On Tuesday, February 16th, NPR premiered Rick Ross’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. The iconic rapper performed a six-song set, backed by a live band for only the second time in his career. The band performing with Ross consisted of bassist Thaddaeus Tribbet, drummer Rashid Williams, keyboardist Monty Reynolds, DJ Sam Sneak, and backup singers Elijah Blake and Troy Tyler.
The performance took place in Miami, at Ross’ friend and collaborator, Rich B Caliente’s space. Ross lives in Atlanta, but insisted that his performance take place in “the city where his roots are anchored and where he rose to rap stardom.”
The six songs performed throughout the 20-minute video are “Super High,” “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast),” “Aston Martin Music,” “I’m Not A Star,” “F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit,” and “Tears of Joy.”
After the second song, Ross talked about the struggles the COVID-19 pandemic has caused but said “It’s a new year, new goals, same dreams, same hustler. You know what it is. And for somebody that has inspired the boss, there’s so many. ‘Cause I could look at any brother on the street and get some inspiration from him. Regardless of how many followers you got on social media, regardless of what you’re riding in, I can learn something from you. I ain’t scared to. Let’s make sure we keep building.”
In the description for the video, NPR talked about how they are celebrating Black History Month, saying “NPR Music’s Tiny Desk series will celebrate Black History Month by featuring four weeks of Tiny Desk (home) concerts and playlists by Black artists spanning different genres and generations each week.”
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