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Jordanian championship ‘King of the Beat’ returns after 2 years
By Haya Najdawi, Jordan News
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The Jordanian beatboxing competition King of the Beat (KOB) returned last
Friday after two years during which it was being held online due to the
pandemic. Since it first started in 2014, the annual championship has become
one of largest hip-hop events in Jordan.اضافة اعلان
The event was sponsored by Merdian, the University of North Carolina, SAE Institute Amman, Next Level, Underground Amman, and Studio RA. Held at the National Centre for Culture and Arts, KOB ran from 4pm until they announced winners at 9pm.
Jordanian beatboxer Abood Al-Adham, 29, who is the founder of the championship, said that the tickets had sold out.
“The amount of people who showed up was higher than expected, above the capacity of the stage,” he said with satisfaction.
The competition usually starts with participants posting videos of themselves beatboxing online. Then, the 16 best submissions get chosen by the judges. On the day of the event, beatboxers get eliminated each round, going from top eight, to top four, until there is a winner.
Rami Kandalaft, one of the judges, said with enthusiasm: “You can say that the event came out of the blue this year. It feels nostalgic being here, like a flashback, and we could not wait for the event; everyone was so excited.”
Kandalaft, who won KOB in 2018, opened up about the difficulties of being a judge instead of a participant.
“It is a hard task; you do not want any of the performers to lose because you do not want to miss the opportunity to listen to them again,” he told Jordan News.
“In all honesty, this year’s performers exceeded my expectations, as did the huge number of people who showed up. The audience was excited and I was very proud to be called back here, but as a judge this time,” said Omar Snops.
The final judge, 26-year-old Hussein Nusirat, said that he “could not sleep well” due to the anticipation.
“I think the pandemic helped beatboxers; they had time to develop their techniques and skills. I definitely think they got a lot better, so the competition this year is sort of intense,” he said.
“Having her here is unique. People did not like the idea of women participating in these sorts of competitions before, but it is very nice to see the slight change happening,” he said.
“I would encourage anyone who can beatbox to do so because it is a skill that you can practice and help grow into something beautiful. It is not like some people are naturally born with the talent while others are not; everyone can practice and develop,” Nusirat said.
KOB also held an all-style dancing competition judged by dancers Rana Madanat, MOD, and Alaeddin Rahmeh. The competition started with eight dancers, then by the process of elimination ended with three winners: Ahmad Zeyad in first place, Saleh Bellagon in second, and Mariam in third.
All-style judge Alaeddin Rahmeh also stressed the importance of having women contestants.
“We had four male and four female dancers,” he said.
“Each one gave a beautiful show and the crowd was extremely excited; they kept cheering all along the performances. I am overwhelmed and more than happy to be back,” he said.
The event also showcased a live street art and graffiti show, with artists CHAF and Suhaib Attar creating a large mural in real time. Multiple music performances were given by local rappers Othman, Al Mukhtar, and Emsallam, who performed some of his hits such as “Dasher hosromna”, which currently has more than 1.8 million views on YouTube.
The event ended with the announcement of the top three beatbox championship winners. Young beatboxer Samer Awni was awarded first place, 2019 first place winner Ahmad Daraghmeh came in second, and 2020 first place winner Osama came in third.
“The winners of the beatbox championship get a trophy” designed by Studio RA said Adham.
“First place winner also gets a T-shirt from our partners Underground Amman, in addition to the prize money.”
“The competition was out of this world. All contestants gave worthy and exciting performances. The event was also very well-organized, the venue was nice, and the timing was suitable. In my opinion, it is the best beatbox event until now and I am beyond proud that I was able to win it this year,” Awni concluded.
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Jordan News
The event was sponsored by Merdian, the University of North Carolina, SAE Institute Amman, Next Level, Underground Amman, and Studio RA. Held at the National Centre for Culture and Arts, KOB ran from 4pm until they announced winners at 9pm.
Jordanian beatboxer Abood Al-Adham, 29, who is the founder of the championship, said that the tickets had sold out.
“The amount of people who showed up was higher than expected, above the capacity of the stage,” he said with satisfaction.
The competition usually starts with participants posting videos of themselves beatboxing online. Then, the 16 best submissions get chosen by the judges. On the day of the event, beatboxers get eliminated each round, going from top eight, to top four, until there is a winner.
Rami Kandalaft, one of the judges, said with enthusiasm: “You can say that the event came out of the blue this year. It feels nostalgic being here, like a flashback, and we could not wait for the event; everyone was so excited.”
Kandalaft, who won KOB in 2018, opened up about the difficulties of being a judge instead of a participant.
“It is a hard task; you do not want any of the performers to lose because you do not want to miss the opportunity to listen to them again,” he told Jordan News.
“In all honesty, this year’s performers exceeded my expectations, as did the huge number of people who showed up. The audience was excited and I was very proud to be called back here, but as a judge this time,” said Omar Snops.
The final judge, 26-year-old Hussein Nusirat, said that he “could not sleep well” due to the anticipation.
“I think the pandemic helped beatboxers; they had time to develop their techniques and skills. I definitely think they got a lot better, so the competition this year is sort of intense,” he said.
The amount of people who showed up was higher than expected, above the capacity of the stage.“Also, we had a female beatboxer this year, Razan, who gave an amazing show,” Nusirat added.
“Having her here is unique. People did not like the idea of women participating in these sorts of competitions before, but it is very nice to see the slight change happening,” he said.
“I would encourage anyone who can beatbox to do so because it is a skill that you can practice and help grow into something beautiful. It is not like some people are naturally born with the talent while others are not; everyone can practice and develop,” Nusirat said.
KOB also held an all-style dancing competition judged by dancers Rana Madanat, MOD, and Alaeddin Rahmeh. The competition started with eight dancers, then by the process of elimination ended with three winners: Ahmad Zeyad in first place, Saleh Bellagon in second, and Mariam in third.
All-style judge Alaeddin Rahmeh also stressed the importance of having women contestants.
“We had four male and four female dancers,” he said.
“Each one gave a beautiful show and the crowd was extremely excited; they kept cheering all along the performances. I am overwhelmed and more than happy to be back,” he said.
The event also showcased a live street art and graffiti show, with artists CHAF and Suhaib Attar creating a large mural in real time. Multiple music performances were given by local rappers Othman, Al Mukhtar, and Emsallam, who performed some of his hits such as “Dasher hosromna”, which currently has more than 1.8 million views on YouTube.
The event ended with the announcement of the top three beatbox championship winners. Young beatboxer Samer Awni was awarded first place, 2019 first place winner Ahmad Daraghmeh came in second, and 2020 first place winner Osama came in third.
“The winners of the beatbox championship get a trophy” designed by Studio RA said Adham.
“First place winner also gets a T-shirt from our partners Underground Amman, in addition to the prize money.”
“The competition was out of this world. All contestants gave worthy and exciting performances. The event was also very well-organized, the venue was nice, and the timing was suitable. In my opinion, it is the best beatbox event until now and I am beyond proud that I was able to win it this year,” Awni concluded.
Read more Music
Jordan News
