Interview with Wiz-RD, member of the BAC Beatbox Academy

An interview with Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster's Tyler aka Wiz-RD 

Interview with Wiz-RD, member of the BAC Beatbox Academy

Could you introduce yourself to the reader?

My name is Tyler or Wiz-RD I’m a rapper and beatboxer from south-east London.

What is your earliest memory of beatboxing?

My earliest memory of beatboxing was probably when I saw Shlomo perform at Womad festival in 2013. 

If you could work with anybody, dead or alive, then who would it be?

I would definitely work with the New Zealand based band Flight of The Conchords. They’ve always been a huge influence on my music and I just think they’d be really fun to work with.

What made you start beatboxing?

I’ve always written songs, ever since I was a kid and I always beatboxed a bit with these songs, but I properly started in 2012 when I went to a recording studio and created the Wiz-RD persona.

Did you beatbox before joining the BAC Beatbox Academy?

I did beatbox, probably only for about 3 years but I got really good at it once I joined the Academy. For the first time I was around other beatboxers and I learnt so much just by being around them.

What was your process for making this show?

When we got given the theme of Frankenstein we studied the book and the story, picking out major plot points and themes that we could make songs about. At first, it was very literal and close to Mary Shelly’s original text. There are a few songs in the show that we’ve had since the beginning, all initially created through jams, such as ‘Alive’ ‘Lonely’ and ‘Genius’. Over time we added more and more songs, filling the gaps until we had enough to fully tell the story. The writing process took us about 2 years. 

What would you say that you've learnt from performing this show, and from the Beatbox Academy in general?

I’ve definitely learnt the value of working as a collective, and sharing your skills with others so you can teach people new skills and learn a lot in the process. Making this show has definitely taught me a lot about how to make a professional show and work in the industry. It has taught me that it’s OK to leave my comfort zone, for instance, I didn’t consider myself a rapper before Frankenstein, but now I do. 

Do you plan to take beatboxing beyond the academy?

Yeah of course! What’s so nice about the Beatbox Academy - and about Frankenstein - is that we’re all individual artists, and we have the privilege to be in this show, but even if we weren’t we’d all still be making music.

Where can people see your show?

People can see the show at Battersea Arts Centre in London.

How can people find you online?

I am on Instagram, Youtube and Bandcamp, all under the name Wiz-RD.


We also interviewed Glitch from Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster, which you can read here. You should also check out our review of Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster from Edinburgh Fringe.

Header Image Credit: (centre-right) Courtesy of BAC Beatbox Academy

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Oluwatayo Adewole

Oluwatayo Adewole Contributor

Hey there! I'm a wordy-type who's into all kinds of stuff, but especially: film, comics, theatre and trying to make the world a better place

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