Beatboxing - The Fifth Element of Hip Hop

It was in the late 70s that a youth culture evolved in the poorer parts of New York which combined several disciplines under the name of Hip Hop. Apart from the four classic elements of Graffiti writing, DJing, Breakdancing, and Rapping, the musical side of this culture was enhanced by a fifth element called ‘Beatboxing’.

From the hardship of poverty and the lack of instruments, a pioneer was inspired to imitate drum rhythms with his mouth – his brilliance creating the term ‘Human Beatbox’. Very soon other Hip Hop artists picked up his style and added this technique of music making to their own shows, but at that time beatboxing never left the realm of Hip Hop culture.

At the end of the 80s the first big wave of beatboxing was over and beatboxing only existed in an underground scene. It took until the late 90s that the art of Human Beatboxing was explosively revived. At that time the Internet had emerged and offered new ways of communication for young artists. All of a sudden beatboxers from all over the world were given the opportunity to connect and share their knowledge on websites through videos and online tutorials.

Since then Human Beatboxing has become a global phenomenon, which is organized and celebrated in the annual Beatbox Conventions and through Beatbox Competitions, that are being held in an increasing number of countries every year.

The documentary aims at providing a full picture of this incredible art form starting with its genesis within Hip Hop Culture and continuing with its further developments and its use in various musical fields in several countries throughout the world.

The documentary features artists from New York, California, Florida, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium, Canada, Austria and Germany, who demonstrate their amazing techniques, which often seem impossible to audiences at first sight, but see for yourselves…