But to make such… well, inhuman sounds, the performer can torts various parts of the vocal tract and pushes aerial high velocity through the larynxs, creating concerns that beatboxing might lead to long-term vocal damage.

 

So researchers took a close look at what happens inside the throat as the beat goes on. They snaked thin video cameras through the noses of four male beat boxers to watch the voice boxes during performance. The study found that beatboxing is actually probably safer than normal singing or the screams of a rock star, because the glottis between the vocal cords stays open more and the force doesn’t get concentrated in any one spot. The work appears in the journal of Voice.