Listen to the single "Jan 14th" Out Now!
Stream: https://music.empi.re/jan14

#larryjune #Jan14th #EMPIRE

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larry-june.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

Official Video by Larry June - "Jan 14th" © 2025 The Freeminded Records / EMPIRE

SHOT BY @GIRLSLOVETREY

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larryjuneshop.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

MR. MIDNIGHT OUT NOW
https://music.apple.com/us/alb....um/mr-midnight/14708

SHOT BY @GIRLSLOVETREY

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larryjuneshop.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

Provided to YouTube by EMPIRE Distribution

Feels so Right · Larry June · DeJ Loaf

Numbers

℗ 2020 The Freeminded Records

Released on: 2020-12-20

Producer: Streetrunner
Producer: Tarik Azzouz

Auto-generated by YouTube.

SHOT BY @GIRLSLOVETREAY

PRODUCT OF THE DOPE GAME OUT NOW

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larryjuneshop.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

NPR Music's Tiny Desk series will celebrate Black History Month with Tiny Desk (home) concerts featuring legends in the world of R&B, jazz, gospel, and hip-hop. Each artist in this legacy lineup has helped to define Black music as we know it and will be performing a Tiny Desk concert for the first time.

LaTesha Harris | February 17, 2022
In his Tiny Desk (home) concert, Too $hort asks: "How many artists you know that got relevant records in five decades?" The Oakland rapper answers by performing seven songs from his own discography, showcasing his extensive (yet still underrated) contributions to the growth of hip-hop on the West Coast. The expedition opens on a quiet, reflective note with a performance of $hort's influential 1990 single "The Ghetto" before roaring to life with 1988's "Life Is... Too $hort." From his spot in downtown LA, BoomBox Studios, $hort delivers a dynamic, funk-laden performance, seamlessly cycling through scenes of women-chasing debauchery and politically-minded meditation.

Of course, Too $hort's set list shows off the development of his sound, but it also underscores hip-hop's evolution from a socially polarizing genre to a touchstone of cultural capital. Combined with an enthralling presence of persona, $hort's jaw-dropping lyrics and minimal delivery influenced West Coast peers, like Snoop Dogg and Lil B, and beyond, like Lil Jon and UGK; his career, one of moving cassettes with local independent success to moving multiple platinum albums with national acclaim, established the Bay Area as a credible rapping hotspot, pushing the boundaries of hip-hop. Too $hort honors this history by shouting out his many collaborators over the years and sharing his legacy as a hip-hop titan with a spirited group of musicians – notably Curtis Crump Jr. and Techdizzle who steal the show with, respectively, their sax and drum work on "Gettin' It" and "Blow The Whistle." It's a monumental moment for the Tiny Desk, and for those wondering, there's more than enough of Too $hort's favorite word to celebrate with.

SET LIST
"The Ghetto"
"Life Is ...Too $hort"
"Gettin' It"
"Blow the Whistle"
"Ain't My Girlfriend"
"Big Sexy Thang"
"Big Subwoofer"

MUSICIANS
Too $hort: vocals
Robert L. Mitchell "Techdizzle": music director / drums
Curtis Crump Jr.: keys
Frank Abraham: bass
Ash Jangda: guitar
Maurice Smith: vocals

CREDITS
Recording Engineer: Migui Maloles
Monitor Engineer: Mateo Rodriguez
Mixing Engineer: Zach "Ekzakt" Perry
Directed By: Patrick "Embryo" Tapu
Camera Operator: Bryan Ramos and Robert Teegarden
Editor: Bryan Ramos
Coloring: Bryan Ramos
Gaffer: Mike Nelli
Grip: Jeremy Kemp

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Abby O'Neill
Video Producer: Joshua Bryant
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Bobby Carter, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis
Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#too$hort #tooshort #nprmusic #tinydesk #bhmxnprmusic

Watch The Roots feat. Bilal play at the Tiny Desk.

Did you know you can watch new Tiny Desk Concerts on npr.org ONE WEEK before they go up on YouTube? Click here: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk

Follow NPR Music:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic

Oct. 30, 2017 | Abby O'Neill -- Can you believe it? Yes, those are The Roots packed behind the Tiny Desk. Black Thought, Questlove and the crew carved out a few hours in their hectic Tonight Show schedule to visit NPR headquarters in Washington D.C. Why travel four hours for a 12-minute concert when you own the late-night airwaves? The answer can be found in the lyrics to The Roots' new song, "It Ain't Fair."

