The Evolution of Beatbox: DeWayne Taylor at TEDxLincoln

Taylor spoke about and demonstrated the evolution of beatboxing, how the art form is spreading like wildfire with just a few clicks of a mouse, and how he's used beatboxing to build bridges between people. Since he was a little boy growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Taylor has been making sounds with his mouth. He went from annoying his mother with his "sounds" to beatboxing after his freshman year track season at Lincoln Southwest High School in 2009. What began as something to fill the time grew, through hours of practicing, to personal performances at many school functions and activities. In early 2012, after being crowned prom king, Taylor performed to an audience of over 400 people. Since then, he has realized that beatboxing is misunderstood and largely unheard within the community around him. Through competing in the American Beatbox Championships, D-Wayne (his stage name) has connected with other beatboxers, young and old, throughout the nation and around the world. He is constantly looking for ways to help people understand and appreciate this form of artistic expression.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)