excelling. Like a DJ, you have to keep up with the latest joints so I’m always listening to the radio and new music and what has changed for the beat box is what has changed for music itself. At one point, it was about self-consciousness then gangsta music came in and with beat boxing being a part of the conscious era, it kinda went to the backburner. But during that time of gangsta music there was still an underground following and a lot of the poets and comedians used to run together and I would always be with them to keep my skills up. Then it started growing you had guys like the Roots come thru, Saul Williams, even Talent and Tracey Morgan. That’s how it really kept going. As guys like Common and Tribe kept going that whole movement resurged and I was able to use that platform to be heard. Touring with the Roots and Common keeping the beatbox out there. Fortunately, I was able to get a deal out of that. They saw a vision that this could be something that people can catch onto but when you dealing with record companies their interests may not be the same as your own. I think it has that respect, but it’s not corporate.

When the Roots first brought in Scratch did you guys battle because on you’re Greatest Knockouts mixtape you said you were the undisputed.

Me and Scratch went at it playfully, but he has his style and I have my style and hands down he is the best at what he does. That’s my man we do a lot of shit together. I don’t think there is anyone that can fuck with him when it comes to what he does. That’s the dope part, he’s a beatboxer that has his own niche.

Finally the bullets section

If you had to sit in the hot tub with either Hilary Clinton or Laura Bush who would it be?

Haha! Hilary Clinton

What would you do for your country: Go on a three-day mission to find Bin Laden and spend the week at Hugh Hefner’s mansion as a reward or be the first black president for two days but you have to make a speech without a bulletproof glass and your reward would be two free movie passes?

Hahahaha!! Ahh shit. I’d rather go find Bin Laden beat his ass and come home to some Playboy bunnies.

Who’s more pissed off all the time James Evans from Good Times or DMX?

DMX

Who’s the most aggressive singer that scares women Teddy Pendegrass or Gerald Levert?

Teddy, he looks a little more threatening than Gerald Levert.

Who do you think is more freaky Ginuwine or a white house intern?
A white house intern

Who got the best hips Beyonce or J-Lo?

Beyonce

Best lips Angelina Jolie or Faith Evans?

Angelina Jolie

Who’s the strangest Macy Gray or Grace Jones?

I think Grace Jones is kinda sexy in a way, but Macy Gray is crazy. She’s like 6’2.

Final question, If you had to get a tattoo which would it be Lionel Richie or Rudy Huxtable?

Rudy!

Posted by Halftime on Monday, March 1st, 2004 and is filed under SICKWIDIT, SPOTLIGHT.