Armed with the incredible vocalist Bilal, The Roots performed the signature track from Detroit, a film about the race riots in 1967. "It Ain't Fair" glares unflinchingly, takes a knee and raises a fist against the societal construct that has systematically denied equality of experience to those "presumed inferior," to quote one of Bilal's verses. And it achieves all this while covering its heart with its right hand. This reflective hymn tenderly yanks your heart strings and offers a window into the ethos of those who would like to stand for the flag but cannot in good principle, lest these same evils continue to exist.

Those lucky enough to be in the Tiny Desk audience witnessed masters at work. Black Thought is truly one of the most intelligent emcees ever, and his razor-sharp lyricism was on full display. Questlove, a musical and cultural historian nonpareil, was both a metronomical and moral anchor. It felt like the culmination of decades of academic rigor and boom-bap sessions, fittingly backed by a seven-piece horn section. Bilal's falsetto-laced vocals and warm resonance evoked powerful messaging reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield's "Don't Worry," delivered with the eccentricity of Prince.

Late last year, Common premiered "Letter to the Free" at the Tiny Desk and later won an Emmy for the song. It wouldn't surprise me if "It Ain't Fair" becomes another award-winning performance when the Oscars roll around early next year. This is a song that deserves to be heard in the millions of households that watch The Roots every night.

Set List

"It Ain't Fair"

MUSICIANS

Curtis L. Jones Jr (Trombone), Arnetta Johnson (Trumpet), Hiruy E. Tirfe (Sax), Richard L. Tate II (Sax), Joseph Streater (Trumpet), Norman J. Bradshaw (Trombone), Damon Bryson (Sousaphone), Ahmir (Questlove) Thompson (Drums), Tarik (Black Thought) Trotter (Emcee), Bilal Oliver (Vocals)

CREDITS

Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Producers: Abby O'Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Alyse Young; Photo: Claire Harbage/NPR

For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast.

Check out my new single “FIRST CLASS” featuring Larry June out now and available everywhere to download!

Stream "FIRST CLASS": https://onerpm.link/firstclass

Connect with TRAE THA TRUTH:
▶ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TRAEABN
▶ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traeabn
▶ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traeabn/


ABN 2023®
Under exclusive license to ONErpm

Listen to the album “Doing It For Me". Out Now!
Stream: https://music.empi.re/doingitforme


#LarryJune #DoingItForMe #EMPIRE


CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larry-june.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb



Official Visualizer by Larry June from "Doing It For Me" © 2024 The Freeminded Records / EMPIRE

#larryjune #IAintStoppin #EMPIRE

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larry-june.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

Official Video by Larry June - "I Ain't Stoppin" © 2025 The Freeminded Records / EMPIRE

Listen to the album "Orange Print". Out now!
Stream: https://music.empi.re/orangeprint.oyd

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE

Official Website: https://larry-june.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

#LarryJune #MoneyMan #OrangePrint

Official music video by Larry June feat. Money Man from the album "Orange Print" © 2021 The Freeminded Records / EMPIRE

Listen to the album "Orange Print". Out now!
Stream: https://music.empi.re/orangeprint.oyd

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE

Official Website: https://larry-june.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

#LarryJune #OrangePrint #TheFreemindedRecords

Official audio by Larry June from the album "Orange Print" © 2021 The Freeminded Records / EMPIRE

Provided to YouTube by EMPIRE Distribution

3 Calculators · Larry June

Who Coppin

℗ 2026 The Freeminded Records / EMPIRE

Released on: 2026-07-17

Producer: Teeko
Producer: Lancecape
Composer: Larry Eugene Hendricks III
Composer: Shimon Nolfo
Composer: Leon Ndugu Chancler
Composer: Hidefumi Toki
Composer: Todd Cooper
Composer: Aaron Hunt

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Suraya Mohamed | November 10, 2022
The day before The Ezra Collective’s Tiny Desk concert, the band members practiced for hours at a nearby community music space and the next morning, they walked in the door giddy and ready to go. The warm-up was good, but once we started to record, a crazy intensity and energy spilled out into the room. They were fierce and fun and all of their solos were on fire.

