The program is sponsored by the US Department of State and includes performances of genres such as hip-hop, classical, indie-rock and punk. This year, Russian native Dmitry Burmistrov will be representing his hometown city of Kazan, and our Voice of Russia correspondent Vasili Sushko had a chance to speak with him prior to the weekend’s event.

Think of it as a sort of state-funded exchange program—artists from all parts of the globe, coming together for a common cause: music. OneBeat is a state funded program that brings musicians together and allows them to tour across the United States. This weekend, the tour kicks off under the bright lights of New York City, a place where one of the participating artists never thought he would be. The artist, Dmitry Burmistrov, is better known by his stage name, Masta Mic.

Burmistrov specializes in a somewhat unconventional form of music called “beatbox,” where the music isn’t made by instruments, but by the mouth. As hard as it may be to believe, the sound you hear is completely from the mouth of Masta Mic, no electronic keyboard or instruments are used.

As unconventional such a form of music may be, perhaps what’s even more unorthodox, is how Masta Mic came to be.

“About six years ago I just looked in the mirror and I was thinking about making a big tattoo all over my face with a dragon drinking ginger beer, right on my face. But then I realized it’s the wrong way to be original. Then I just typed in the internet, ‘how to be original,’ and here you are, beat box. That's how I found it, and then I just started practicing. So, very simple,” said Burmistrov, or ‘Masta Mic.’

Burmistrov began to post Youtube videos of him performing out of his own apartment in Kazan, Russia. As he practiced more and more, his popularity grew, ultimately garnering tens of millions of views on Youtube, and perhaps even more importantly, the attention of OneBeat. Christopher Marianette, the Co-Director of OneBeat, said Masta Mic is one of the best he’s ever seen.

“He is a beat boxer kind of extraordinaire, he’s kind of the most amazing beat boxer I've ever heard and I think that a lot of people who see him feel the same way,” said Christopher Marianette, Co-Director for OneBeat.

As part of the OneBeat tour, Burmistrov will have the opportunity to collaborate with other artists from around the world, a big step up from his kitchen in his Kazan apartment. He said he entered a competition to participate in OneBeat, and with a little bit of luck, he’s now fulfilling his dreams.

“I think my good luck brought me here, because I won this competition, OneBeat. Then, I had a great time making some fresh and unique music and now I’m at the best and top moment of my life, I feel very excited, I'm in New York finally. You know, those 20 minutes that I first spent in New York are really great. I just feel so excited and I want to find some new words but the only thing that I've got in my mouth is the word excited, excited,” he said.

Burmistrov, who is 24 years old, said he will think about moving to New York City in the future. In the meantime, Masta Mic will bring his new found fame and beat boxing skills back with him to his home-town of Kazan once he concludes his OneBeat tour in the US. Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/us/2013_10_05/Russian-beat-box-extraordinaire-visits-NYC-6010/