Tiny Desk Concert

Juvenile Puts On A Tiny Desk Concert

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NOLA artist Juvenile recently took on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. In the video released today, he’s joined by a full band, including drums, guitar, keys, and bass. The performance also featured a brass section, strings, and backing vocalists. Juvenile’s set was almost 30 minutes long, and featured various hits like “Set It Off,” “Slow Motion,” “Ha,” and more. The highly-requested performance took place after a recent Twitter exchange between Juvenile and fans calling for him to be featured on the concert series.

After Trina put on a memorable show at her recent Tiny Desk Concert, fans suggested that another artist of that era, Juvenile, should appear on the series. The artist weighed in after a fan asked, “Can we please get a Juvenile Tiny Desk?” “Wtf is a tiny desk,” he wrote, “and no.” He later recanted his statement, claiming that he’d do a Tiny Desk show under some conditions. “Ok ok,” he Tweeted, “All Things Considered, 10k retweets and I will RECONSIDER doing @NPR Tiny Desk while drinking an ice cold #JuvieJuice from @UrbanSouthBeer!!!”

Read More: Juvenile Net Worth 2023: What Is The Rapper Worth?

Juvenile Performs Classics

Juvenile is also set to put on a show at the 2023 Essence Festival in New Orleans today. After the fest’s lineup came out earlier this month, the artist shared that he was disappointed that Jermaine Dupri failed to include him in his “The South Got Something To Say” set. Other notable performers listed were Big Boi, Gucci Mane, T.I., Ludacris, and more. He shared his thoughts on social media. “How is Essence doing 50 years of hip hop in New Orleans without me???” he asked.

The artist then took to promoting another festival called Donna Fest, urging fans to come see his performance there instead. He boasted the array of food vendors that will be at Donna Fest, as well as the festival’s affordable ticket prices. It was later announced that Juvenile would be playing the festival after all. “Hip-Hop 50 without Juvie? Not a chance. June 30th, NOLA we live!” he wrote on Twitter.

Read More: Juvenile Will Be Playing At Essence Festival After All

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The post Juvenile Puts On A Tiny Desk Concert appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Babyface’s Tiny Desk Concert Was A Black-Ass Musical Family Reunion Showcasing His Impact Across The Past 50 Years

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Kenneth Edmonds, professionally known as Babyface, is one of the most sought out songwriters in modern times. So, it was only fitting that when the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series wanted to kick off Black Music Month, they called the musician. Babyface didn’t hold back, giving the series one Black-ass musical family reunion showcasing his impact across nearly fifty years.

Outside of his solo catalog, as a producer, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in music, including the late Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Usher, and recently Ari Lennox. His setlist offered a tasting of those past collaborations. With backing support from fellow vocalist Tank, Chanté Moore, and Avery Wilson, Babyface opened up with his classic 1987 song “Two Occasions,” recorded as part of the group The Deele. The entertainer followed that up with his solo 1989 song, “Whip Appeal.”

Known as the woman whisper, when transitioning to Karyn White’s “Superwoman,” which he wrote and produced, Babyface shared how he’s been able to create music from the women’s perspective. “When I was a kid, I was always falling in love and getting my heart broken,” he said. “So when that would happen, I would write these really sad songs. Then I realized I probably was feeling the same hurt women were feeling.”

The remainder of the set included a cover of Madonna’s “Take A Bow,” Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry,” Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk,” “Change the World,” Fall Out Boy’s “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You” and “End Of The Road,” and closed with Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” off of the Waiting To Exhale movie soundtrack that Babyface produced.

The band consisted of Babyface on both the keys and, at times, the guitar, musical director Erskine Hawkins II as additional support on the keys, Antoine Porter on the guitar, Walt Barnes Jr. on bass, and Reggie Regg on drums.

Although the series features Black artists throughout the year, this subsegment is dedicated to celebrating their contributions to the art form on a much grander scale. The outlet said, “Together, these artists represent the past, present, and future of Black music.”

Watch the full performance above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

[WATCH] Omah Lay Performs Tiny Desk Concert to Close Black History Month

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Omah Lay Performs Tiny Desk Concert to Close Black History Month

To end Black History Month, afro-fusion artist Omah Lay just gave a memorable performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk.

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He performed tracks including his current single, “soso,” and a fan favorite, “understand,” backed by a full live band that included backup vocalists. He joined a stellar cast of R&B, soul, jazz, gospel, rock, and hip-hop legends as part of NPR’s Black History Month programming schedule, capping the four-week run with his singular interpretation of Afrobeats.

You can check out the performance below, and if you like what you hear, pop into Omah Lay’s Boy Alone album here.

The post [WATCH] Omah Lay Performs Tiny Desk Concert to Close Black History Month appeared first on The Source.

Omah Lay’s Tiny Desk Concert Was His Subtle Stamping As Afrobeats Rising Star, Across The Diaspora

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When you think about the global music genre Afrobeats, who is the first act that comes to mind? Well, if Omah Lay wasn’t the first name to leave your lips, the Nigerian recording artist is working towards changing that. Making his Tiny Desk Concert series debut, the “Attention” singer put his best foot forward with a harmonious performance of his biggest tracks.