The band makes amazing jazz music and mixes it with a fusion of other genres like Afrobeat, hip-hop and grime. The London-based band was supposed to play this Tiny Desk concert in 2020, but then, as bandleader and phenom drummer Femi Koleoso put it, “the world collapsed.” Here it is now, rockin’ hard with the highest level of musicianship and technique.

Before coming to NPR, Koleoso had just finished a world tour with the group Gorillaz. He met up with his bandmates in Washington, D.C., to play this concert and kick off promotion for the band’s newly released sophomore album, Where I’m Meant To Be. He explained on Instagram that he loves the album title because it's vague and specific at the same time, just like his band, a multifaceted complement of contrasting attributes. The first two songs in this set are from that new album while the last, “Chapter 7,” is from the group’s 2016 EP. Throughout the set, watch how keyboard player Joe Armon-Jones barely stays on his seat and hear how the audience couldn’t keep quiet. After the concert, the spirit of the music lingered for a long time and the day ended with pictures, hugs and plenty of smiles.

SET LIST
“Victory Dance”
“Welcome To My World”
“Chapter 7”

MUSICIANS
Femi Koleoso: drums
TJ Koleoso: bass
Joe Armon-Jones: keys
James Mollison: saxophone
Ife Ogunjobi: trumpet

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Sofia Seidel
Audio Assistant: Andie Huether
Production Assistant: Jill Britton
Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Teresa Xie
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #ezracollective

Stream "With No Due Respect": https://Foggieraw.lnk.to/TapIn

Lyrics:
Yeah you think i’m wearing all this fly shit just to impress ya’ll
If ya’ll knew what I thought about ya’ll it would depress ya’ll
At times I wan respond to the hate even address ya’ll
But yall don’t got no address how the f I’ma address ya’ll
Niggas keep stealing my swag, ok I’ll let ya’ll

I did not respectfully decline I said f naw
Ya’ll must be smoking on EST gee’s Fentanyl
Hands to the sky if you nawl
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yellow evisu like I was working for McDonald’s
Posted on Old Nat I’ll make a play out of McDonough
Niggas still in highschool making jokes its like yo momma
Niggas still respectfully tell on you like yo honor
Got hella hoes but still got the same hoe I’m like Obama
I’m like Stitch all these hoes wanna be my family like O’hana
I’m not rich I’m just still tryna feed my family out in Ghana
Don’t need no pick, I just step back on these hoes like Wembanyama
Thats it, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

I ain’t got no time to be kickin and politicin with King Herod
You niggas got rich and still subpar like King Jared
My opps don’t have fans so when they diss me I didn’t hear it
Or I didn’t clear it
Though I ride through the valley The Shadow of Death hovers me
How can I be scared when the spirit of God covers me?

You think i’m wearing all this fly shit just to impress ya’ll
If ya’ll knew what I thought about ya’ll it would depress ya’ll
At times I wan respond to the hate even address ya’ll
But you don’t got no address how the f I’m gon’ address ya’ll
Niggas keep stealing my swag, ok I’ll let ya’ll
I did not respectfully decline I said f nawl
Ya’ll must be smoking on EST gee’s Fentanyl
Hands to the sky if you nawl

This shit too hard, lightin’ a cigar while hopping out of a two R’s
You think I’m wearing all this fly shit just to impress ya’ll
Read a couple chapters real quick to get my stretch on
Valet the Err at the bungalow my gang is strong
I ain’t really got no time to play no games bro
Everything different, everything efficient, everything hittin’
Money in their accounts that gain entrance
Nothing in the house I move different
A 911 porsche with the deviated stitch
I might spend time with a bitch but never trickin’
I only got nine on the hip but it’s consistent
You lil niggas trippin’
I told her stop talking and do the dishes
I’m colder than a glass of orange juice in the freezer
She whippin’ up a egg white omelet with the spinach
I’m pullin’ up in somethin’ that’s exotic not a rental it’s happening
Ay ay ay ay ay

You think i’m wearing all this fly shit just to impress ya’ll
If ya’ll knew what I thought about ya’ll it would depress ya’ll
At times I wont respond to the hate even address ya’ll
But you don’t got no address how the fuck I’m gon’ address ya’ll
Niggas keep stealing my swag, ok I’ll let ya’ll
I did not respectfully decline I said fuck no
Ya’ll must be smoking on ESTT Fentanyl
Hands to the sky for nah

This year, NPR Music is celebrating Black Music Month with an array of brand new Tiny Desk concerts — both from home and from behind our beloved Desk. Together, these artists represent the past, present and future of Black music. This month of carefully curated shows is a celebration of Black artists expressing themselves in ways we've never seen before, and of the Tiny Desk's unique way of showcasing that talent.

