Crew: The Beatbox House
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Years Active: 2014 - Present
History
Based out of New York City, The Beatbox House is a collective of the most talented and diverse beatboxers in the United States of America. Hailing from different regions of the country, the Beatbox House looks to push the boundaries of what is possible with the human voice.
Each artist that is part of the house is a soloist, educator and musician in their own right. However, their greatest strength is their ability to work together; bringing their audience an awe inspiring musical experience that will leave a lasting impression no matter age, race or creed.
The Beatbox House members have been a part of the American beatbox scene for a number of years before the focus came back on the USA in 2015. Many of the members met through various battles across the east coast of the US and Canada. Chris Celiz, Amit and Kaila Mullady had battled each other in the American championships since 2010. Kenny Urban, NaPoM and Gene Shinozaki entered the battle scene in 2012-2014, respectively.
The name the "Beatbox House" originally referred to founding member, Chris Celiz's apartment in Brooklyn, where many of the current members and other beatboxers would regularly find themselves. Chris was attending college and had two roommates, Johnny Sansone, aka Johnny Buffalo, and Mark Martin, who later took the stage-name, Mandibul, though since 2016 went back to just Mark Martin. Chris wanted his apartment to be a stopping point for any traveling beatboxer, whether they are visiting NYC or for a place to sleep after a gig.
In 2015, after many of the original members had realized they were the top beatboxer in the USA and the world, they started talks to make the group a real crew.
In 2016, The Beatbox House became the organizers of the American Beatbox Championships. The Beatbox House also found residency at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan. The event is a monthly "Beatbox House Party", a performance not limited to just beatboxing and can include any of their friends into the performances. Performances have included breakdancers, professional whistlers, and DJs.
In 2017, Kaila and the rest of the Beatbox House parted ways to pursue other projects. Kaila and Mark Martin formed the duo, LightShip.
In 2018, the Beatbox House started a regular beatbox workshop in NYC. The goal of the workshops was to grow the local community and teach newcomers the art of beatbox.
On January 26th, the Beatbox House made their first televised performance on MTV's Awesomeness hosted by Rob Dyrdek.
Founding Members
Chris Celiz | 2x American Tag Team Champ (with Gene)
Amit Bhowmick | East Coast Champion (2014)
Kaila Mullady | World Beatbox Champion (2015)
Gene V Shinozaki | Grand Beatbox Champion (2015)
Kenny Urban | Grand Beatbox Champion (2016)
Neil "NaPoM" Meadows | Grand Beatbox Champion (2017)
