But as they approached the end of their education, “we started taking it a little bit more seriously,” thinking “maybe this could be a career.”Įspecially after the combination of classical and hip-hop took hold, when the two reconnected after college, covering pop tunes - and adding beats to classical melodies. “Like any kid that had arts involvement,” the future Black Violin partners “didn’t think we were going to be professionals at all,” he acknowledges. “It was fun to see the reaction,” Baptiste notes. So when the string-playing friends would “hear something,” they’d turn it into “a distinctive violin melody” they would play for their fellow students. “Hip-hop is about expressing yourself and being yourself.” “Every second period: viola technique.”īut after school, Wil and Kev would “do what kids do,” as in “listen to hip-hop.”Īfter their orchestra class, “we were listening to Tupac and Biggie,” Baptiste recalls. As for the “boom,” it’s the hip-hop influence that’s been part of their lives since Baptiste and Marcus were high school classmates in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.ĭuring school, they “just did classical,” Wil says during a telephone interview from a Florida recording studio where the duo is working on its next album, due later this year. The “classical” half refers to the duo’s formal musical training. These days, Baptiste and his Black Violin partner, violinist Kev Marcus (full name: Kevin Sylvester), play slightly more refined venues.
“You’re having a good time - and all of a sudden, violins are on top of the bar.” “We did several clubs,” recalls violist Wilner Baptiste, who’s billed as Wil B in the two-member musical act. When Black Violin first played Las Vegas, eight or nine years ago, it wasn’t exactly the star attraction.
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