Black Violin

Looks can be deceiving. Just ask Wilner “Wil B” Baptiste and Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester, the classically trained violin and viola players whose hip-hop style seems incongruous with their instruments — until they start playing. Performing as Black Violin, the two remain true to their orchestral roots while pursuing a shared passion for popular music. For the past decade, Baptiste and Sylvester have carved out a genre-bending niche, pulling their sound from classical, hip-hop, rock and R&B. With an average of 200 shows a year and appearances at the Apollo Theater and President Obama’s Inaugural Ball, the groundbreaking group shows no signs of slowing down.