Black Violin is an American hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 duo from Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 comprising two classically trained string instrumentalists. Kev Marcus plays the violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 and Wil B. plays the viola

Viola

The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...

.

Both members attended Dillard High School

Dillard High School

Dillard High School is a historic public high school located in Fort Lauderdale of Broward County, Florida. Dillard is available to all of Broward County. This school was established in 1907...

 of Performing Arts. After high school Kev Marcus attended Florida International University

Florida International University

Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...

 and Wil B enrolled at Florida State University

Florida State University

The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...

. At FIU, Kev met their manager Sam G and the three of them co-founded the production company DKNEX which stands for Di-Versatile Music. The group name "Black Violin" is derived from the influence of a famous jazz violinist, Stuff Smith

Stuff Smith

Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith , better known as Stuff Smith, was a jazz violinist. He is known well for the song "If You're a Viper".-Biography:...

; six months before Smith's death, he recorded a solo album entitled Black Violin. The duo decided to name their group after the music of the most inspiring violinist they had ever heard.

Black Violin clinched the Showtime at the Apollo

Showtime at the Apollo

Showtime at the Apollo is a syndicated music television show, first broadcast on September 12, 1987 to May 24, 2008 with 1093 episodes, and is produced by the Apollo Theater...

2005 Legend title. Black Violin's notoriety has risen with their performance accompanying Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

 at the 2004 Billboard Awards, and by performing on the same bill with some of the industry's biggest artists. The duo also are avid producers and writers. Most recently, they made a star appearance on "Angelina Ballerina" on the PBS channel.

Discography

• Black Violin - (2008), Di Versatile, Inc

Mixtapes

• BV Mixtape Series: Unleashed II - (2009)
• BV Mixtape Series: Unleashed - (2006)

External links

• Official website
• Black Violin Profile at Rhapsody
  Rhapsody (online music service)
  Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
  
  
• Black Violin Profile at Myspace
  Myspace
  Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....