Beatbox advocate THE-O promoting beatbox in Hong Kong
By Pauline Yau
World champion beatboxer Ko Ching-hei, who recently clinched the Haten World Championship title in 2024 has now turned his passion into teaching. He teaches secondary school students beatboxing, the art of mimicking drum machines.
“Beatboxing is still a relatively new culture and art form. Not many people are familiar with beatboxing as it has not become mainstream. I hope I can change that,” Ko says.
During the one-hour sessions, Ko teaches about 30 form one to three students basic beatboxing skills such as eight beat rhythms, kick drum, and the snare at Ellen Yeung College.
Ko Ching-hei teaching his students the basic beatboxing skill siren.
“I try to engage students by making the lessons more fun. Sometimes I play groovy beatboxing tracks to catch their attention or allow them to jam together with beatbox cypher – a gathering of beatboxers in a circle, improvising beats together,” the year four university student says.
Ko started self-learning beatboxing at 12 after being inspired by a video of Hikakin, a famous Japanese beatboxer.
“I thought it was really to mimic musical instruments only with muscles, and that there was no music sheet to follow,” Ko says.
“I never feel bored of beatboxing. The freedom for creativity is infinite. There are countless combinations of rhythm and notes. I discover new beats and sounds every time I go freestyle. The sense of satisfaction is beyond words,” he says.
Ko devotes his time to beatboxing whenever he takes a break from his study.
“During my free time, I film beatboxing tutorial videos to put up online,” Ko says. Although the videos only garnered a few hundred views, he gained enough exposure to be invited to teach beatboxing at schools. This encourages him to pursue beatboxing as a career.
“When I was a year one student, I felt depressed about my future. I didn’t want to take the path that most people follow – just graduate and work for money. I hope my work in the future can be related to something I believe in,” Ko says.
In 2019, after six years of beatboxing, Ko founded Cyphinal Beatbox to promote Hong Kong beatbox culture through education and events.
Cyphinal Beatbox YouTube channel has gained 907 followers, featuring regular videos of beatboxing battles and tutorials. The platform allows beatbox enthusiasts to learn, compete, and jam together.
“Whenever I have contests overseas, I learn a lot and feel the high energy there. People are genuinely moved by the music. The vibes are great. That is why I want to hold these activities in Hong Kong as well, to show Hong Kong beatbox lovers that beatboxing is about jamming together, not just practising alone,” Ko says.
Apart from promoting beatbox education, Ko competes in international competitions to gain exposure.
In 2024, he became the fourth Hongkonger to qualify for the Grand Beatbox Battle, an international beatboxing competition held by Swissbeatbox, the largest beatboxing platform in the world.
His stage name THE-O comes from his English name Theo. “Advanced beatboxing skills like D-low, B-art and Show-Go have a hyphen in it, so I put one in my stage name as well,” Ko says.
“Personally I think resilience and creativity are what make a great beatboxer. You learn how much effort a beatboxer puts into a beat when they perform, as well as their personality. Humility is also something I value. It makes the music more empathetic and easier to relate,” he says.
Despite efforts to promote beatboxing, Ko knows well the path he has chosen is a less travelled one.
“Many Hong Kong people think beatboxing is ‘noisy’, ‘dirty’, and ‘playing with saliva’,” Ko says.
Another major concern for beatboxers is the financial burden. “Beatboxers usually have to pay their way to participate in international competitions and symposiums. Our income is unstable. Many take on side hustles or become producers and DJs,” Ko says.
“My ultimate goal is to make beatboxing a viable career. If beatboxing can sustain our basic needs, we will invest more time on beatboxing, honing our art, instead of spending time on other side jobs to support ourselves… this is my passion, and I will continue to pursue it despite all odds,” he adds.
Sub-edited by Hannah Tang
