 A manager would be like, hey, I got these two black guys. I got to play violin in your club. It's going to be amazing. And they would literally laugh us out the door. They're like, this is South Beach. This is dance clubs. What do you mean you got to play violin? I think stereotype is something that we've always dealt with in a very direct way. I mean, we don't look like violinists. So when we're in airports or anywhere, they often try to guess what's in our case, and they are always wrong. It's motivating, too. Please tell me I can't do something. I mean, that's extra boots to give me to show you and prove to you that I can do it. I started playing the violin when I was nine years old. I got caught stealing candy. And my mom comes home, she's in a great mood. And I'm just in the room like, oh my gosh. When I found out about it, took him back to the store, gave it back to the manager. And I decided I have to get him off the streets. Next day, she puts me in this music class. The only thing left was a violin. And I did not want to play that instrument. I wanted to play the saxophone. I went up to the band teacher and signed up for the summer program that they had, and they put me in the wrong class. Right before I picked up the viola, I was a 12-year-old kid in the hood, just didn't really have a lot of clothes and just things that, you know, I think a lot of people take for granted. We know some of you thought you were coming to a quiet violin performance, but rule number one to a black violin show is that this is a party. You guys wanna party with us? We used to do these little shows. People just used to always say, hey, we want those black violin guys to come back. So it was actually the fan base that created the name. Probably my second favorite thing about playing the violin is that I mean, it's supposed to be doing this. And what are their job or what are their occupation is there that you can change the way people think when you're finished with your job? Getting into performing arts high school ended up meeting well there. I would play my Bach and Beethoven, but I was always very, very hip hop, you know, and then I had a teacher that just cared. His name's James Miles. He bought a viola for me. Like he bought like a $2,000 advanced student viola for me and I still have it to the day. He just pushed us, made sure we practiced and he says, this violin can open doors for you that you would never imagine. And boy, was he right. We were like, you know, ramen noodle eating college kids. There wasn't a lot of opportunity happening for us. I took a tape, recorded them in the studio, set the tape off to New York City where the Apollo's being filmed. Two years later, we get a call that our video was found in the back of a P.O. box. And the producer of the show watched it, loved the guys and want us to come on. World famous Apollo Theater is proud to present in Showtime at the Apollo. We grew up watching Apollo. So it was a big deal to us. And we went there and, you know, we're downstairs before we get on stage or perform. We're thinking, man, everyone's getting booed, man. What if we get booed? That crowd, they will boo you. Like they love to boo you. So the fact that we won the entire thing was amazing. Next day we go out and play for Alicia Keys as a manager and honestly, that's what changed the life. Everything became a blur from there. After Showtime at the Apollo, a lot of changes and a lot of travel came in. And that's when he was barely home and he was traveling a lot, really trying to, you know, get to the next level, get to those next steps. Tonight is the 84th and 85th show of the year and we're halfway through the year. After a while, it just kind of starts taking a toll on you. And, you know, with the kids too, I mean, it's difficult. Sometimes it's hard, like them being on the road so often, especially like February, they were gone pretty much all month and I had just had a baby in December. But he's out and he's making a difference in people's lives and I know that and that makes him being gone ever more worth the while. Now I have my kids and my kids are the reason why I'm here because now I'm thinking about not just making the best music for me, but I'm also thinking about making music that my kids can be proud of, you know? All right, well, this is Black Violin with the greater Miami Ustiphany and this is our last song and this one is called Shaker. We also have kids and youth orchestras come and join us on stage. We bring them in onto our stage so it's like almost like we're performing and infecting the community all at the same time. We feel like we must play for these kids. We do something that's really, really impactful, you know? We feel a responsibility to show them what can you do differently than no one thought you could do. I just play with the Black Violins which is actually a really cool experience. Favorite moment was probably playing with them. I thought they were like gonna, you know, maybe normal people are playing classical music or something, but like it was sort of like hip hop and classical at the same time. They're unifying different types of genres and melancholy into one so it's really something that really defies stereotypes. The message is global, you know? So many children live inside of a box and it is their goal to get them out of that box and let them know that regardless of your circumstance and where you come from, that if they could do it, that any kid is capable of doing exactly what it is that they wanna do and excelling and changing the game and rewriting the rules so that they are on top and until that happens, they ain't done. Yeah, they're not done. 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