Violins have long been held in high esteem in the classical, Celtic and bluegrass/country realms of music, but are seen few and far between in the hip-hop world.
One UR senior, Svet Radoslavof, has been working to break this mold and to cement violins into the hip hop side of the musical paradigm. Svet will be playing at Fusion on Saturday, Jan. 31st, and can be found online at http://www.myspace.com/hiphopviolin.
When did you start playing violin, and what made you want to combine it into hip-hop?
I started playing at the age of three. I was born in Bulgaria, and that was where my mom took me to my first violin lesson.
When I got into high school, I started having the idea of having hip-hop mixed with the violin. That’s when I started writing music, producing and rapping. I fell in love with hip-hop and the whole hip-hop aspect.
What are you majoring in here at U of R?
Economics/management, which helps me a lot with the business perspective in the music industry. I have a team working for me, but I’m the overall boss of my team.
How did you get into not only the performance side, but also the producing side of music?
I started making my own beats in 10th grade and, little by little, got good at it.
Because of my background, I have a very good ear for music, which many producers nowadays don’t.
In 2006, I produced my first hit single, which was No. 1 on XM radio for three weeks in a row.
And then in 2008, I produced for Toby Love and his album sold more than 250,00 copies worldwide.
That is pretty big for me, because I am on the credits, and it is distributed by Sony.
You mentioned that you were the first violinist to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. How was that and how did it happen?
It was an event called New Music Seminar, and I was asked to perform as an unsigned artist talent showcase.
I performed there and after the show one of the managers from came up and told me I was officially the first violinist to perform there.
What are some of your musical inspirations?
Big one is Pagganni, and I am very inspired by classical, as I was raised on it.
Artists like Timberland, Pharrell, as well as Usher. Also I have a lot of Bulgarian inspirations, as well.
What do you have planned for after you graduate?
After graduation, I am working with Jive records on a project.
Also there is a contract pending with me and this record company called CGM Entertainment, which is affiliated with Universal.
And then hopefully I’ll be able to go on tour by the summer and start performing, not just in the U.S., but also in Latin America. That’s my biggest goal: touring.
Clark is a member of the class of 2012.
