Grand Beatbox Battle
The Grand Beatbox Battle (commonly abbreviated GBB) is an annual international beatboxing competition hosted by Swissbeatbox. Along with the triennial Beatbox Battle World Championship, it is considered one of the pre-eminent beatboxing events. The competition holds multiple tournaments for different forms and categories of beatboxing which include: Solo (or Showcase), Loopstation, Tag Team, Tag Team Loopstation, and Crew. The event follows a traditional tournament format, where competitors take turns performing on a stage, and a panel of judges vote on the winner. To qualify for the tournament portion, beatboxers from around the world must submit "wildcards  online for an invitation or by winning another national and international competition, as well as pass an elimination" round during the competition. History. The Grand Beatbox Battle (originally abbreviated as GBB) was first held in Switzerland in 2009 by Swissbeatbox, a beatbox organization with a YouTube channel run by Andreas “Pepouni” Fraefel. In 2011 the event became international. The event is streamed live on YouTube and edited versions of the battles and eliminations are uploaded periodically after the event. In addition to battles, the Swissbeatbox YouTube channel showcases beatboxing talent from around the world. Fraefel announced that the 2020 edition  would be postponed from April to August, and then from August to December. The edition for 2020 was officially cancelled and postponed to October 22nd 2021 after concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Format. Wildcards and Eliminations. In order to be invited to the GBB to compete, beatboxers must record a video of themselves performing an unedited beatbox routine and submit it to Swissbeatbox for judging. Anyone can submit a wildcard, but there are a limited number of spots in the "elimination" round. Usually, the two finalists (or 4, including semi-finalists in the Solo category) are automatically qualified for the  next year's event. Alternatively, competitors can win other beatboxing competitions for an invitation. Some examples are the Grand Beatbox Battle 7 to Smoke, the Asia Beatbox Championships, and the Great North Battle. During the first phase of the event, each beatboxer participates in an “Elimination” round, where they perform a routine without an opponent. The panel of judges then decide whom to place in the top 8 to compete tournament-style for the GBB champion title. Judges. The judges for the battles are usually past winners of the GBB or another beatboxing competition, or esteemed individuals within the beatbox  community. There are usually an odd number of judges to minimize tie battles. Judges will frequently perform “showcases” to entertain during the event and showcase their beatboxing ability. Events. Solo. The most traditional of the beatbox battles, a Solo battle follows the formula of a battle rap, where each competitor takes two turns beatboxing. The judges will then vote on who moves on to the next round. Loopstation. A Loopstation battle is a type of battle where a beatboxer uses the loop machine usually the Boss RC-505, along with other hardware, to loop and add effects and other modifications to  their beatboxing to create live music. Tag Team. A Tag Team battle is when two beatboxers perform a routine at the same time, against another Tag Team. Tag Team Loopstation and Crew. In 2020, Swissbeatbox announced a new Tag Team Loopstation category, a combination of Tag Team and Loopstation, where two beatboxers use two loopstations at the same time. They also announced Crew battles, where teams of 3-6 beatboxers battle on stage. 7 to Smoke. After the GBB is held, a smaller series of battles called a "7toSmoke" is held, where eight beatboxers repeatedly battle, taking one turn each . The first beatboxer to win seven rounds is declared the winner and sometimes given a guaranteed spot in the elimination round of the next year's GBB.