Justin Timberlake Is Finally Ready to Take Accountability for All His Beatboxing

Over the past few years, Justin Timberlake has done a lot of apologizing and taking accountability. The pop star hasn’t had the smoothest mid-career run, whether he’s solemnly copping to new indiscretions, or confronting old ones. Social media, after all, has a way of resurfacing old, embarrassing incidents just when you think everyone’s forgotten. Like the content creator Hannah Young, who shed fresh light on one of the more problematic patterns from the early days of Timberlake’s career: incessant beatboxing.

On Monday, Young shared a video about Timberlake’s penchant for spitting “boots and cats,” and the audience’s questionable willingness to just go along with it. “Nobody said, ‘Justin, you know, we have drums? This is a professional recording studio. There are instruments available to you,’” Young deadpanned. “But, no. Justin Timberlake wanted to make space noises with his mouth.”

Well, it turns out Timberlake himself was listening and learning. In the comments to Young’s post, he admitted, “I often look back on that time as well. I still haven’t come up with any answers. I don’t know how to apologize enough for whatever those ambitions were. Too many boots. Too many cats.” 

Timberlake even went so far as to seek forgiveness. But not without reminding everyone that humans are flawed, complicated creatures who, despite best intentions, sometimes act against their own self-interest and the well-being of others.

“I can’t promise I won’t do it again,” Timberlake solemnly wrote. “God help us all.” 

Beatboxing was indeed a huge part of Timberlake’s shtick during the final days of ‘NSync and the beginning of his blockbuster solo career. (And it goes without saying this is very much part of a larger discussion about the pop star’s long, complicated relationship with, use of, and profiting off of Black culture and music.) Timberlake’s beatboxing featured on ’NSync’s 2001 single “Pop,” and he and producer Timbaland incorporated it liberally on solo songs like “Cry Me a River.” 

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But if you really want the full unhinged, uncut Timberlake beatboxing experience, check out the “Justin’s Beat Box” segment from ’NSync’s 2000 concert film, Live from Madison Square Garden. Harrowing stuff. And that’s before we even talk about the outfit. 

While it’s great to see Timberlake reckoning with this distressing period, credit to Young for not letting everyone else off the hook so easy. “We liked it,” she pointedly notes. “That’s what I need us to sit with. We were watching that man make drum noises with his mouth. Like, ‘Oh my god, what can’t he do?’”