NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

Too Short’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert Is Here And It’s Glorious

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Go ahead and file Too Short’s Tiny Desk Concert as one of the most unexpected entries in NPR’s series, but the Oakland rapper totally owns it. Literally sitting on a makeshift desk made to look like an 808 drum machine and backed by a full band, he delivered a slew of classics new and old in a unique fashion.

The set opened with “The Ghetto” featuring backing R&B singer Maurice Smith humming the chorus. “Yo waddup? It’s ya boy Too Short in the house,” he said introducing the details of the set. “Yeah, we doin’ it like this: We’re gonna run through some Too Short classics. Basically, I’mma play you a Too Short song from the past five decades. The ’80s, the ’90s, the 2000s, the 2010s, and the 2020s. How many artist you know that got relevant records in five decades? That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Classic man, legendary, Too Short. Representin’ East Oakland, California. Biiiiitch, yea!”

That’s exactly what he and the band did, playing a jazzy R&B version of “Gettin It,” with a saxophone bellowing and silky keys guiding the track. Then a string-section sample paints the canvas for an expansive rock and roll version of “Blow The Whistle” that culminates with a guitar solo. The instrumental hook of “Big Subwoofer,” by the Mount Westmore rap supergroup of Too Short, E-40, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube, brought things to a close as Short said, “The new thang is Mount Westmore….We been doing this sh*t since the ’80s and we ain’t gonna stop any time soon! Short dawg in the house! Biiiiitch!”

Too Short has indeed been a prolific force in West Coast rap since the 80s and this performance flashes unprecedented range. Give the man his flowers. He’s earned them.

Watch Too Short’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert above.

Cordae Celebrates His New Album’s Release With A Lighthearted Tiny Desk Concert

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Cordae’s new album, From A Bird’s Eye View, is out after an impressive rollout that included the singles “Gifted,” “Super,” and “Sinister,” a lively Tonight Show performance, and an eye-popping LA Leakers freestyle. Now, he puts the cherry on top with a mellow NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert covering both songs from the new album and some of the fan favorites that got him here in the first place.

Opening with “Coach Carter,” Cordae and his band smoothly transition from song to song, including a melodic performance of “Want From Me,” then his Lost Boy hit “RNP” and a loving medley of “Thousand Words/Thanksgiving.” He returns to the new project to close out the set with a three-piece sequence including the single “Sinister,” the nostalgic “Momma’s Hood,” and the vulnerable “Chronicles.” Throughout, he raps, sings, and speaks with an easygoing charisma that shows exactly why he was able to secure two Grammy nominations for his first album and such an enthusiastic fanbase that eagerly awaited his second.

Their patience was rewarded with a number of fun collaborations, which include “Today” with Gunna and “Parables” with Eminem. Stevie Wonder also appeared on the tracklist, with Cordae spilling a funny story about the musical icon to The Breakfast Club.

Watch Cordae’s Tiny Desk Concert above.

Issa Rae Includes Thundercat, Raphael Saadiq, SiR, And Others In Her Favorite NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

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Issa Rae
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Surely, we’ve all gone down the NPR Tiny Desk Concert rabbit hole. There’s something about seeing favorite artists (and new discoveries) in a highly intimate setting that feels special, even if we’re not there and just watching from our screens at home. The series has become a ubiquitous part of pop culture and lately, NPR has been asking celebrities to list out their favorite performances. Today, Insecure star, writer, and creator Issa Rae checked in to share her picks.

She led off her list with Raphael Saadiq, who is not only the composer for the musical score of Insecure, he’s also certifiably one of the best live acts in hip-hop and R&B. “When he linked up with Lucky Daye for “You Should Be Here” was just phenomenal,” Rae said as one of her highlight moments of the performance. She also counts Thundercat as one of her favorite Tiny Desks and in goofy Issa Dee fashion (her character in Insecure) she explains that “The lyrics [to his song FriendZone’] are lowkey kind of dumb. But to hear it sound so melodic was just like a treat for me.”

She goes on to talk about Sampha and how his music was featured in Insecure season 2, and that she “was introduced to Sampha by Solange when she was doing the music for season one, so he has a special place in my heart.” She tips the cap to SiR (“because, you know, Inglewood”), and rounds out her six with Baby Rose and Nick Hakim, who’ve both had songs featured on Insecure.

