\u201cWho\u2019s to say that if Bach were alive right now he wouldn\u2019t be playing hip-hop and blending everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
[dropcap size=small]D[\/dropcap]amien Escobar — a two-time Emmy Award-winning violinist — is in the Bach Would\u2019ve Played Hip-Hop camp. And so would anyone who has listened to Escobar\u2019s enchanting fusion<\/a> of classical violin over hip-hop beats. A simple Google search of the soulful musician reveals a story that should be on the big screen: a thirteen-year old Juilliard graduate goes from playing violin on New York\u2019s subways with his brother to playing on national television on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d. The two of them then tour the world and make millions of dollars, only for the band to break up, leaving Escobar in a deep depression, with an empty bank account, and a violin-less existence.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2012, I hit a really low point in my life where I was homeless for a bit and I had to restart my journey. After having an already really successful career with my brother, I had to start from scratch,\u201d Escobar recalls the moment when his life\u2019s trajectory seemed to only be spiraling downward. \u201cWhen you\u2019re down to nothing and you\u2019re just left with yourself, you can do one of two things. You can either stay where you are or you can learn a lot about yourself and pick up the pieces and move on.\u201d So in early 2013, Escobar chose to try again. \u201cThere were high and low points, but I worked myself back up to being one of the most celebrated violinists in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n