Okay, so everybody knows that former MADE man Jesse Csincsak found love (and instant reality tv fame!) with The Bachelorette's DeAnna Pappas, but what, you ask, have all the other erstwhile coaches been up to lately? Well, lucky for you, we're kicking off a brand new feature called "Coaches Corner" to address that very question.
So, who's up first? That would be Rabbi Darkside, who you'll remember from the episode where weepy high-schooler Linnea (eventually) learned how to beatbox. Re-live the magic by re-watching the episode here then check back next week, when Darkside delivers the first-ever video installment of Coaches Corner: a lesson in Hip-Hop 101.
++ Meanwhile, check out what the beat-boxing Rabbi had to say for himself in this exclusive blog entry, after the jump. (Note: Apparently, "turntablism" is a word!)
Hip Hop inspires my desire to teach and motivates my self-expression. I never would’ve imagined I’d have the chance to take Hip Hop Re:Education to the masses via MTV in, of all places, Iowa! Working with Linnea on “MADE” was an amazing experience for me as both an educator and an artist. It made me realize that I basically do an episode of “MADE” every year in the classes I teach in NYC, be it songwriting, turntablism, poetry or beatboxing: young people pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone to achieve an artistic goal.
Linnea was an excellent student: she never gave up, built the courage to try anything, and allowed herself to undergo a complete transformation. She has an incredible work ethic. I gave Linnea a personalized 5 week beatbox curriculum to follow. Folks at home have no idea how much practice time she logged in her basement, or how between shooting segments, we were always beatboxing in the car. Or that she was able to successfully juggle all of her other extra-curriculars while filming a TV show and learning to beatbox! I actually use this episode of “MADE” as a tool in my classes now. Linnea is proof positive that anyone can accomplish anything if they set their mind to it, prepare to make sacrifices and believe in themselves.
My introduction to participating in the Hip Hop arts came in 1994, when
I was 15-16 years old. The first skill that I developed was freestyling: "off the top" improvised rapping. My friends and I didn't have turntables at the time, so it was practically impossible to access instrumentals of songs. Either we'd end up rhyming on top other MC's words on their albums, or we'd make our own music.
I started beatboxing around the same time, out of necessity. The beautiful thing about Hip Hop is that you can practice it anywhere with nothing but your body, mind and spirit. We would spark cyphers on the porch, in the park, walking around the block, and the soundtrack to these sessions was our beatbox.
In 1996 I took a trip to Europe, where by chance, The Roots, one of my favorite groups, were doing a show on a riverbank in Switzerland. It was here that I saw the astounding skills of Rahzel up close and personal for the first time. Needless to say, the rest of the trip was fueled by beatbox and freestyle.
Upon returning home to attend school and eventually move to Brooklyn, I was constantly driven to perform. I had always shied away from the stage and spotlight, but for some reason, Hip Hop gave me the confidence and urge to get in front of people and rock. This was a product of countless hours in the cypher, where I had to hone my craft until I felt that it was ready to display publicly.
Beatboxing is only one of the Hip Hop skills I constantly work to improve; MCing and DJing are the other two. The best part about being a Hip Hop artist is never running out of room to grow. MCs who DJ, producers who beatbox, breakers that write graffiti: being multi-elemental is what makes you Hip Hop, and it is through this renaissance of improvisation and cyphering that I have become the artist I am today. I am finally dropping my solo album, “Building the Better Bomb,” which is the ultimate representation of my life and my art!
I am grateful for the opportunity to spread Hip Hop love around the world, and confident that Linnea will continue to be a true Hip Hop ambassador wherever she goes. And now, you can begin your beatbox journey just like she did: be sure to check out my “Beatboxing 101 Video Lesson” to get yourself started on the road to being a human beat machine!
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