Know Your Rebels: Damien & Tourie Escoba
Published: October 12, 2009
Rebels: Damien & Tourie Escobar
Age(s): 21 and 23, 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.
Nuttin’ but Strings: “Struggle from the Subway to the Charts” now on sale in itunes
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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,” was released in 2006. 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
Ambra Nykol is a columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Soundpolitics.com, Seaspot magazine and Modestly Yours. She owns and blogs at nykola.com where she's been bothering people since 1981.
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Kimm
October 06, 2009
Thanks for the information…I will definitely look into this further.