Black Violin, the classical-meets-hip-hop duo of Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste, released an intense new video for their song “One Step.” Featuring three different story lines, the video centers around the issues of immigration, gun violence, and police brutality. The music video premiered at The Root, who said it “takes viewers on an emotional journey through America’s current climate.”
Watch here: https://youtu.be/KQl-DTxz-xs
“’One Step’ intends to take the audience on an emotional ride and inspire them to think about a hopeful future. Every moment of the video touches on subjects with which we are familiar,” Kev told The Root. “Both me and Wil are first generation American citizens and have firsthand experience with our country’s immigration system. Wil immigrated to the United States as a child and has experience with being mistreated by our broken system.”
Today’s date also marks the two year anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, a tragedy that was close to home for the South Florida duo. “I grew up 10 minutes from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and had a family member in class during the assault in 2018,” Kev says “Children deserve to be protected, yet our society chooses to turn a blind eye to the rights and lives of our youngest citizens. If artists like us remain quiet and don’t use our platforms to at least keep the conversation going, then we are doing a disservice to our community. This video is a reflection of the current world around us. The question is: how will we change it for the better?”
“In so many different capacities, our humanity is challenged at every turn,” Wil Baptiste says. “How we combat the revolving loss of our young ones will solely depend on us. The HOPE is that we will accept our individual roles. We will need each other in order to accomplish this task, which at times, may seem impossible. It starts with being comfortable with the mirror. We have to be willing to truly accept the past in order to move toward a beautiful future. I believe the impossible is possible.”
“One Step” is taken from Black Violin’s new album Take The Stairs, which debuted late last year in the top ten across multiple genre charts: #1 in Current Classical, #1 in Classical Crossover, #7 in Heatseekers, and #9 in Current R&B/Hip-Hop. Melding aggressive beats and classical instrumentation, “One Step” was described by Billboard as a “futuristic anthem,” while Loudwire called the song “an optimistic rock track with an edge.” Last weekend the duo played at the Oscars Governors Ball, and they recently performed their song “Showoff” on The Today Show.
Kev and Wil first met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort 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.
Black Violin 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.”
Last year, the group launched the Black Violin Foundation Inc., a non profit organization dedicated to empowering youth by providing access to quality music programs in their community. BVF believes that music and access to music programs should not be determined by race, gender, or socio-economic status. Black Violin Foundation’s inaugural program the Musical Innovation Grant for Continuing Education will provide scholarships to young music students to attend a program of their liking that fosters musical creativity and innovation. Programs can range from private lessons, to summer music camps, to college courses. Scholarships will be awarded bi-annually to up to 20 applicants per scholarship cycle. More info at: http://www.blackviolinfoundation.org
Tour Dates:
2.14.20 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
2.15.20 – Macon, GA – Hargray Capitol Theater
2.20.20 – Tampa, FL – Straz Center for the Performing Arts
2.21.20 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts
2.27.20 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
3.1.20 – Sacramento, CA – The Crest Theatre
3.3.20 – Turlock, CA – Turlock Community Theatre
3.5.20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at the Ace Hotel
3.6.20 – Escondido, CA – California Center for the Arts
3.7.20 – Lancaster, CA – Lancaster Performing Arts Center
3.8.20 – Monterey, CA – Golden State Theatre
3.20.20 – Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Center
3.21.20 – Memphis, TN – The Orpheum Theatre
3.24.20 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
3.26.20 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
3.27.20 – Purchase, NY – PAC at Purchase College
3.28.20 – Wilmington, DE – The Queen
3.29.20 – Norfolk, VA – Chrysler Hall
3.31.20 – Charleston, WV – Clay Center
4.5.20 – Dallas, TX – AT&T Performing Arts Center
4.7.20 – Houston, TX – Jones Hall, Society for the Performing Arts
4.9.20 – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center For The Performing Arts
4.10.20 – Austin, TX – The Long Center for the Performing Arts
4.15.20 – Providence, RI – The Veterans Memorial Auditorium
4.16.20 – Quebec City, Canada – Palais Montcalm – Maison de la Musique
4.17.20 – Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre
4.18.20 – Union, NJ – Wilkins Theatre at Kean University
5.3.20 – Bend, OR – Tower Theatre
5.5.20 – Yakima, WA – Capitol Theater
5.6.20 – Portland, OR – Portland’5 Keller Auditorium
5.7.20 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center for the Performing Arts
5.8.20 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
6.27.20 – Vienna, VA – Filene Center at Wolf Trap
8.19.20 – Chautauqua, NY – Chautauqua Institution
