A tuneful taxi hits South Bay streets

Karaoke Taxi operator Muffasa. Photo by Janet Oshiro

As Breeana Trachy, Nicole Cooper, and Elyse Lemoine slid into the back of a nondescript yellow taxi one afternoon, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them.

“It was really new and clean.” Trachy said. “A nice and normal taxi.”

But as the car began to drive, a voice heavy with an Indian accent rang out around them, reverberating throughout the car.

“It asked us where we were from,” Lemoine said. “We were totally shocked! It took us a minute to realize that it was actually the driver speaking, and that he was amplified by a microphone.”

The three girls had stepped into the South Bay’s own Karaoke Taxi. Its driver, a man named Mustafa who prefers the nickname Muffasa, handed the girls two microphones and a book full of songs to choose from. The girls sang Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” by the Beatles, and Bon Jovi’s “Living On a Prayer.”

“There was a point at which we were all head-banging and dancing to the music,” Trachy said.

The idea of a karaoke taxi started at a dinner party. The karaoke machine had been a big hit, but the DJ was leaving and taking the fun with him. When he saw the disappointment of the people around him, Muffasa, an employee of All Yellow Taxi Inc., had an ingenious idea. Why couldn’t karaoke be portable?

Muffasa said that after that party he began brainstorming with his friends about how to install karaoke in a taxi.

“First we bought a DVD, then we bought speakers, then we bought TVs, then we made the sound clear, amplified, a lot of stuff,” he said. “Then we started it.”

Muffasa, a half Indian and half Pakistani university student, moved to the United States in 2004 and has been operating his karaoke taxicab for almost three years. The taxi boasts two 11-inch LCD monitors on the backs of both headrests, two microphones, and an actual karaoke program that rates your singing. Plus, there’s surround sound and the process is simple and similar to actual karaoke. Simply open up the hefty book of songs in the back seat, punch the song number into the microphone, and start singing.

The song book is an achievement in itself. There are thousands of songs that range from Madonna to Queen to even the latest country hits. “I had to download, write it out, and get a book,” Muffasa said. “I made all of it.”

But the efficient design of the karaoke inside of the car is the result of a brainstorm between Muffasa and three other friends. “I do everything but all of it is designed by my friends,” he said. “All of it is thought of and designed by us.”

Muffasa has also branched out from karaoke.

“I don’t only play English music, I also play Bollywood music. A lot of people call me to hear Bollywood,” Muffasa said. “And they tell me before, when they call — they only listen.”

It doesn’t end there either; he has everything from movies to the newest music videos that range from Batman to Beyonce’s Video Phone. The songs of the late Michael Jackson are also popular choices among his customers. The karaoke is essentially completely optional, but the entertainment isn’t. And there’s nothing wrong with that. “If you’re tired and you don’t want to sing, you can just listen to music or watch a movie, like a theater.”

However, Muffasa doesn’t join in the singing. Because his business often caters to the slightly (or heavily) intoxicated he prefers to simply listen and let his customers enjoy their songs.

“I keep my eyes up here, on the road. I used to sing but one time a drunk man ended up hitting me, so I stopped.”

In terms of competition, Muffasa believes that he is in a league of his own because of his passion and personality.

“Before, I had one TV and the sound system, and a lot of people copied that,” he said. “It became very busy and famous and a lot of people put the TVs and stuff inside and tried to compete with me….It’s very different with me. It’s not only in the taxi, it’s in my life.”

He says that it’s his “temperament” that allows him to listen to people sing all the time in his car.

“I don’t mind, there’s a lot of good singers and a lot of very bad singers who come,” Muffasa said.

Customers Breeana Trachy and Elyse Lemoine at the mobile karaoke mike. Photo by Janet Oshiro

The concept of the karaoke taxicab is similar to the Cash Cab, a U.S. game show that features a taxicab in which riders answer trivia questions for money. But Muffasa stresses the differences.

“I don’t have competition with the Cash Cab!” he said. “Karaoke is totally different. He pays them money, I take the money!”

He has a Youtube page and a Facebook page, both under the name of “Karaoketaxicab SouthBay,” on which he posts both photos and videos of karaoke-ers. Of course, he edits the profanity out and always asks before he posts all photos and recordings of his customers.

“The car belongs to All Yellow Taxi but I pay the insurance,” he said. “They’re very happy because there are a thousand drivers but they don’t have karaoke in their cars. Some people try to have the karaoke, but can’t manage it because sometimes it gets crazy when business is rushed. But I do it for my own fun. I don’t have much time to have my own fun, so I create fun in my job. Because I love the music.”

Muffasa’s karaoke taxi is most often found haunting the streets of Hermosa Beach, Redondo, Palos Verdes, El Segundo, and Torrance.

“Text, don’t call me,” Muffasa said. “A lot of people text because if people are singing and somebody calls, I can’t hear it.”

To catch a ride and karaoke, text (310) 808-5146. ER

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