Classical-Meets-Hip-Hop Duo ‘Black Violin’ To Play In Medford

MEDFORD, MA — Black Violin, a Grammy-nominated classical-meets-hip-hop duo, is set to play at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford on Friday, April 15 at 8 p.m.

For over 18 years, Black Violin members Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste have been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals. Their inspiration came from both the genre they were listening to as teenagers, hip hop, and the genre they were studying, classical, and they have collaborated with musicians and bands including Alicia Keys, Wu Tang Clan, 2 Chainz, and others.

“It came to be sort of naturally,” Marcus said. “We wanted to be hip hip producers, but people kept being drawn to us playing the violin. We didn’t know we could turn it into a career until we started seeing people’s reaction to it, they would just lose their minds and we thought, ‘maybe we can make money doing this.’”

Marcus and Baptiste met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola during their high school and college careers.

After 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.

“It’s just wild how it has all happened and we are grateful to be part of these circles and have these kind of opportunities,” Marcus said.

In 2021, Black Violin’s album Take The Stairs was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental album at the Grammy Awards. Before the pandemic, the duo was touring extensively and playing over 200 shows a year, many of which were for young low-income students in urban communities, and often worked along side youth orchestras to give them an opportunity to perform on stage.

“We think of it as a real responsibility of ours to provide positive representation on who can play the violin,” Marcus said. “We try to help kids in various ways, especially through our Black Violin Foundation, which applications are currently open for.”

According to Marcus and Baptiste, their performances aim to challenge stereotypes and preconceived notions of what a classical musician looks and sounds like.

“The stereotypes are always there, embedded so deep in our culture,” Baptiste said in a statement. “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.”

Black Violin said they are looking forward to Friday’s show in Medford for many reasons, as it is the last show of a very long tour, and are looking forward to playing their high energy concert for a Massachusetts audience.

“Our show is meal, not a snack,” Marcus said. “It’s something that will entertain, educate and inspire. It’s not just the music, it's the messaging behind it, and we encourage our audiences to think outside the box and run toward breaking stereotypes.”

To purchase tickets for Black Violin’s show at the Chevalier, click here. To donate to the Black Violin Foundation, visit www.blackviolinfoundation.org.