After conquering Nirvana and then releasing an album of orchestral indie rock covers in September, the Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra have set their sights on hip-hop, starting a project that they call “Four Strings and an 808.” Their newest release features a medley of hits from hip-hop’s most recently newsworthy family, Beyonce, Jay-Z and the newborn Blue Ivy Carter. In the video they point out that listening to classical music helps development in infants, so they made it their mission to provide baby Blue with classical takes on her parent’s tracks. I’m not sure how beneficial “Big Pimpin'” could be for an impressionable child, but for adults it sounds pretty impressive.
The string quartet and digital drum-led ensemble start with Hova’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and transition seamlessly into the hits “Crazy In Love,” “Izzo,” “Irreplaceable,” “99 Problems,” “Big Pimpin’,” “Halo” and “Empire State of Mind,” covering the most iconic melodies of the Carter-Knowles family. In the gender-divided group, the women of the string section play essentially all of the melodies, while the men take a rhythm role on guitar, keys, and the namesake drum pad. The drum patterns are often as recognizable as the melodies in these tunes, and the Hipster Orchestra’s percussionist nails them all. Watch the performance below.
Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra – Beyoncé/Jay-Z Medley
Check out more from the Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra on their website.