Rapper Rick Ross joined forces with Orchestra Noir, an all-Black symphony, for the launch of Red Bull Symphonic, Blavity learned via email. The revolutionary event, that married hip-hop and classical symphony for an electric night of music on Friday, Nov. 4, was sold out and offered attendees a unique presentation of music, community and Black excellence.
The event kicked off with Maestro Jason Ikeem Rodger leading the orchestra in a traditional symphony written for the evening. After that performance, award-winning Parisian violinist Mapy graced the crowd with a collection of modern bops, including Rihanna’s 2009 hit “Rude Boy,” Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” and Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna.” She also performed Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam.”
Then the Sainted Trap Choir sung a few of hip-hop covers to keep the energy going.
“Forever grateful for this experience & opportunity to be a part of the #RedBullSymphomic. Shoutout to @maegan_10 for being a visionary that is spirit lead. Mad love and blessings to @orchestranoir, @iammapy, & @richforever, it was a night of Black excellence where history was made,” they wrote in an Instagram post reflecting on the event. “When you have a vision & you walk in faith, you never know what blessings will reign over you. The SAINTS killed it! Thank you to everyone involved, all that supported, & all that reached out.”
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After the Sainted Trap Choir did their thing, Ricky Rosé took the stage. His hour-long set, during which he performed 26 of his most beloved hits — “Aston Martin Music,” “Devil is a Lie,” “I’m a Boss,” “Hustlin” and “Stay Schemin,” to name a few — brought the house down. Along with DJ Sam Sneak on the ones and twos, Ross had the crowd jumping all-hour-long, concluding his set with a version of “God Did” featuring both Mapy and Sainted Trap Choir.
He dedicated the performance to Takeoff who, as Blavity recently reported, passed away after a dice game gone wrong.
Red Bull Symphonic is a music experience that bonds classic with contemporary sounds, bringing together today’s most popular artists across genres with a symphonic orchestra. Last Friday’s show in Atlanta aimed to celebrate Black musicianship in hip-hop and the heritage of the genre.
As a company, Red Bull has committed to standing by artists and local communities around the world by offering festivals, workshops and opportunities for collaboration for over two decades. Some of its previous events in Atlanta include Red Bull Culture Clash 2018, Red Bull Music Festival 2019, Red Bull Zeltron World Wide 2020 and Red Bull SoundClash 2021.