Read Issa Rae’s full comments on her favorite Tiny Desk Concerts here.

Tems’ Gorgeous Tiny Desk Concert Takes Over A Glamorous Ballroom

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Tems is having a stellar year. The Nigerian R&B-afrobeats singer-songwriter broke out in early 2021 as a result of her feature on fellow Nigerian artist Wizkid’s fan-favorite single “Essence,” which catapulted her into the US spotlight and sent listeners scrambling back to her September 2020 EP For Broken Ears. Since then, she’s released another EP, If Orange Was a Place, featured on Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy, and embarked on her first-ever US tour, which is helping to show her breakout was no fluke.

Now, as if to put the exclamation point on the above-mentioned accomplishments, she offers her take on the star-making NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert. The Tiny Desk (Home) Concert format allows her to spread out, as she and her band perform in an elegantly-appointed ballroom. With a setlist consisting of “Found,” “Free Mind,” “Looku Looku,” “Replay,” and the standout “Damages,” Tems establishes herself as a performer of uncommon talent, managing to be as captivating sitting on a stool as any number of much more animated artists.

Tems’ rise to stardom now has her performing on late-night television shows and videos like “Crazy Tings” racking up millions of plays, making it clear that there are even greater heights in store.

Watch Tems’ Tiny Desk Concert above.

J Balvin Performs His Scenic Tiny Desk Concert From New York’s East River

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While NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts have switched to an “at-home” format over the course of the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the guests have branched out, stretching the concept to incorporate diners, nail salons, and rental spaces to perform their fan-favorite hits. Reggaeton star J Balvin takes it a step further in his scenic Tiny Desk Concert, performing his set from at atop a barge floating on New York’s East River, with the Brooklyn Bridge hanging over the gorgeous backdrop.

The set, which opens with “Vestido” and closes with his latest hit “In Da Getto,” also includes emphatic performances of “Que Locura,” “OTRO FILI,” and “F40,” all of which appear on his newly released album, Jose, released September 10 via Universal Latin.

In addition to releasing his new album and performing on Tiny Desk, J Balvin’s busy 2021 has included a performance at Governor’s Ball, a feature on “Nirvana” from Skepta’s new EP All In, a remix of Eladio Carrion’s “Tata” featuring Bobby Shmurda and Daddy Yankee, and an appearance on Metallica’s covers album, turning the band’s “Wherever I Roam” into a reggaeton anthem. Balvin also teamed up with UPS to support Latinx small businesses.

Watch J Balvin’s Tiny Desk Concert performance above.

Rico Nasty Rocks Out With An All-Girl Band In Her Fiery Tiny Desk Concert

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Rico Nasty is on a roll lately, dropping the singles “Magic” and “Buss” over the course of the summer and sharing colorful videos for each song in the past few weeks. Today, she incorporated “Magic” and songs from her debut album Nightmare Vacation into a stripped-down set for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, including standout “OHFR?,” as well as her breakout hit, “Smack A Bitch.”

Rico sports one of her signature mullet wigs for the performance, which opens with a relaxed, groovy rendition of “Magic” that offers something a little different from her usual performance style. However, once that’s out of the way, she quickly gets back to rocking out along with her all-girl band (who wear coordinating bright red outfits), launching into a punk-style delivery of “Rage,” “OHFR?,” and “Trust Issues.” The band really brings the harder edges of Rico’s music to the fore, complementing her raspy vocal delivery. Rap-rock hasn’t always worked in the past, but Rico’s an expert at convincingly blending genres, and her band really amplifies the “rock” part while she sticks the shout-raps that tie the whole thing together.

Watch Rico Nasty’s Tiny Desk Concert above.

Rico Nasty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Little Simz Delves Into Afropop In A Cozy Tiny Desk Concert

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With NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series still working from home, for the time being, the show’s latest guest, Little Simz, takes the theme a bit literally, turning her performance space into a replica of a cozy family living room complete with bookcases, plush leather couches, and even a far-out, retro throw rug to make the space pop. Alongside her band, she performs songs from her upcoming album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, including the premiere of “Point And Kill,” an Afropop-leaning jam featuring Obongjayar.

