Ozzie

Ofvardo Gonzalez (*December 12, 1967 in the Bronx, New York) also known as Little Man, King of the Beats, and Ozzie The Showman is a beatboxer, comedian, and music producer from Far Rockaway, Queens.

Ozzie's home (apartment 8-e)

Early life

Ozzie was born in the Bronx on December 12, 1967. He was the second child of his Puerto Rican parents Fernando and Dorcas Gonzales. He had two sisters, his older sister Ada and his younger sister Patti. When he was still a child, his parents moved to Queens and lived with their family on Beach Channel Drive 40th Street (apartment 8-e) in Edgemere.

His father had a repair shop for televisions on Mott Avenue (exact address?) and his mother was a housewife.

While growing up he already started to make sound effects at the age of 5. As his father played the bongos, percussive music was always present in the family. So Ozzie learned to play the bongos, too, and later also turned to the drumset.

P.S. 197 The Ocean School

From 1973(?) to 1978(?) Ozzie attended elementary school P.S. 197 The Ocean School on 825 Hicksville Road.

building of former Far Rockaway High School

In 1978(?) Ozzie went to J.H.S. 198 Benjamin N. Cardozo Junior High School on 365 Beach 56th Street, which was later changed into the Goldie Maple Academy.

In 1981(?) Ozzie attended Far Rockaway High School on 821 Beach 25th Street.

His musical influences came from artist like Will Smith, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane.

As a teenager Ozzie became friends with Kenny Muhammad, which had a strong effect on both their styles.

Before Kenny Muhammad saw him perform at Beach Channel High School one day he had already heard about him as they were living in the same neighbourhood. Eventhough they only had a short conversation, Kenny Muhammad found out his address and showed up at Ozzie's doorstep on the next day. He was invited in and the exchanged their knowledge and their skill with each other.

Ozzie went to a project building in Delancey to support the rapper Big C, who was participating at a contest there. Ozzie went up there with him and got on the mic and did the beatbox for him to rap to it. At this venue he also met the Crush Crew. After he got together with Kenny Muhammad he started going to Delancey and met up with those guys from The Crush Crew. Later on Ozzie and Kenny Muhammad went to The Roxy on 515 West 18th Street together with The Crush Crew who had connections with DJ Roman Ricardo, who was the DJ for The Roxy at the time. Due to these connections they started doing shows there. In these shows they were beatboxing and opening up for popular artists of the time like UTFO (Untouchable Force Organization eg. 'Roxanne, Roxanne'), Roxane Shante, RunDMC, Rapping Duke, Doug E. Fresh and The Fat Boys.

Beatboxing

According to his own statement Ozzie developed his beatboxing independently from Darren Robinson and Doug E. Fresh when he was about 15 years old. But his Puerto Rican friend Frankie Velázquez, whose family moved to the same building (apartment 4-c), was confident that Ozzie was already beatboxing at that time.

His first performance was at the Beach Channel High School in the early 1980s.

He is the inventor of the Ozzie snare, which he taught Kenny Muhammad, who made it popular through his long lasting career. The Ozzie snare is the inward snare, which allows beatboxers to constantly beatbox without breathing interruptions as they can inhale some air with every snare they produce in a rhythm. This technique has revolutionized beatboxing with regards to speed and endurance.

Beatbox style

Ozzie snare (inward snare)

Later Live

Later (when?) Ozzie moved to Las Vegas and also works as a music producer there.

In 2017 he went to an audition for America's got Talent, but was not picked to be on the show.