Abandon all preconceptions ye who enter here. Do yourself a favor and listen with an open mind. While at first glance bluegrass and hip hop music seem like polar opposites or in some way mutually exclusive genres, they do in fact connect at some of their deepest roots. Take a critical listen to the early string band, jug band, and blues music of the Southeast like Ma Rainey, The Mississippi Sheiks, or Bukka White. Bluegrass music was essentially forged in the Appalachian Mountains through the mingling of old English/Irish ballads with African American rhythms and lyrical themes. A true cross pollination of people, music, and ideas. Gangstagrass takes these recently divergent vines and ties them back up again. Giving this kind of music new life with whole new possibilities.

We met up with Gangstagrass at Gratz Park in downtown Lexington before their show at Natasha's Bistro & Bar for the kickoff to the week long Best of Bluegrass events in town all leading up to the Festival of the Bluegrass. They perform their song "Bound to Ride."

Enjoy!

For more information about Gangstagrass, check our their website.

To learn more about Best of Bluegrass, please visit their website.

Special thanks to Gratz Park where this session was shot.