Beatbox champ reigns supreme

1:37pm Monday 11th June 2007

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A beatboxer who traded verbal blows to rise up to the challenge of his rivals landed the keys to a new £12,000 car.

Brighton-based beatboxer Darren Foreman - known as Beardyman - fought off some of the best in the business to take the national crown for the second year running.

Armed with just a microphone, the 25-year-old wowed the crowds at the Vauxhall UK Beatbox Championships, held in London on Saturday.

He drove off in a £12,000 Vauxhall Corsa after beating seven fellow beatboxers, including Bellatrix, the only female finalist.

Darren, who lives in Lewes Road and moved to Brighton in 2001 to study at the University of Sussex, said: "Winning the car was sick, but the main thing for me was to actually be able to say I had won the national competition two years running. It was an amazing feeling.

"The crowd reacted really well to me. Last year it was really close but this year I just tore the place up. To get a new car for winning was brilliant - last year the prize was a microphone!

"I put a lot of effort into my preparations. Beatboxing is all about practice but also being able to relax at the right time so you can perform to the best of your ability. Luckily I was able to keep a cool head under a lot of pressure."

Beatboxing is described as the vocal percussion of hip hop culture and music. Artists create a vast array of beats, rhythms, sound effects and melodies using only their mouths and hands.

Darren said he always had a talent for beatboxing but his interest was sparked after he saw well-known artist Rahzel play live. He started beatboxing seriously in 2003 and was given the nickname Beardyman because, at the time, he sported a beard.

The philosophy graduate, who has now been a professional for more than three years, is well known for incorporating humour into his act. He has impersonated Elvis, parodied a cookery show and once posed as an Austrian climate change lecturer before breaking into his set.

The judging panel at the event, held at the Islington Academy, was made up of some of the biggest names from the beatboxing community, including Ty Te, Shlomo and Scratch, of The Roots.

Shlomo said: "The standard of talent was incredibly high. The final was very close and judging was tough, especially because there was a lot at stake.

"The winner not only gained the adulation of being the best but also got the keys to a new car.

"We were looking for routines that were fresh and as original as possible != we like innovation, creativity and imagination, and once again Beardyman came up trumps."

Beardyman will now go on to represent the UK in the World Beatboxing Championships in Berlin, Germany, later this year, and is also set to appear at the Glastonbury festival.

For more information visit www.vauxhallbeatboxchamps.com or Darren's own website www.beardyman.co.uk.