Photos courtesy of Albert Manduca
The Black Violin will be at the Palace Theatre on Sunday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The group is comprised of violists Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus and recently added DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes. Sounds like a pretty eclectic performance, huh? You're absolutely right. Black Violin is a unique blend of classical music and hip-hop, two genres you'd never guessed would marry.
It's often called classical boom, this new type of music. Not only does the group attempt to take classical music and change people's ideas about it, but it also brings together listeners of all races, economic backgrounds and cultures.
The group met back in high school orchestra class, deciding to reunite after university and combine their love of hip-hop and classical music. It's a genre-bending experience, one that Billboard insists will change the world.
Black Violin is also advocates for educational outreach, performing for more than 100,000 students annually throughout North America and Europe. The members were dubbed as Turnaround Artists for a school in their hometown of Broward County, FL. - leaders of a national education program that infuses arts into struggling schools.
Keys and Violins
The group's popularity skyrocketed after the members were approached by the manager of Alicia Keys, who asked them to accompany her in a performance at the Billboard Music Awards. Moreover, a tour with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park followed, along with claiming the opener spot for Wu-Tang Clang.
Some more notable names Black Violin has worked with are Alessia Cara, 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne. They've had a busy journey, touring, writing and producing new music nonstop since their origination.
Scared of Stereotypes
While Wil B and Kev Marcus stand for classical music and breaking stereotypes now, in their younger years, it seems they were afraid of being judged for their love of classical music. B intended on studying the saxophone but was put into viola classes on accident, something he now does not regret. In a 2012 interview, Marcus says he didn't want to be known as a violinist, and only started because he was getting into some trouble at school and his mom wanted him to be busy with something.
