Black Violin

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Lisa Leone

Black Violin

Blending hip-hop and classical music to create something altogether new, this duo’s music is as refined as it is exhilarating. Black Violin’s new album, Take The Stairs, drops in November, and the singles already released display the Florida pair’s 16 years of mastery of their instruments and genres. On “Showoff” they mix drumline percussion with complex violin melodies, and on “One Step,” they show off their vocal prowess along with instrumental skills.

press release: The classical-meets-hip-hop duo Black Violin announced a November 1 release date for their album Take The Stairs. The announcement comes with the album’s first single “Showoff” – referred to by Black Violin as a “classic instrumental,” the song displays the group’s technical virtuosity while incorporating fiery, energetic production. The track is accompanied by an official video featuring a variety of athletes and influencers showing off their own impressive feats and stunts.

For 16 years, Black Violin members Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste have been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals. The two met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola through their high school and college careers. Post-college, they reconvened to produce beats for South Florida rappers, and began building an audience in local clubs. They later went on to win Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and eventually sold out headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018. Their unique brand of merging the genre they were listening to (hip hop) with the world they were studying (classical) was celebrated with collaborations with Alicia Keys, Wu Tang Clan, 2 Chainz and others. NPR took note and declared “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” UPROXX also featured Black Violin in a mini-documentary as part of their “Uncharted” series.

The duo plays over 200 shows a year (many of these are performances for young low-income students in urban communities - in the last year alone, the group played for over 100,000 students) with the goal of challenging stereotypes and preconceived notions of what a “classical musician” looks and sounds like.  “The stereotypes are always there, embedded so deep in our culture,” says Wil. “Just by nature of our existence we challenge those ideas. It’s a unique thing that brings people together who aren’t usually in the same room, and in the current climate, it’s good to bring people together.”