After finding success in 2020, thanks to his song, “Bad Influence,” which went on to be the most-streamed Nigerian song on Apple Music, Omah was sure to lead off his brief set with it. However, before transitioning onto the next track, which was “I’m A Mess,” he took a moment to introduce his band and supporting vocalists.

The musicians supporting Omah included guitarist Ernest “Subroza” Osei-Bonsu, keyboardist Donald Crentsil, drummer Kwabena Kyeremeh Adade, percussionist Leroy “Boogie” Greer, and bassist Steve Millar, while Domo Abrams and Monet Shelton provided background vocals. Speaking with the attentive in-studio audience, Omah said, “These boys are from Ghana, I’m from Nigeria, and the ladies [the background vocalists] are from America. So, my band is a mixture of it all.”

Songs “Soso,” “Never Forget, ” and a medley of “Infinity,” “Bend You,” and “Understand” close out his set. Quite a few of Omah’s fan-favorite tracks were notably missing from the set, including “Woman,” “Confession,” and “Damn,” the latter of which has been covered by 6lack. But to be fair, with so many songs to choose from, some just weren’t going to make the cut.

Watch Omah Lay’s full performance above.

Omah Lay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ab-Soul Lights Up “Tiny Desk Concert” On His Birthday

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We’re inching closer to the conclusion of Black History Month. To highlight exceptional artists, NPR hosted Ab-Soul for its Tiny Desk Concert. The Carson, Calif., native is an applauded lyricist in Hip Hop, and he took his talents—and musicians—to the outlet’s coveted stage. We don’t often get to see Ab in a live, stripped-down session, so this unique performance is one that fans should not miss.

The Rap icon dubbed his band the Soulersystem, and unsurprisingly, Ab-Soul included several Herbert tracks in his set. His most recent release was Ab’s first offering in six years, and it was a return that was welcomed with open arms. “We just here to restore the feeling,” he said on Tiny Desk. It seems that the rapper, too, is celebrating the culture’s milestone this year. “What you say? Fifty years of Hip Hop?”

Ab-Soul Chose To Release This Concert On His Birthday

LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 26: Rapper Ab-Soul performs onstage during day 2 of the 2015 Life is Beautiful festival on September 26, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by FilmMagic/FilmMagic)

Not only are we celebrating seeing Ab-Soul in concert, but today (February 23) just happens to be the emcee’s birthday. We’re sure loved ones have surrounded him as he marks the end of one lap around the sun and the beginning of another. Additionally, Ab highlighted his “guardian angel,” DoeBurger, whose photo he had printed on a custom jacket. He held up the garb during his performance, paying tribute to one of his best friends who passed away in 2021.

During the years he wasn’t pushing out new music, Ab has experienced significant changes. Last year, he sat down with Charlamagne Tha God to speak about Herbert, as well as surviving a suicide attempt. Ab detailed his story, revealing he jumped from a freeway overpass, survived, and walked home. This isn’t to say his injuries weren’t devastating, as he shared in his interview.

Ab-Soul Previously Detailed His Experience

“I ain’t even got my implants yet. My jaw’s f*cked up, I got a lot of work to do still,” he said at the time. “My foot is completely reconstructed, all the way to my pelvis. Everything but my knee. It doesn’t even make sense that my knee wasn’t affected. My femur, everything was affected except my knee.” He’s in a much better place and his story has helped others who are struggling. Check out Ab-Soul on Tiny Desk above.

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Trueno Brings Latin Rap From Argentina To NPR’s Tiny Desk Series

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NPR is continuing to highlight rising Latin acts with the El Tiny spin-off of the Tiny Desk series. Argentine rapper Trueno is the latest artist to perform his hits in a stripped-down performance that was released yesterday (September 27).

NPR brought back the El Tiny spin-off of Tiny Desk for Latinx Heritage Month. Omar Apollo was the first artist to kick off the series on September 15 with his performance that helped his hit “Evergreen” break into the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Mexican singer Girl Ultra followed his lead and now Trueno is proudly representing Argentina on El Tiny.

This past year, Trueno has become a revelation in the Latin rap scene. Back in May, he made global headlines when the Gorillaz brought him out a special guest during the band’s Quilmes Rock set in Argentina. Trueno performed a freestyle rap in Spanish over the Gorillaz classic “Clint Eastwood.” Later that month, he released his breakthrough album Bien O Mal.

Trueno’s El Tiny performance was filmed at a conventillo, Argentina’s influential co-opt-like communities. He opened his set with “Dance Crip,” his ode to hip-hop’s roots that interpolated “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang. From his Bien O Mal album, Trueno also performed the title track and “Tierra Zanta.” The most powerful moment of his set was his performance of “Argentina,” his rap anthem for his country where he shouted out each one of its provinces.

Back in July, Trueno received support from J Balvin when they released the collaboration “Un Paso.” Trueno is nominated for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song for “Dance Crip” at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards.