HUMAN VS.

Human vs. Boombox














The boombox is eternally linked to the image of hip hop. The archetypal inner city man a la sideways/backwards cap and baggy clothing with a stereo draped over one shoulder as he struts through his neighborhood is the first image to pop up when the word "boombox" is mentioned. As closely as this object has been associated with a powerful cultural movement, how close is it to humanity in general?

To answer the question may require a bit of backpedaling.

Before there was treble, bass and "D" batteries, there was a mouth, a voice and a beat.














Beatboxers, although their beginnings appear to be in the '80s with Doug E. Fresh and Buffy of The Fat Boys, have been around since the late 19th century in one form or another. Blues and jazz riffs were created with vocal percussion by African Americans with no drums or bass, just their own bodies as instruments. Claps, clicks and low bass hums were some of the vocal maneuvers used to create music sans instruments. This evolved into street performers and, inevitably, paired up with hip hop musicians, DJs and break-dancers as the urban movement moved out of the inner city and inundated America.

The boombox followed a similar path as it broke ground as the first portable music playing device.

A boombox is a device capable of playing music at a high volume, utilizing at least two speakers. It has, at least, a cassette tape player and AM/FM radio. Boomboxes have been, for the most part, light weight. This has led to the aforementioned trend of carrying it upon one's shoulders. The most important aspect of the boombox has been accessibility. Its selling point has always been its portable nature. Snazzy design came later. Input/output jacks, allowing the boombox to connect to larger systems, added extra flair.

Because the boombox is so intricately tied to a social movement, the boombox must be evaluated in relation to the social movement. One must first look at the social movement inspired and then evaluate the boombox's relation to said movement.

Hip-hop is a social movement that encompasses much more than music, but one in which music is a ubiquitous force which fluidity unites all differing aspects within the movement. Hip-hop begins in cities in predominantly African American communities with little money and lot of talent, but no venues open to them to express themselves. As society was still skeptical of the social worth of African American contributions (though that had never prevented them from aggregating their talents in the past), black culture became inclusive and developed within the communities, most specifically the "block party." Block parties required music and music required more than a small radio and more accessibility than a home stereo system could provide. And someone needed to MC it all.

So, DJs were born.

Entertainment was needed, so dancing evolved into break-dancing.
While high fashion turned their noses up to or simply ignored the desires of inner city blacks, hip hop took a cue from what was around and what attracted the eye: bright colors and swirling shapes (some of it hinting at African roots in the brilliance of many of the colors and designs).

Beatboxing was another element of hip hop which emerged from this movement.

There were times when there wasn't money to afford a speaker system or individuals available who would lend one. Improvisation was needed. Beatboxing took sound and homegrown culture and made it intensely portable: the human being.

The boombox followed suit. As beatboxing could be brought to street corners and subways, so could boomboxes. And boomboxes (just as beatboxers) carried a bravado inherent within their existence. A boombox's efflorescence was rhythm, sound, voice, beat. Both the boombox and the beatbox changed a social situation entirely. It wasn't Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers by any means, but when the beat hit people became different creations. They were no longer wandering souls in the ghettos of the world, but individuals with purpose and desires.

To grow up to be a break-dancer or MC or even beatboxer was to have direction. If society wanted to push people down and snatch away opportunity, then they could have it. The hip hop movement had created its own separate opportunities.

The portability of the boombox was one thing, but the pride with which it was carried on one's shoulder was another.

As a talented beatboxer exhibited pride in his (it was usually a his) skill, so he wore his own boombox invisibly on his shoulder (there are other, far more cheesier things to say, like, 'A boombox within his heart'). Beatboxing and boomboxing also exhibited a surprising malleability as they were both easy to adapt to other styles of music from hip to blues to jazz. As much as a tune of the radio dial could do for a boombox. Verses could be improvised, but poetry could also be read. So, the first slam poetry was a couple of folks doing the "dozens" outside of their apartment or by a local store. It was also verses that could be written, much like the tape players on even the earliest models of the boombox which featured an optional "record" button.

Beatboxing and boomboxes both symbolize an important aspect of humanity: progress. While many beasts of field, air and ocean follow patterns established for eons, humans constantly work to improve themselves. In this case, beatboxing is an example of a group of humans establishing an alternative high society; one based on rhythm and style with music undulating beneath it all. When looked at form this perspective, it's easy to see why the boombox was not only an important image for the hip hop movement, but an essential symbol of the indefatigable nature of human beings. Regardless of circumstances, nature will continue and progress will happen, whether we're listening or not.