beat-boxing

Mouth-made drum sounds

Beat-boxing is a form of vocal percussion—using the mouth, lips, tongue, and voice to imitate drum machines, turntables, and other musical sounds.

It emerged from hip-hop culture in the 1980s and remains associated with freestyle rap and a cappella performance.

A beat-boxer can provide a full rhythmic backing track using only their voice: He started beat-boxing while his friend rapped.

performance

vocal

Expressing views freely

cypher · improvisation · stage · audience · crowd · concert · festival · live · solo · act

rhythm

tempo

Rate of musical performance

pulse · timing · flow · cadence · meter · swing · backbeat · polyrhythm · subdivision · loop

technique

kick drum

Foot-operated percussion instrument

  • snareDevice for catching prey
  • hi-hatPedal-controlled cymbal pair
  • bassDeep pitch or fish

rimshot · humming · breathing · layering · looping · stacking · timbre · texture · vocalization · mouth

hiphop

MC

Vocal performer or host

rap · flow · rhyme · turntablism · DJ · boombox · block party · underground · old school · graffiti

Opposites
sound production method

beat-boxingdrum machine

Electronic percussion simulator

electronic beats · drumming · live band · turntablism

musical texture/function

beat-boxingsinging

Vocal music-making

crooning · harmonizing · belting · humming · rapping

vocal style

beat-boxingbel canto

Elegant Italian vocal style

choral singing · humming

Family

beatboxing

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Known to kids · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G