Once again, African-American genius display the talent, perseverance and originality that has brought us from "rags to riches" (some more rich than others of course!). Anyway, God's newest rebels of the system as high-lighted by
Ambra Nykol are doing what they do best....CHANGING STEREOTYPES AND MAKING A WAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE! Here they are:
(via
Ambra's site of course!...)
Rebels: Damien & Tourie Escobar
Age(s): 17 and 19, respectively
Representing: New York City
Why You Should Fear Them: They're classical violinists and they rock cornrow braids. Need I same more? In a quest to merge classical music and hip hop, the Escobar brothers have formed the breakout group,
"Nuttin' But Stringz," also known as NBS.
When most elementary school kids were staring at the television, Damien and Tourie began taking violin lessons. Raised in the inner city, they endured the taunting of friends and stuck with the violin in spite of its lack of popularity. Together, on weekends they studied at the Julliard School of Music as well as the Bloomingdale School of Music.
As the brothers grew up, they found their love of hip hop didn't mesh well with their love of classical music. They sought to change that. The brothers began performing their music in the subway and in front of anyone who would listen. At first glance, the Escobar brothers appear like the average hip hoppers--hair braided, the bling, baggy jeans, and clean sneakers. But they wield a secret weapon that promises to upset the average traditionalist. While in the past, hip hop has often incorporated strings, there hasn't yet been a true crossover into the classical music genre. With their fusion of R&B, hip hop and jazz, the brothers wear head mikes and incorporate their own vocals into their performances.
As it stands, the Escobar brothers have deferred any college plans so they can tour schools, do concerts and gear up for their album release. Their first album, "STRUGGLE FROM THE SUBWAY TO THE CHARTS," is set to be released this summer. Thus far, the brothers have been featured on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The Tonight Show," "The Today Show," "The CBS Morning Show," VH1, BET and Nickelodeon.
As the brothers often say at the end of their set, "Welcome to a new era."
Man I love my generation. I am sooooooo coppin' this album.
Website: Nuttin But Stringz
Press: New York Daily News and Times-Ledger, New York Cool.
Past Rebels: Roger Powell, Jr., Taylor Moore, Ben Shapiro, Erika Harold, Farrah Gray, Hans Zeiger, Adam Hunter, Dwight Howard, Sheri Valera, Princella Smith
Dang'it...i really do love Black folks! Soon you'll see my sister, the one and only J'nai Bridges: Classical pianist and vocalist. Performed in her first professional opera, TOSCA, at 18 years old. Going to college at Spelman in the fall is a blowing stuff up. If I do say so myself....SIS' IS TIGHT!!!!!!!! I guess I need to get a site up for her so you can check her out. If you want her CD....holla!
