Ranking My Favorite Tiny Desk Performances

Tyler, The Creator

 

This has to be one of my all time favorite performances. It’s one thing to listen to this beautiful album on your phone, but to see it live is so crazy. The background vocals were the absolute highlight of this show. What stuck out to me the most was, that fact that you could see Tyler’s artistic expertise throughout the entire show. It was like witnessing a genius at work. He improvised on most of the songs entrapping the crowd and creating a good time not only for himself, but others around him. I love to see a sort of different version of the songs performed live and he really brought his alternative element to this performance. All of the songs performed were from my favorite album Flower Boy and honestly if you haven’t listened to it yet, go listen to it. Right now.

BTS

 

The timing of this performance was very well needed. This performance was made in the height of the pandemic, just as they released their Grammy nominated song, Dynamite. They performed some of my favorite songs in this, some I consider classics. Their energy could be felt through the screen, which instantly lifted my spirits. The vocals in songs like Save Me, and Spring Day is what really stood out to me the most. I can never get over hearing them perform live, and I really enjoyed this.

Erykah Badu

Who doesn’t love hearing Erykah Badu? I was introduced to her music at a young age, and I’ve learn to appreciate her vocals and style through out my life. I really love the urbanisms of her voice and how abstract it is. You can really differ her from other Neo-Soul and R&B artists. I really loved her performance of Green Eyes. There was something about that song that really made me appreciate her as an artist even more.

Khalid

I’ve been a fan of Khalid since his soundcloud days. So when I saw his face pop up on my home page on YouTube I clicked it without hesitation. Little did I know that he would be the one to introduce me to Tiny Desk and their wonderful videos. I watched this video so many times. I would play it when I had to clean, when I was babysitting, or when I was just bored. I will always love the beautiful sounds this man can create. I can’t describe the artistry in words so I suggest just watching it yourself.

August Greene (Common, Robert Glasper, Karriem Riggins)

When I first watch this video, I played it again, and again, and again. Then, I downloaded the entire album. Let me put this into perspective. Some of the features are Brandy, Maimouna Youssef, and Andra Day. One of their main messages for this album was highlighting women, specifically black women. This is the type of performance you can just put on and do whatever. It’s a vibe start to finish.