[Go Make Things] The band

By rahmat hidayat

Sunday, March 30, 2025

​ I love hip-hop. But I love hip-hop even more when it's performed over a live band. Rap, as a genre, often gets a lot of shit for not being "real music." Performed over a live band, it becomes very obvious how bullshit that line of thinking is. Hip-hop is maybe more accurately thought a fusion of many different genres. With a live band, the influences of jazz, rock, and pop become a lot more obvious. While I think MTV popularized live band hip-hop with Jay-Z's and the Roots on Unplugged, today, NPR's Tiny Desk keeps that tradition alive—and does it better! If that sounds interesting, here are some of my favorites… Mac Miller For years, I'd say that Mac Miller was my favorite Tiny Desk. His performance is just so raw, so intimate. You can really feel the emotion. Big Sean But then I discovered Big Sean's performance. Everything about this is perfect. The band composition is top notch. The backup singers are fucking into it! The storytelling woven in between and even during performances. The energy. The breath control. The black excellence on display. I absolutely love this one! Doechii And then there's Doechii's Tiny Desk. Her energy. Her breath control. The all female band and singers. The bass player just fucking crushes that performance. Her hype woman DJ Miss Milan always elevates Docheii's work. And the facial expressions! This performance is a work of art! Denzel Curry I also need to give honorable mention to Denzel Curry's Tiny Desk. The way he modified various arrangements gives his songs this jazzy feel they don't have on the original albums, and it really works well! Juvenile Also worth a look is Juvenile's Tiny Desk. This one feels like a really fun party. Back That Azz Up works shockingly well live with a band! I want more live hip-hop! I wish this was the norm at rap concerts. Most of them are a DJ and a backing vocal track, because it's cheap, easy, and far too many rappers get out of breath during their own songs. But the raw, intimate feel of a live bland. The little flourishes and deviations that feel very much like an in-that-moment-only thing that you'll never experience exactly the same way again. I want more of that! Like this? A Go Make Things membership is the best way to support my work and help me create more free content. Cheers, Chris ​ Want to share this with others or read it later? View it in a browser.​ ​

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