Candlelight: 90s Hip Hop on Strings

Candlelight: 90s Hip Hop on Strings at Cleveland Museum of Art - Gartner Auditorium

What would ‘Ready or Not’ sound like if the melody came from a violin? What happens to the swagger of ‘Can I Kick It?’ when a quartet takes over? Candlelight: 90s Hip Hop on Strings is built around questions like those—and the fun is hearing the answers in person.

This program reaches for the records that defined an era: Fugees, Outkast, Nas, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg. Hearing material like Ready or Not, N.Y. State of Mind, Can I Kick It?, and Big Pimpin' arranged for strings changes the frame without losing the attitude that made those songs last. The beat may be transformed, but the identity stays sharp.

That’s what makes this Cleveland date stand out. You’re not signing up for a standard concert or a nostalgia loop; you’re stepping into a tribute built around texture, atmosphere, and the surprising force of familiar hip-hop hooks played in a new language. The room matters here. So does the arrangement. So does the chance to hear songs you know from another angle.

See the venue and other shows on the Cleveland concert calendar.

Hear the decade you love with completely different ears. Get tickets for Candlelight: 90s Hip Hop on Strings in Cleveland.