On Friday, November 4, the prestigious Atlanta Symphony Hall was the site of an unlikely, but beautiful collaboration. Rick Ross and the all-Black ensemble Orchestra Noir teamed up for an unprecedented, one-night-only performance where two entities merged the genres of hip-hop and classical music, making this fall evening in Georgia’s capital city truly unforgettable.
For the first time in America, Red Bull Symphonic brought an event of enormous magnitude to a sold out venue. Maestro Jason Ikeem Rodgers – the leader of the award-winning, 50-person symphony – founded Orchestra Noir in 2016. His objective was to expose people of color to an amazing artform, and to advocate for an increased representation in the field of classical music.
“When you see orchestras usually, they’re doing symphonies – they’re doing Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. – and it’s usually not people of color,” Rodgers tells ESSENCE. “With Orchestra Noir, my dream was to create an all-black orchestra that features and celebrates African American music through the orchestra. So, I think people seeing that – seeing Black people do orchestral music – is fascinating. We don’t normally see ourselves represented in an orchestra, at least not on a grand scale.”
The night began with Mapy, who graced the stage to perform a medley of hits, including Rihanna’s “Rude Boy,” Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love, Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam,” and Eve’s “Who’s That Girl?” The Parisian violinist was followed by the 15-person group Sainted Trap Choir; singing their unique renditions of songs such as Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” Pop Smoke’s “Dior,” Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” and “Can We Talk,” by Tevin Campbell.
At about 9:30pm, the Maybach Music Group CEO and DJ Sam Sneak excited the 1,800 members in the audience with an opening set list that featured chart-topping tracks like “Devil Is A Lie,” “Super High,” and the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League-produced “Magnificent” from his 2009 album Deeper Than Rap. During the hour-long performance, Ross showed everyone in attendance exactly why he is considered one of hip-hop’s greatest. Records such as “B.M.F.,” “Aston Martin Music,” “I’m Not A Star,” and “Hustle Hard” brought the crowd to its feet, and the hypnotic melody on “Diced Pineapples” had the entire venue in a soulful trance.
In the middle of Ross’ performance, he took a moment to pay homage to Takeoff – one-third of Migos – who was fatally shot on November 1, in Houston, Texas. Rodgers, who previously worked with the rap trio on the video for “Deadz,” also spoke about not only Takeoff’s unfortunate passing, but also the disheartening state of the culture as a whole.
“It’s so crazy man, and it’s definitely a tragedy to see our young kings and queens of hip-hop being targeted,” Rodgers says. “It’s just not cool, and it’s something that we have to change within the culture because these people should be celebrated. They’re not looked at as icons, they’re looked at as things you can mock almost, and these rappers are geniuses. People aren’t respecting that, and we have to change that.”
“That’s why I’m glad we can put Rick Ross on stage with the orchestra, so people can see his music in a different light,” he adds. “Whether it be hip-hop, R&B, or Black music in general – we have to learn to respect it more.”
After running through a bevy of classics like “Stay Schemin,” “I’m A Boss,” and Bag of Money,” the Grammy-nominated artist brought out Mapy and Sainted Trap choir for a mesmerizing rendition of DJ Khaled’s “God Did,” concluding the show to a standing ovation.
Rodgers’ vision for diversity in classical music is slowly but surely being realized, and Orchestra Noir is just the first step. “Seeing Black people on a stage like this is really important,” he says of the Red Bull Symphonic performance. “It’s important for young Black men and women to witness things like this, because it gives them the hope that they can do it too.”