For the first time in its history, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is playing—you didn’t guess it—hip hop! ASO recently teamed up with local hip-hop duo Shaheed & DJ Supreme to put on educational performances for Birmingham youth.

Read on to learn more + when you can check out their 2025 performances.

ASO teams up with Shaheed & DJ Supreme

Local duo Shaheed & DJ Supreme and the ASO have teamed up to show how hip hop artists + orchestras can come together to create timeless music!

Dubbed the Young People’s Concert: Shaheed and D.J. Supreme & the ASO – Rhythm, Rhyme and Flow!, the show is fun for all ages and designed for grades 3-12.

“It means a lot—being the first time the Alabama Symphony Orchestra is doing Hip Hop, hopefully it can open doors and remove barriers. For us to be a part of this and to be the first is an honor and it is a blessing that we don’t take lightly. To perform with an Orchestra is an experience musically like non other.

Some say it’s the highest accomplishment in music: to hear your songs being played by a full symphony is humbling and incredible at the same time. It gives the songs new life and it’s a totally different show live. All the parts come together like a perfectly built masterpiece.”
Shaheed

Involved in the production are:

Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the state’s only full-time professional orchestra.
Shaheed & DJ Supreme, a local hip hop duo who have been performing together since 2007.
Alabama Symphony Orchestra Education and Community Outreach, one of ASO’s community initiatives.
K.R.U. Hip Hop (Knowledge, Rhythm and Understanding), a nonprofit and educational initiative started by Shaheed & DJ Supreme.

See Shaheed & DJ Supreme + ASO in 2025

Want to catch the next Shaheed & DJ Supreme + ASO fusion show? Mark your calendars!

What: Young People’s Concert: Shaheed and D.J. Supreme & the ASO – Rhythm, Rhyme and Flow! (Grades 3-12)
When: February 6, March 19 + March 20, 2025
Where (February): UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35294
Where (March): Thompson Performing Arts Center, Warrior Pkwy, Alabaster, AL 35007

“It’s certainly an important moment. There are only a select number of artists—let alone hip hop artists—that are given the opportunity to perform with an orchestra, so it’s an honor and privilege that we don’t take for granted. We’re etched in the history books of Birmingham hip hop once again.”
DJ Supreme

Did you see the Shaheed & DJ Supreme + ASO show in Birmingham? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!