Collegiate Times

Roots take over Burruss Hall.

If you were on the academic side of campus last night and happened to feel steady vibrations and pulsing under your feet, don't check the news for local earthquakes.

Starting around 8 p.m., hip-hop groups Black Violin and the Roots took over Burruss Auditorium, much to the delight of the diverse crowd of fans inside.

When the lights finally dimmed, the auditorium was only about a quarter of the way full, but that didn't quell the enthusiasm of DJ TK as he took the stage to introduce the opening act last night, Black Violin. He introduced the duo as the 2005 Apollo Champions, a reference to its first place win at the exclusive Showtime at the Apollo Legend competition.

Maybe it was a busy homecoming week, or maybe it was the rain or sticky humidity, but the crowd was noticeably lackluster at the beginning of the show. The opening band encouraged the audience to stand, and raise their arms, which they did after prodding.

If the audience didn't know who Black Violin was before the show began, it is doubtful that they were disappointed. For fans who seek the combination of true artistic integrity with original and meaningful ideas, the band was a pleasant surprise.

Members Wil-B and Kev Marcus are both classically trained musicians who have been playing violin together since they both attended the Dillard High School of Performing Arts in Florida.

Their expertise with - and love of - their instruments was more than apparent last night as the two showed off their unique style of mixing classical violin with modern top-40 hits, barely missing a note their entire set. The duo would play their instruments along with the songs, sometimes following along with the melody, and sometimes adding their own twists and harmonies.

DJ TK stood center stage during the show, controlling and mixing the songs that the duo intertwined with its instrumentals.

Black Violin appealed to the audience's knowledge of recent hip-hop and pop hits, opening the show with Kanye West's latest hit "Stronger," and quickly transitioned into mixes of hits including "This is Why I'm Hot," "Kick Push," "Crazy" and "Promiscuous Girl."

"I came to see Black Violin," said concert-goer Blacksburg resident Tiffany Sanders. "I fell in love with the violin in 3rd grade, so when (my fiance, Professor Waymer) told me about them, I said 'let's go check them out,' and they were better than I expected."

"(The best part was) the way they started out with classical music, and like (the band) said 'put a little stank on it,'" said Professor Waymer of the Department of Communication.

Surprisingly, the audience, who seemingly couldn't get enough of their impressive instrumental skill, very well received the band's classical interludes and intros. When they played a lone classical medley towards the end of their set, the crowd was noticeably vocal and impressed.

Like the band members said from stage, "It's about good music; it's a classical musician expressing how we see hip-hop."

Concertgoers who liked what they heard likely noted that the band has a new CD coming out this fall that will be lighter on the pop music.

"We won't be talking about rims," one band member joked, and featuring bands like the Temptations.

They featured one such song last night, telling the crowd, "This is one song you can share with your mother and father. You both can dance to it," before launching into a mash-up of their classical violin over "Hum Along and Dance," a soul and Motown-style song originally recorded by the Temptations.

The band ended its performance with a poem written by one band member titled "Rhythms of Joy."

"You guys been through a lot of s--- this year," he said. "I wanted to read this to you. Will you let me do that?"

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