The Tiny Desk concert is the culmination of Little Simz’s months-long rollout for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, which drops this Friday, September 3. Earlier this month, she made her US television debut on The Tonight Show to perform the standout single “Woman,” for which she’d previously released an elegant music video. Another track, “I Love You, I Hate You,” finds her penning an open letter to her father about her conflicted feelings toward him, while “Introvert” kicked everything off back in April.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is Simz’s first album since 2019’s Grey Area, although she did release the EP Drop 6 to break up the monotony of quarantine boredom last year. Now that live entertainment has returned, you can catch Simz this weekend at the End Of The Road festival in Dorset, England.

Watch Little Simz perform her cozy NPR Tiny Desk Concert above.

Migos Defend Their ‘Greatest Band’ Status With An Exuberant Tiny Desk Concert

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One of the few good things to come out of the 2020 pandemic forcing a near-shutdown of the entertainment industry was NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series moving to its “At Home” format, which opened up the concept and allowed more artists who wouldn’t have normally been able to perform due to travel and other commitments to turn in some of the best shows in the series’ history. For instance, Vince Staples and Young Thug both recently put in performances that highlighted new and upcoming releases with utterly magnetic charisma and arrangements.

Migos, the Atlanta-based trio who built their brand with exuberant performances over the past five years, is the latest example, appearing on the latest Tiny Desk Concert from what looks like one of the guys’ living rooms. Playing a three-song set from their new album Culture III including “Avalanche,” “Straightenin,” and “Happy Birthday,” Migos assert their claim for “greatest band in the world,” starting out on the couch and eventually filling the room with palpable, infectious energy.

In addition to a spate of videos for songs like “Roadrunner” and “Why Not,” Migos also have a three-day Las Vegas weekender planned for October to promote the album.

Watch Migos’ Tiny Desk Concert above.

Young Thug Debuts Songs From ‘Punk’ In A Hardcore Tiny Desk Concert With Travis Barker

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Young Thug is on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts: A sentence I never thought I’d write but that I am so glad I now can. But wait… there’s more! He plays his set with a very (ahem) punk influence, hinting toward the eventual release of his next full-length album, which he’s been teasing for some time. And listen, if you thought Young Thug rapping to punk instrumentals wouldn’t be awesome, I genuinely do not know what to tell you. It’s great.

With a setlist including both new songs (“Die Slow,” “Droppin Jewels,” “Hate The Game,” and “Tick Tock”) as well as his current fan-favorite “Ski” from the YSL compilation album that dropped earlier this year, Thugger’s Tiny Desk Concert is everything you could want from one of these or from a live Young Thug performance.

Oh yeah, and you know Travis Barker pulls up to play drums because what even is a punk-rap crossover without Travis Barker on it? Thug’s flow also seems… I don’t want to say “improved,” but it’s very polished and clear and that’s obviously on purpose as he slides into his next evolution with all the finesse suggested by those constant “slime” and snake references he makes.

Watch Young Thug’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert above.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Vince Staples Coasts Through A Laid-Back Tiny Desk Concert With Kenny Beats And Foushée

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Vince Staples may have received a polarized response from fans and critics, but Vince Staples himself remains undeterred in promoting his latest project, maintaining his usual cavalier air in a mellow NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance backed by Kenny Beats and featuring Foushée. The Long Beach rapper performs songs from his self-titled third studio album in the Hollywood Hills, where he jokes he’d “never live,” reminiscing with his manager Corey Smyth (who, as always, remains offscreen) about times he was arrested in the affluent area.

While some fans found the relaxed production on Vince Staples to be off-putting, it turns out to be perfect for a Tiny Desk performance. Vince, as laid-back as ever, coasts through album standouts “Law Of Averages,” “Sundown Town,” “The Shining,” and “Take Me Home,” with Foushée joining him on the last song and Kenny Beats playing bass throughout. Fellow South LA rapper 03 Greedo gets a shout-out, while Vince reflects on the release of his first album Summertime 06 and dedicates his performance to “all the bad b*tches worldwide… whether you have two legs or no legs.”

Watch Vince Staples’ Tiny Desk Concert above.

Vince Staples is out now on Blacksmyth Recordings/Motown Records. You can get it here