NPR’s latest installment in their amazing Tiny Desk video series is seriously great. Tyler, The Creator puts on an excellent 24 minute show featuring tracks off his self-produced album, Flower Boy. Backed by a standing bass, drumset, keyboard, and two backup singers, Tyler drives the melodies with his voice and piano skills and drives the energy of the performance with his trademark goofy ass playfulness. In classic, self-deprecating Tyler style, he precedes “See You Again” with a quasi-disclaimer:
“Excuse my voice – I can’t even sing, and I don’t fuckin care because it feels good. Like a warm shower. I think.”
What he should have said, however, was: “Excuse the fact that we are about to NOT PERFORM 911 / Mr Lonely ON THIS NPR TINY DESK SEGMENT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS THE PERFECT SETTING FOR IT AND IT’S AN INCREDIBLE SONG.”
Tyler, The Creator + NPR – An Unlikely Pair
It would’ve been hard to envision Tyler, The Creator doing a performance like this just a couple years ago, but the artist has really grown up in front of our very eyes with his most recent album. He’s been exploring different genres, sounds, and instruments – but, perhaps most surprisingly, he seems to be beginning to genuinely embrace the spotlight, a far cry from the old Tyler who seemed eager to only spit on the spotlight and run away cackling to himself. His musical and personal maturation places him on our list of the most intriguing artists for 2018. Check out the NPR Tiny Desk below.
Tyler, The Creator’s Tiny Desk Tracklist
- Boredom
- See You Again
- Glitter
Tyler’s Band
- Jaret Landon Williams (Keys)
- Andre Marc Pinckney (Bass)
- Dalton Hodo (Drums)
- Kiandra Shanece Richardson (background vocals)
- Kimberly Jefferson (background vocals)