Bobby Carter | June 16, 2022
Larry June is the indie-rap hustle personified. His graduation from the streets has made way for his true purpose in rhyme: healthy living. The organic fruits and juices on the table in this performance indicate the lifestyle fervently pushed in his music. The two cell phones sitting beside him remind us that business is booming. He starts with a few signature adlibs before imploring, "Don't check me / Check the air quality." This lavish living room setting, with the Los Angeles night sky as a backdrop, sets the proper mood for Larry June's Tiny Desk (home) concert.

The Bay Area emcee has been at this for a while, adopting the independent approach like many before him: saturating the market with product and profiting from shows and merch. While much of the music industry stumbled and stalled during the uncertainty of 2020, Larry put up numbers, releasing half a dozen projects from his home studio. Here, he's able to comfortably sit back in the laid-back tone we're used to hearing on his records and not the dialed-up mood of his stage show. His band, The NME, replays and beefs up the sample on 2020's "Just me & you," plus songs from 2019's Out The Trunk and Early Bird.

In theory, a motivational rapper rapping about bike rides, hikes and investments would be deemed shtick in 2022 — yet he's here, authentic and refreshing. Good job, Larry.

SET LIST
"SLS 30 Days"
"Just me & you"
"Dear, Snow"
"Let's Drive To Vegas"

MUSICIANS
Larry June: vocals
Isaac Oshuntola: bass
Eddie Hamilton: guitar
Jarrett Freeman: keys
Jack Monk: guitar
Brandon Stennett: drums

CREDITS
Producer: Marco Alexander, Andrew Min
Video Assistant: Kian Wang
Recording Engineer: Migui Maloles
Assistant Recording Engineer: Joshua "Jay Que" Queen
Mixed by: Migui Maloles, Todd Cooper

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Michael Zamora
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Animation: Kaz Fantone
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#NPRMusic #TinyDesk #LarryJune

LARRY TWO out now: https://WBR.lnk.to/LARRYTWO

CONNECT WITH LARRY JUNE
Official Website: https://larryjunetfm.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryjunetfm
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larryjunetfm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larryjunetfm
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larryjunetfm
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artis....t/1grN0519h2zYqpRtYb

Bobby Carter | November 25, 2024
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Complex Simplicity, Teedra Moses came draped in all red, the same color she wore on the album’s cover. She couldn’t wait to get into the office and sing. Admittedly, I held off from formally inviting her to play the Desk for a couple of years because I knew this landmark was approaching, and this album was worth honoring in a major way. She rarely performs songs from Complex… exclusively, so she brought family and invited special guests to participate, including long-time collaborator J. Black and Tiny Desk alumnus Durand Bernarr.

2004 was a banner year for R&B albums, with debuts from John Legend, Ciara, and Fantasia. We also got the final album from Destiny’s Child and Usher’s magnum opus, Confessions, among many others. Moses came at a time when love songs still reigned supreme and while she carried that tradition into Complex Simplicity, on the flip side, she also wrote about how she really felt, which makes this album so unique. The balance of hard, soft and slick was a refreshing formula. Moses’ brazen approach to songwriting influenced a generation of women in R&B, like SZA, Summer Walker, and Ari Lennox. Behind the Desk, she ran through the best of Complex Simplicity, closing with the original and Kaytranada remix of “Be Your Girl.”

SET LIST
“Caught Up”
“Complex Simplicity”
“You'll Never Find (a Better Woman)”
“You Better Tell Her”
“No More Tears”
“Take Me”
“Backstroke”
“Be Your Girl”

MUSICIANS
Teedra Moses: vocals
LeShawn Thomas: bass, musical direction
Sharod Virtuoso: guitar
Branden Akinyele: drums
Brandon Butler: keys
Durand Bernarr: background vocals, co-musical direction
J. Black: background vocals
Amanda Mikkel: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Estefania Mitre
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#tinydesk #nprmusic #teedramoses

Support for NPR Music comes from Better Help, committed to making mental well-being a priority
and offering support in taking on everything life demands. With therapists available to communicate via video, chat, or phone. At BetterHelp.com/TinyDesk.

