Inspired by the shift in hip-hop to explore production beyond just beats, Uptown rapper Najee the 1 and Queens producer Daniel Bazan Jr., a.k.a DB2 have endeavored to imbue their debut album, Settle For Greatness, with progressive sounds and classical instrumentation. Here, Life + Times documents the process of recontextualizing a genre, as DB2 leads a four-piece orchestra at New York University, producing a fitting soundscape for Najee the 1’s streetwise raps.

Listen to Najee the 1 and DB2′s collaboration, debut single “Elevated,” on the next page.