Human beat box wizard and “Godfather of Noyze” Rahzel will lend his voice to the animated hip-hop series, “PlanetRock!,” about an alien who comes to New York to be a hip-hop superstar.Rahzel will play the alien’s nemesis Fly Swatta, who has the ability to imitate a turntable and rhyme at the same time.The series was created by Mario Menjivar and Rosemary Rivera. They said that Rahzel’s actual style of beatboxing and rapping served as an inspiration for the character of Fly Swatta.“To me beatboxing represents what hip hop is truly about,” Rivera told AllHipHop.com. “Nothing but a guy and a mike, making an orchestra of sounds, beats and words all at the same time. Rahzel is the walking
embodiment of that idea.”Menjivar worked on several animated features, including “Lion King,” Pocahantas,” “Tarzan” and the upcoming “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.””Animation in general, and especially in this country, has barely begun to explore the creative possibilities of the medium,” Menjivar said. “PlanetRock! is my opportunity to cross uncharted territory in both the story and visual style. ”Rivera said that “Planetrock!” will embody the fun and creativity that was reflected in hip-hop as she was growing up in the South Bronx.“Hip hop was born out of a life of adversity,” Rivera continued. “The music, art, dance and fashions came out of our surroundings and the one thing we have plenty of in the inner city—imagination. That’s what PlanetRock! will reflect: the fun and creativity we saw all around us when we were growing up.”