Lars Gotrich | July 28, 2026
ELUCID and billy woods have pounded the pavement for over two decades, which can feel like several lifetimes in underground rap years. Together as Armand Hammer, and separately on their own, the catalog runs deep. But even as more co-signs, features and bigger-name producers take note, a deep undercurrent remains: They reflect and refract the horrors and joys of the world, creating a kind of kaleidoscopic healing. As my colleague Rodney Carmichael puts it: The more complicated the times get, the easier it is to understand them.

But this ain't just for the heads; it takes a heart to feel what they're putting down. Frequently backed by warped and warbled production, these New York emcees trade reference-heavy and emotionally taut verses like oral histories passed down from front stoops. How does that translate to the Tiny Desk? That's where LA comes in, with producer Kenny Segal, jazz trio Human Error Club and guitarist Ryan Crosby.

Segal's arrangements channel the core Armand Hammer tension into a band that leaves smoke trails for the emcees to clear. Guitar fuzz squeals on "Laraaji." Whimsical chiptune melodies soundtrack an escapist nostalgia loop on "Super Nintendo." We get solo tracks from both ELUCID ("Spelling") and woods ("Spongebob" and "Discolated"), whose face is strategically placed behind a pop filter — anonymity is part of his art. Closing us out, "Stonefruit," which has become a calling card for the duo, embodies a tag-team whose hunger for life is both contemplative and carnal.

SET LIST
"Laraaji"
"Super Nintendo"
"Spongebob"
"Spelling"
"Dislocated"
"Stonefruit"

MUSICIANS
billy woods: vocals
ELUCID: vocals
Kenny Segal: keys, sampler, Omnichord, music director
Ryan Crosby: guitar, bass
Diego Gaeta: keys
Jesse Justice: keys
Mekala Session: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Lars Gotrich
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Engineer/Mix: Neil Tevault
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Copy Editor: Sheldon Pearce
Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#armandhammer #elucid #billywoods #nprmusic #tinydesk

Support for NPR Music comes from Capital One. Proud supporters of NPR Music and the Tiny Desk Contest. What's in your wallet? Learn more at Capital One dot com.

Mitra I. Arthur | May 6, 2026
Ragtime is a tale of history repeating itself. The musical centers on figures from three communities — Black Americans, immigrants and upper class whites — in New York at the dawn of the 20th century and what the American dream means to them as they intersect and, at times, clash. Company members from the Tony-nominated, Lincoln Center Theater revival stop by the Tiny Desk to share a bit of that American dream.

The musical by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty addresses the fraught topics of racial injustice, workers’ rights, immigration, women’s autonomy, technological innovation, celebrity worship and capitalism. Moreover, Ragtime explores the complexities of love, family, and community and what we owe each other. For a musical set in the early 1900s, these themes still ring loudly.

The journey into this show begins with “New Music,” a song that marks the monumental change that the show’s cast of characters face. Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz’s performance of “Our Children” is a charming, parental reflection on the innocence of youth. Joshua Henry’s warm and enveloping voice perfectly compliments Nichelle Lewis’ sweet tone as their characters Coalhouse and Sarah imagine a bright future with their son in “Wheels of a Dream.” In “Journey On,” Colin Donnell, Uranowitz and Levy present very different relationships to America: one departing with a privileged passion for exploration, one settled in a cage of comfort, and one arriving with hope for better. As he performs “Make Them Hear You,” the show’s call to action, Henry implores: “Go out and tell our story.” That story is not just of the specific story of these characters or this musical, but of what they represent and what we can learn from them.

SET LIST
“New Music”
“Our Children”
“Wheels of a Dream”
“Journey On”
“Make Them Hear You”

MUSICIANS
Joshua Henry: vocals
Caissie Levy: vocals
Brandon Uranowitz: vocals
Colin Donnell: vocals
Nichelle Lewis: vocals
Ben Levi Ross: vocals
Danny Percefull: piano
Eric B. Davis: guitar
Chala Yancy: violin
Epongue Ekille: violin
Tia Allen: viola
Laura Bontrager: cello

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Mitra I. Arthur
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Elizabeth Gillis, Grace Raver
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Alina Edwards
Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Ashley Pointer
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#tinydesk #nprmusic #ragtime #broadway