Rozell Manely Brown (born October 6, 1964) is an American beatboxer and rapper, formerly a member of

the Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

. Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and his

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

"If Your Mother Only Knew", a hidden track on ''Make the Music 2000''. His talents are showcased in various solo projects as well as on

Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...

's 2000 single "

Steal My Kisses "Steal My Kisses" is a song by American music group Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, released as a single from their album ''Burn to Shine (album), Burn to Shine'' in 2000 through Virgin Records America. The beat of the song is formed with ...

." He also provided his own voice on video games '' SSX'' and ''

SSX Tricky ''SSX Tricky'', also known as ''SSX 2'' or ''SSX 2: Tricky'', is a snowboarding video game, the second game in the ''SSX'' series published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label and developed by EA Vancouver. A direct sequel to ''S ...

''. Rahzel was featured on the album ''True Love'' by

Toots and the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

, which won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1999: ''

Make the Music 2000 ''Make The Music 2000'' is the debut studio album by American beatboxer and hip hop artist Rahzel. It was released on August 10, 1999 via MCA Records. Production was handled by several record producers, including Bob Power, Marley Marl, Pete Rock, ...

'' * 2004: ''

Rahzel's Greatest Knock Outs ''Rahzel's Greatest Knock Outs!'' is the second album by American beatboxer and hip hop artist Rahzel. It was released on June 1, 2004, via Sure Shot Recordings. Track listing Personnel * Rahzel Manely Brown – main artist *William Tramon ...

Guest appearances

Filmography

* 2001:

Brooklyn Babylon ''Brooklyn Babylon'' is a 2001 film written and directed by Marc Levin, and a modern retelling of the Song of Solomon, set against the backdrop of the Crown Heights riot, starring Black Thought of The Roots. Plot summary In Brooklyn's Crown ...

* 2009: The Magnificent Cooly T * 2012: Dora's Easter Adventure (Fiesta Trio)

Awards

Rahzel received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 American Beatbox Championships for his revolutionary contributions to the industry.

Doug E. Fresh Doug E. Fresh (born September 17, 1966) is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum machines an ...

presented the award to Rahzel. At the 2022 American Beatbox Championships, Rahzel actually presented the same award to Tara Hall, the wife of late

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

who accepted the award on his behalf.https://www.instagram.com/p/CiJh5floxe1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

References

External links

Rahzel interviewed

Rahzel Internet Radio Interview

Discogs page

Rahzel's IBA profile
{{Authority control Singers from New York City Living people The Roots members American beatboxers MCA Records artists 1966 births 21st-century American singers