String duo Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste, known as Black Violin, have been exploring hip-hop music through the lens of their classical training for 16 years. And their approach has certainly made a splash: They won Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, have collaborated with Alicia Keys and the Wu Tang Clan, and sold out two shows in 2018 at the Kennedy Center.
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Black Violin’s new album, Take the Stairs, is planned for release this fall, and this video of its first single, “Showoff,” hit YouTube last Friday. Stay tuned for a feature about the new album in an upcoming issue of Strings!