Black Violin at Eccles Theater

Hailing from Florida, Black Violin's strings continue to gracefully play its unique blend of hip-hop by its talented musicians, Will B and Kev Marcus. The duo is classically trained for the viola and the violin respectively. Together, they incorporate various genres into their distinct hip-hop-influenced string artistry. They recently collaborated with The Blind Boys of Alabama for "We Are One" which showcases their unique blend of hip-hop-driven strings to elements of blues and gospel.

"They are pushing boundaries in their field of music," shared Jimmy Carter of The Blind Boys. "We have enjoyed getting to know the guys in Black Violin and we loved collaborating with them," With a track rooted in people's differences and how they make each one beautiful and connects each other, Black Violin's convergence of strings into different genres of music exemplify beauty and uniqueness connected to different influences.

For over a decade of playing the strings, Black Violin has gained widespread attention for introducing an unexpected convergence of classical and hip-hop in one masterpiece. They started off by covering hip-hop songs on violins, with local performances at clubs becoming instant hits. In 2005, they gained the Legend title at Showtime at the Apollo.

"After we won the Apollo, which is the hardest audience on the planet, we knew there was something there…," shared Kev Marcus. "The hard thing was to package it so that people would give us a chance, because we were doing something that nobody had ever seen."

Having been exposed to a wide audience, the duo quickly rose to national popularity, even performing with Alicia Keys at the Billboard Awards. They've also performed alongside big names in the industry including Wu-Tang Clan and Mike Shinoda.

"One day our instructor gave us an album to listen to by jazz violinist Stuff Smith," Will B recalls. "The name of the album was 'Black Violin.'"

Having met at a performing arts high school, the two took time to exercise classic techniques, alongside to listening to hip-hop and blues during free days. With astounding talent and a love for the genre, Black Violin found their edge that surprisingly worked well.

In 2019, their record "Take the Stairs" earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Black Violin has become one of the globe's highly-acclaimed and sought-after acts for its unique blend of genres driven by hip-hop-tuned strings.

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