Arts & Entertainment
 

Beatbox master's greatest hits do little to exhibit his range of ability

More freestyles and battles needed to show Rahzel's true talent

By Zach Lee
The Daily Cougar

Hip-hop heads love Rahzel because of the things he can do with his mouth, and his oral contortionism can't hurt his chances with the ladies -- he's the same guy who beatboxed and sang "at the same time" on "If Your Mother Only Knew" from his 1999 release, Make the Music 2000.

After five years of virtual silence sprinkled with a few singles and guest appearances, the undisputed beatbox champion of the world and part-time member of The Roots is back with a new compilation of his greatest hits, remixes, live appearances and a few new songs on Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts!. He brought a few friends for MTM 2000, but this time, he opens the floodgates. KRS-One, RZA, Everlast, Funkmaster Flex, Black Thought and ?uestlove highlight the long list of guests.

The remixes and live performances of songs from MTM 2000 aren't worth mentioning except for "The Four Elements," with Kenny Muhammad, a good song that is much more convenient on the new CD than as a hidden track on MTM 2000. 

"Children's Story" from Everlast's Eat at Whitey's is a good pairing of detailed storyline and Rahzel's beatboxing, and "Guess (U Neva Knew)" is a nice sample of Rahzel's lyrical talent, something much less common on Greatest Knockouts! than MTM 2000.

Two songs officially listed as freestyles and several more that sound like them work perfectly with Rahzel's talent. His beatboxing sounds better with less production, so the impromptu sessions with RZA and Black Thought are reminiscent of freestyling sessions with friends. Rahzel seems reluctant to accept this, though, as he often beatboxes alongside electronic production.

The album's three "Rahstrumental Breaks" are nice glimpses into the polished talent of Rahzel, but they are too short to be comprehensive. His five minutes and 48 seconds on Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 show, however, are a complete look at all the things he can do with absolutely no help from turntables or mixers. He effortlessly slows down speech, mixes words with complicated beats, and makes as many sounds as possible with only his mouth as an instrument.

He stays humble, though, and dedicates one track each to Jam Master Jay and Aaliyah. His performance of Aaliyah's "One in a Million" has a London crowd screaming as he once again amazes with his mutant ability to sing and beatbox simultaneously. 

For all the annoyingly repetitive boxing-announcer-esque talk of knockouts, there are no beatbox battles on the CD, which is disappointing. Fans already know what Rahzel can do, and on MTM 2000, they heard him and Kenny Muhammad go man against machine with DJ Skribble and DJ Slinky. A rematch or a sample of a simple beatbox battle would add another dimension to the album for fans who already own most or all of the songs present.

Rahzel

Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts!

Sure Shot Recordings

The verdict: He's good, but if he's the champion, he should prove it.

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