Cardi B Brings Big Bronx Energy to NPR’s Tiny Desk
By Alexus Mosley
Photo Credit: NPR/YouTube
Behind that Tiny desk is a big personality. Cardi B’s NPR Tiny Desk concert arrived on October 19, bringing a live-band approach to a catalog built for turning the volume up.
The eight-song set moved between material from Am I the Drama? and familiar favorites, including “Be Careful,” “Up,” “Bodak Yellow,” and “I Like It.” Musical director Adam Blackstone joined a lineup of instrumentalists and backing vocalists, giving the performance a different setting from the rapper’s larger-scale appearances.
The nine-piece band introduced rock-inflected arrangements as Cardi worked through the set in roughly 18 minutes. There was still room for her personality: between songs, she found time to address the absence of Maryland crab cakes from her refreshments.
That combination gives the performance its appeal on paper: recognizable hits, fresh arrangements, and the conversational humor that has always been part of Cardi’s public persona.
A smaller stage certainly gives a familiar catalog somewhere new to go.