Ozzie
Ozzie (real name?) (*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.
Early life
Ozzie was born in the Bronx on December 12, 1967. He was the third child in the family and had three siblings, his older sister (name?), his brother (name?) and his younger brother (name?). His father was a TV man, and his mother was a housewife.
When he was still a child, his parents moved to Far Rockaway, Queens, where he grew up.
At the age of 5 he started to make sounds.
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.
From 1973(?) to 1978(?) Ozzie attended elementary school P.S. 197 on 825 Hicksville Road.
In 1978(?) Ozzie went to J.H.S. 198 B. N. Cardozo Junior High School on 365 Beach 56th Street.
As a teenager Ozzie became friends with Kenny Muhammad, which had a strong effect on both their styles. They also performed together in shows and underground battles on the street and subway stations (59th Street).
In 1981(?) Ozzie attended Far Rockaway High School on 821 Beach 25th Street.
Beatboxing
According to his own statement Ozzie developed his beatboxing independently from Darren Robinson and Douglas Davis when he was a teenager.
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 Muhammed, 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.