4 Tough Guys Walk Onstage, But Their Sweet Voices Send Judges Reeling.

You know what they say: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

But honestly, it’d be hard not to with Linkin’ Bridge. When Ekoe Alexanda, Montre Davis, China Lacy, and Big Rome Kimbrough strutted onstage for the Season 11 premiere of America’s Got Talent in late May, they were all dressed head to toe in black.

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And the tough guy act continued. It was like pulling teeth to get even the basics out of these guys. They introduced themselves with absolutely no enthusiasm and never really gave an answer when asked how long they’d been singing together (for the record, the group formed in 2015).

Finally, Simon asks an open-ended question, hoping to prompt a more in-depth response: “So why did you enter the show, America’s Got Talent?â€

“I don’t know, man. This dude right here,”Ekoe replies, gesturing with annoyance at Montre. “He’s just a big dreamer. And because of his huuuuge dreams, we got together, man.â€

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They’re childhood friends who grew up on the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, and spent their formative years listening to Run DMC and Tupac Shakur. So of course these men are going to launch into some angry rap, right?

You and anyone else who had such preconceptions – which is pretty much everyone everywhere – would be forgiven, especially since they were going for the element of surprise. And they definitely sprung it when they launched into an a cappella version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”from the 1939 classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz.â€

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“Okay, so, I wasn’t expecting that at all … I’m actually quite a bit speechless, it was that good,”said Mel B, starting out an enthusiastic round of similar accolades from her fellow judges.

“Why are you so emotional?”Howie asked, his face a mask of concern.

Ekoe tried but failed to convey what he was feeling, then handed the question over to China, who could only say, “When you work so hard for something, it’s just that voice inside that tells you to never give up, you know what I’m saying?â€

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Watch the performance that got them voted to the next round in the video below, and share if your mind was blown by this unexpected surprise!