Although his solo album, titled The Fifth Element: Make The Music 2000, should find its way into stores on August 17, Rahzel has already provided vital contributions as a member of The Roots. He first joined the group after battling ?uestlove at one of a series of open mic sessions called Boom Poetic in New York. His start in hip-hop music began during his childhood in the Hollis section of Queens. His cousin happened to be Rahim of the legendary Furious Five and DMC lived just a block away.
As a kid, Rahzel also idolized Grandmaster Flash and found himself knee-deep in the music. Rahzel said, "The hip-hop I grew up on, I was actually able to live it and touch it. It wasn't far off and inconvenient." One of the most pleasing things to him has been providing a positive and entertaining influence on children. "You wouldn't have your five-year-old listen to Jay-Z, because they wouldn't understand. You would have them listen to someone making sounds with their mouth. It's cool and amazing to them."
In his position he can give back to his people just as the Furious Five did when he grew up. After the show, he mingled freely with the crowd, signing autographs and simply being the warm and down-to-earth person that he is. He nearly joined a circle of people freestyling and beatboxing, but after a taxing performance he settled for the spectator's role.
During the show, Rahzel opened the crowd's ears to the many sounds of his mouth. He can even replicate entire songs - beat and vocals - with tremendous accuracy. Among the songs were Method Man's "You're All I Need To Get By," Blahzay Blahzay's "Danger" and Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?" His sound effects span many genres and include movies and video games as well. His influences include Al Jarreau, Michael Winslow and Biz Markie.
Brandford Marsalis, Me'Shell N'Degeocello, Aaron Hall, Pete Rock, Q-Tip and The Roots appear on the forthcoming album. Unlike the process of creating a Roots album, Rahzel had complete control over The Fifth Element. Many of the songs don't fit the mold of typical hip-hop and are more universal. "You can't label (beatboxing). You can't say, 'Oh, this is gangster.' It's a phenomenon like, 'Wow! How did they do that?'"
"With the beatbox and vocal percussion I want to be accessible to different age groups. It's a part of hip-hop that a lot of people overlook. There's no focus on it musically from the corporate world," the Godfather of Noyze said. That has begun to change with the airplay he has received from MTV and other stations. Kids across America are now imitating the scratching noises he makes on the hook of "All I Know."
Besides his album, Rahzel can be heard on forthcoming projects such as the video game NBA Live 2000 and Things Come Together, a live album by The Roots recorded recently at the Bowery Ballroom in New York. Although many have assumed that things may be falling apart with The Roots crew because of his solo work and the fact that he didn't accompany them on their last tour, Rahzel confidently insisted that things couldn't be better: "Everybody [in the group] has their own little project. That increases the value on the family [The Roots] and makes us stronger. If it wasn't for The Roots, I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in."
Following his astounding performance, a positive vibe could be felt in the cold Seattle air. Rahzel became part of Northwest hip-hop history as one of the last acts to perform at the all-ages RKCNDY; the financially strapped venue closes its doors at the end of the summer. His fans in turn received an exclusive taste of the fifth element of beatboxing and a preview of his album. Rahzel said of his skills, "The beatbox definitely stands out. A rhyme is a rhyme. We all read and write, but you don't wake up everyday and go, "[sound effects untranslatable into English - listen to "All I Know," and you'll understand]"
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