A cappella

A capella is a type of music that is entirely created by the human voice without any additional instruments. The voices and sounds of the singers or beatboxers may be amplified with electronical equipment like microphones and speakers. Some beatboxers use devices to modify their sounds to add reverb or echo or octave effects to their voices while others use loopstations to create multilayered a capella tracks.

Pure beatboxing is regarded a cappela music as there are no other instrumentes used but the human voice. Yet beatboxers often make creative use of microphones as part of their show routines to baffle audiences, for instance by holding it to their throat or head.

The first full a cappella song that only consists of beatboxing and rapping was recorded by The Fat Boys and published on their first full album Fat Boys in 1984. The track has the corresponding title "Human Beat Box". The following two albums of The Fat Boys also contained a similar a cappella track, The Fat Boys Are Back with "Human Beat Box Part II" and Big & Beautiful with "Beat Box Part III". Their song "Stick 'em" could also be seen as an a capella beatbox track as the additional record scratches only play a minor part in this track.

In 1985 Doug E Fresh and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick) released the song "La Di Da Di", which became the first hit single just consisting of pure beatboxing and rapping.