Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty
The United States Army Field Band now has its first hip-hop artists in U.S. Military History — and they’ve been performing throughout August atThe Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Staff Sergeant Nicholas Feemster and Staff Sergeant Lamar Riddick rapped in front of thousands in Scotland for the world-class event that began Aug. 5 and ended on Wednesday. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo provides a platform for both military and cultural acts from around the globe to connect through their voices and music.
In an interview withForces News, Feemster and Riddick spoke about the significance their rap music is bringing to the military.
“It’s using music to reach the people and to unite the country to show our support as soldiers to our civilians, so we’re happy to be that and be the representation of the rap community,” said Riddick.
Nicholas Feemster/Instagram
Feemster spoke about what their goal is in providing their unique sound.
“The best kind of music to me, which is what I took from like Tupac, is translating emotions, translating stories, translating the things that really unite people and us all together, and we try to really bring that to this unit,” he told Forces News.
Riddick added: “We’re going to be in the position to impact the masses and infiltrating a lot of places that the army field band may not have been able to go to before. We’ll help to push that mission forward.”
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Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty
A 1949 show calledSomething About a Soldierat the Ross Bandstand in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens first inspired the festival. By 1950, the first Royal Military Edinburgh Tattoo production took place, though at the time it was called simply Edinburgh Tattoo.
In 2010, the event was given its new name afterQueen Elizabeth IIawarded the Royal title in honor of its six decades of longevity.
The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 for the first time in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
source: people.com
