Like Beethoven with Beats, Hip Hop Orchestra Reinvents Two Musical Forms
Music is often born of rebellion. Jazz was once a symbol of youthful rebellion as was rock and roll in its many iterations. One form of music is often a…
The Hip Hop Orchestra Experience incorporates elements of both traditional classical music and hip-hop, producing a hybrid that pays tribute to both musical traditions,
Special | Hip Hop Orchestra ExperienceMusic is often born of rebellion. Jazz was once a symbol of youthful rebellion as was rock and roll in its many iterations. One form of music is often a youthful response to, and against, whatever came before.
Hip-hop is no exception.
So, it makes sense that, when facing a bit of an existential crisis, the classically trained JooWan Kim turned to hip-hop. Kim, the artistic director and composer with the Hip Hop Orchestra Experience, explained that creating a project for his professors at San Francisco Conservatory of Music coincided with a “what am I doing with my life” moment. He decided to create something that he knew his professors wouldn’t like. He turned to hip-hop.
Rebellion.
Kim had only recently moved to the United States from Korea. Not only did he know very little about hip-hop, but English was his second language – third, if you include music. So, he turned to an icon of hip-hop for a proper introduction - Dr. Dre.
Diving into Dr. Dre’s catalogue, Kim discovered Dre’s groundbreaking group N.W.A. He settled on one track in particular that spoke to him. Yes, THAT track. The one that can’t be mentioned in this article. The track that lit a fuse in America, in music, in hip-hop. The one ‘tha police’ did not love.
“There was some sort of incredible sense of freedom of expression and lots of courage,” Kim said. “At that moment I felt like I was dipped into the river of hip-hop and reborn as a free musician.”
Today, Kim is a hip-hop fan, but his true love is classical music. The Hip Hop Orchestra Experience isn’t just hip-hop performed by an orchestra. It’s also not hip-hop beats with a looped orchestra sample. This is a full orchestral experience, as put together by a hip-hop fan. The music is original orchestral pieces, and the MCs are challenged with rhyming to orchestral tempos, phrasing, and structure. Sometimes the time signature can change in the middle of the MC’s rhyme.
“It’s musically pushing both genres into unknown territories,” Kim said. “It makes something exciting and uniquely, dare I say, American.”
The Hip-Hop Orchestra Experience featuring Ensemble Mik Nawooj will take the stage at Augusta University’s Maxwell Theater on Tuesday, April 1st at 7pm for what promises to be a remarkably unique experience for hip-hop fans and classical fans alike. Tickets are available at augusta.universitytickets.com.
WHAT: The Lyceum Series presents the Hip Hop Orchestra Experience
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1
WHERE: The Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre, Augusta Universityu, 2500 Walton Way
COST: $5 Augusta University Faculty/Staff; $25 General; $15 Alumni, Seniors (60+) and Military; $5 children and students.
Admission is free for AU/EGSC students with a valid JagCard.
