If you asked a random person to name a classical musician and they could only think of one, chances are it would be Yo-Yo Ma. The cellist is a household name for a reason, and that's because he has the range.
The Bodega Boys aka Showtime's Desus & Mero headed up to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to hang with Ma for some reason, and I'm so glad they did. Dude is charming. Sitting down in his favourite barbershop, La Flamme, for a chat, the trio chat about why cellos are sexy, whether it is legal to have a baby with a cello in the state of Massachusetts, and NFTs.
But the real highlight is when the three sit down with Ma and his cello to reinterpret some classic (not classical) jams. First he gets into the beat from the late DMX's 'Ruff Ryders Anthem', which suddenly sounds made for the instrument; he has a crack at 'Toxic', and the guys get a little too into it as Ma messes with the pitch; and then they make some accidental feminist slam poetry over his interpretation of the iconic (and let's face it, gorgeous) string arrangement from Sisquo's "Thong Song".
Then he blindsides the Boys with "Song of the Birds", a piece by Pablo Casals — Desus' Bronx middle school was named after the Spanish-American cellist ("We had asbestos!" Desus crows). While the duo start out by just vibing, by the end they're visibly awed and moved.
"I felt like you were in another plane," Mero tells Ma. "Is that a thing that happens?"
"This is my weed," Ma replies, gesturing to his cello. "This is what takes me to very specific spaces, you know. And that's why I practice — so I can get to that space more easily."
The whole clip is a wholesome, unexpected moment of connection, but it's also worth it for Ma's reaction when his phone goes off during the shoot. I would like him to adopt me, please.
Topics Music
