UK BEATBOX CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010 06/07/10

“I literally just came from Glastonbury …I haven’t even been home …travelled down got here, battled and now I’m going straight back”

This was the answer I got when I asked Reeps One how he felt instantly after successfully defending his title at the 2010 Vauxhall UK Beatbox championships.

I gotta say first of all that ..I am pretty much a novice when it comes to names of people doing this  genre. I mean my knowledge extends to Nathan Flutebox lee and Killa Kella on the UK front and obviously Rahzel on the stateside.

However my names list has now extended after this event with the following: Pike esquire, U Know me ( I didn’t but he was pretty good) Yason, Lucas and Hobbit to name a few.

I’ll also admit when I was on my way to do a piece on this, that I wasn’t exactly rushing to get there for when it started…….but I will do next year!

I didn’t realise that there was a battle element in beat boxing. As in intimidation and literally beating each other up with sound effects. This made the evening highly entertaining as a fan of characters and  real personalities like you used to get in wrestling and hip-hop, comics ect. You can add beat boxing to that list.

When ‘Pike Esquire’ made a mock phone to his opponents mum shortly before going into a sequence of singing and beat boxing at the same time the crowd applauded like they would when an MC has just landed a killer punch line in a lyrical battle.

The response to Mr Esquire was from The Hobbit in which he replicated a club land horn sound perfectly and then proceeded with a drum and bass version of Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’.

Now to read this you maybe like yeah yeah so what. Well to hear it live and see what the beat boxer is actually doing is quite something else.

“Sounds like he’s farting” said one reveller behind me (no, he wasn’t speaking about me). He was speaking about Reeps One, the defending champ….and yes he was right he did sound like he was farting .. (perhaps it should have been Rips One- Ed).  However he followed up this amusing sound with “I’ll cut you fucking Jacobs off” directed at his opponent and all was forgotten.

Adding to this eventful…err….event was the comedic and enforcing presence of none other than Stig of the Dump who suited the proceedings perfectly with many amusing shouts and put downs to the crowd to keep everyone’s attention and the whole buzz going.

“Who needs two cars?” Stig asked myself , referring to the prize of a Vauxhall Corsa to Reeps for the 2nd year in a row.
I suggested perhaps two people……. then realising Reeps as much as he sounded like an army of different things was in fact still just one person.

I continued to speak to Stig about the semi final that involved Reeps One and a chap called Layth which was arguably a final in itself due to the calibre produced by both participants.
It was commented on at the time as possibly the ‘best battle ever’ by one of the judges and by Stig himself too. So tough to call but eventually after an extended round it went in favour of Reeps.

‘Reeps is very show-man-y’ said Stig referring to Reeps’s stage presence which was another entertaining element of his performance. “Not taking anything away from him, just much like a drummer its not JUST about doing the beat with Reeps”

“Layth on the other hand was just like ‘this is what I do …and I do it insanely well‘. He’s like a machine”


So on to the final with Reeps Vs The Hobbit.

“No, sorry mate I haven‘t.”

Ah apologies I’m listening back to the Dictaphone and in the middle of talking to Stig we were asked a couple of times for something to blaze.

Where was I….ah yes the final.

It again went to an extended round and was felt that during this Hobbit perhaps run a bit of out of steam due to not wanting to repeat his artillery that he had used to great effect earlier on.

“It was telling in that final round” said Stig when I asked if rather than the performance time it was perhaps the pressure to raise your game with each round and within that each time the mic came back to the contestant.

“But not to give the impression that standards slip…it was still high calibre” Stig added.

I spoke to Hobbit as well and asked how he thought it went. “To be honest to come in and battle against the UK champion was ……pretty hard.”

“This was the first time I’ve battled in six years so I’m really pleased I got to the final”

Hobbit stormed it in the semi’s and was real close in the final. I asked hobbit how it affected his voice box. “ as you can hear my voice is pretty fucked…..but to be honest your only battling for 8 minutes. But your battling so your putting so much heart and soul into it it can get tough.”

“You gotta put so much into it…and especially thinking off the cuff”

Hobbit added that he’s been beat boxing for 8 years.
One extended round and Reeps only narrowly took it.
Reeps won a car Hobbit got some T-shirts.
Harsh line between winning and coming 2nd.

I recommend anyone look out for any of the names mentioned above as they were all highly talented and could do a job at any event or show.

Stig of the Dump also has his new single “I got game” coming out on the 2nd of August from his upcoming 2nd Lp ‘Mood swings’ dropping in September and he gave a shout to ‘Team Hate’.

All in all I was pleasantly surprised by the evening and I didn’t even mention ‘The Boxettes’ crowd pleasing performance in the interval….( you just did - ed ) .

Also thanks to those who helped me with the names of contestants and a shout to Zoe as well.

This is Mr B signing off until next time….keep it frickit frickit fresh.


……(Don’t worry …I’ll get me coat).

STIG HAD WORKED OUT WHO’D NICKED THE KEYS TO THE CORSA REEPS HAD WON