On the bus ride to the Class of 2014’s junior retreat, multiple students in the back of the bus revealed some hidden talents. One of these students was senior Sam Carlson, who looks back on the experience of sharing his talent at the junior retreat quite fondly.

“When I am in front of people I like to stick to the basic beat that I have developed, but when I am feeling really good I try putting other ideas together,” Carlson said.

Carlson’s interest in beatboxing is purely a hobby, but he enjoys the art quite a bit. “I think of beatboxing more as a hobby than a skill. I like to listen to rap songs and hear the different elements that are in the instrumentals.” Carlson said. Carlson’s talent for beatboxing comes from his natural ability to replicate sounds with just his mouth.

“I like to copy those sounds with my mouth as best as I can and see if I can make a beat out it,” Carlson said. “I also like how simple beats can be just as cool as fast paced beats when they are done well.

As for the other side of homemade hip hop, freestyling is also popular specifically in the senior class. Freestyle rapping is a style of rap where words and rhymes are improvised on the spot, with or without instrumentals. Senior Jared Mosher enjoys spitting off whatever comes to his mind around friends, and pretty much anyone else. “I like freestyling around new people and getting their opinions,” Mosher said.

In Mosher’s opinion, as far as other people are concerned, the more the merrier. “It’s fun to do it in a group where everyone is rapping because you can build off what other people say,” Mosher said. “It’s something that I have put time into to improve on. I would consider myself a good rapper, but I’m not the best,” Mosher said.

As for improving and moving forward with their skills, both Carlson and Mosher only consider their skills as fun hobbies, whether because of stage fright or slight lack of confidence in real talent.

“I like to show it off on various occasions but I keep it to myself mostly because I get embarrassed sometimes,” Carlson said.
Mosher feels a bit more at ease with sharing his skill, despite the fact that both are highly praised in the grade for their performances on certain occasions. “I like freestyling more than rapping because since it’s off the dome, people don’t care if you mess up. I usually only freestyle around friends so I don’t get nervous,” Mosher said.

“If I had the real skill to, I would totally produce beats. But in actuality, I have a greater chance of becoming a rocket scientist,” Carlson said.