The problem with being an artist who’s grown up in public is that every misstep – whether musical or otherwise – remains on the record/YouTube for all to see, and can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.
For Justin Timberlake, it appears that the misguided move was beatboxing, and the moment of judgement is right about now.
For the benefit of those not in the know, we should say that, in the early part of his career, Timberlake was known for his occasional beatboxing, both in the studio and on stage.
One person who definitely remembers that era is Hannah Young, whose video recalling JT’s mad beatboxing skills recently went viral.
“We don’t talk about Justin Timberlake beatboxing enough,” she began. “Because there was a moment in time where that man would be in the middle of a song and just ‘boots and cats, boots and cats’”
She’s not wrong: Timberlake’s beatboxing can be heard on both NSYNC’s Pop, from 2001, and Rock Your Body, the smash hit single from his 2002 debut solo album, Justified.
At the time, though, it passed largely without comment. “We were like, ‘Yes, there he is,’” continued Hannah in her reel. “Nobody questioned it. Nobody said, ‘Justin, you know, we have drums. This is a professional recording studio. There are instruments available to you.’ But no, Justin Timberlake wanted to make space noises with his mouth.”
He did it live, too, and there’s lots of video evidence to prove it.
“You couldn’t stop him: awards shows, live performances – you gave that man a microphone and there was always a chance,” quipped Hannah. “And we liked it. That’s what I need to sit with.”
Happily, Timberlake appears to have taken Young’s remarks in the playful spirit they were seemingly made in, and has replied in the comments.
“I often look back on that time as well,” he wrote. “I still haven’t come up with any answers. I don’t know how to apologise enough for whatever those ambitions were. Too many boots. Too many cats. I hope you can forgive me.
“Also, I can’t promise I won’t do it again. God help us all.”
Good to hear, but if it does happen at a show at some point in the future, there can be only one reasonable question: is it going to ruin the tour?
