- Street performance is a premier entertainment spectacle where raw talent meets a spontaneous outdoor audience.
- Thanks to YouTube, some street acts have gone global, attracting digital onlookers around the world.
- Among those who have mastered this art are two Americans, Ari Miller and Harry Mack, both known for their countless viral videos.
- Ari Miller, who goes by his popular stage name ari@home, is a skilled producer who patrols the streets of New York City with a mobile studio strapped to his back.
- Harry Hamilton McKenzie (Harry Mack) is an American rapper and YouTuber from Portland, Oregon, known for his viral freestyles performed in the streets.
1. Harry Mack
Harry Mack is a human lyrical computer popular for his jaw-dropping improvised freestyles. The 35-year-old’s ability has blown many fans away, leaving psychologists scrambling to explain his extraordinary talent.
Mr. H Mack roams the streets of America, driving pedestrians, ravers, and idlers crazy with his brilliant freestyle raps.
He also connects with his fans globally, performing freestyle raps virtually and on the streets of Europe, in cities like London and Amsterdam, among others.
“Hi guys, my name is Harry Mack, and I do freestyles for people. Would you mind if I do a free style for you?” is his signature icebreaker.
Once his spontaneous audience agrees, he takes a word from each person in the crowd to inspire his freestyle.
He often encourages his fans to offer challenging and creative suggestions, discouraging animal and food-related words as he finds them too common and easy to rhyme.
Harry then goes ahead to weave the random words into an intricate freestyle complete with hip-hop beats from his Bluetooth speaker. He does all of this on the spot, without any rehearsal, and in an emphatic fashion.
His audience often includes African Americans, a group largely associated with rap music. Videos consistently show an initially skeptical Black audience looking for ‘bars’ getting blown away just seconds into his freestyles.
Harry’s mastery in scanning the audience adds another dimension to his raps; he reads people’s shirts and hoodies, observes sneaker brands and other fashion accessories, and integrates them into his freestyle on the go.
Below are some of his most electric performances from his Guerrilla Bars YouTube series:
- Harry Mack Freestyles Outside Lakers vs. Knicks Game
- Harry Mck Freestyles For a Crowd in London
- Harry Mack’s Prom Night in Washington, DC
Thanks to his rapidly growing social media presence, Harry Mack no longer needs an introduction when he approaches a crowd.
2. ari@home
Ari Miller is a talented improv musician and beatmaker who has gained significant online traction for his unique street performances.
The skilled producer turns heads in the streets of New York City as he strolls with his beat-making rig.
His unique recording suite is a sight to behold, featuring what appears to be subwoofers strapped to his back, a microphone clipped to his chest, giant headphones with a mouthpiece, and a screen monitor attached to a keyboard and console.
This gives Ari supreme powers to turn New York into a giant outdoor recording studio.
The jovial sound engineer perfectly captures his craft on Instagram: “Making music with strangers. Freestyling with strangers on the streets of NYC – Every beat improvised on the spot.”
Ari’s mobile music studio allows him to create complex beats and instrumentals in real-time as he walks through the streets.
Similar to Harry Mack, a core element of Ari’s act is spontaneous audience engagement.
He often invites random strangers on the street to freestyle, sing, or even just provide vocal samples over his improvised beats. This leads to unexpected and truly amazing collaborations, showcasing raw, unscripted talent.
While his favorite is hip-hop, Ari is highly adaptable and can create beats in a wide variety of genres.
He is known to incorporate suggestions from strangers for different musical styles, pushing his creative boundaries and demonstrating his versatility.
ari@home recently linked up with leading freestyler Harry Mack in a rare encounter in New York City.
Ari spotted Harry vibing to his beats somewhere in the crowd before inviting him to the mic for a hard-hitting freestyle.
Among his top videos are his street collabos with NYC freestylers and with a random white guy in a suit who pulled up with a brilliant freestyle.