"WTF is a Tiny Desk and no!"

July 3, 2023 11:12 AM

April 7th: Big Miggedy Miggedy (@thelovemyke) tweets at NPR and Juvenile asking for a Tiny Desk concert. April 11th: Juvenile refuses, then reconsiders. April 12th, they lock it in. And now, we have it. Juvenile's Tiny Desk Concert, with many special guests whom I won't spoil for those who don't know yet, but suffice to say that NOLA is well-represented. (cw: Juvenile lyrics)
posted by Navelgazer (17 comments total)

Well due to the Chief Twit's new paywall I can't read those tweets that sound like they are pretty humorous. But looking forward to watching the Tiny Desk!! Thanks for posting this.
posted by kensington314 at 11:19 AM on July 3, 2023 [8 favorites]

So glad to see this posted! There's even More Juvenile news, including how he tweeted his way into Essence fest and a closer look at the beer he's brandishing in the Tiny Desk video (hint: It's Juvie Juice - his collab with Urban South Brewing in NOLA).

I'm a thirty-seven year old who's lived his entire life in New Orleans so man when I say I was on my feet by the end of this video...
posted by gee_the_riot at 11:33 AM on July 3, 2023 [7 favorites]

That was really good!
posted by oddman at 12:05 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

I loved this! Pretty much all the musicians look like they were having a great time, too, and that makes it even more fun to watch.
posted by obfuscation at 1:25 PM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]

Just the other day I was reading an essay about Juvenile by Tom Breihan from his Number Ones series. Bounce was such a breath of fresh air when it broke out of New Orleans, and Juvenile's one of those performers who always puts a big smile on my face.
posted by Kattullus at 2:49 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

Really enjoying this -- is this his normal sound or is this adapted to the Tiny Desk confines? Poking around on my own, I like the Tiny Desk sound and mood a lot more than the studio/video versions of Back That Thang Up, Set It Off or Slow Motion.

I'm not a streaming guy, I'm a buy-albums guy, and I'm not sure whether I like Juvenile, or if I just like Tiny Desk Juvenile...
posted by Shepherd at 3:20 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wait, why is the band wearing Catholic school uniforms?
posted by eustatic at 3:40 PM on July 3, 2023

Shepherd: Mannie Fresh, the guy up there hyping Juvenile and rapping with him on all the songs (and handling "I Need a Hot Girl" on his own for the most part) is the producer credited with creating the Cash Money sound (and probably really creating Bounce, the New Orleans variety of Hip-Hop that Juvenile brought into the mainstream.) But for this, Fresh and Juve arranged a live-band set that would call back to NOLA blues and soul and jazz, so while it's still Mannie Fresh arranging it, it's very much its own thing.

eustatic: I believe the khaki look is something that Juvenile sported back in the day, and The Amours and the backing band wearing it was a shout-out to that, but I'm not certain.
posted by Navelgazer at 6:45 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

Honestly, Juvenile is not something I'd listen to on the regular, but this is pretty great.
posted by jferg at 7:28 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

This is so fun. Juvenile has a great voice.

Really recommend looking up Mannie Fresh interviews on YouTube. He seems like such a sweet guy, super interesting, you learn a lot listening to him.
posted by kensington314 at 9:28 PM on July 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Rappers playing with live instruments has some history, and it almost always seems like they're really enjoying themselves when they do it--LL Cool J, ATCQ, De La Soul, and Jay-Z (with The Roots) all did MTV Unplugged (so did Lauryn Hill, but maybe better to not say too much about that one, so here she is on Austin City Limits); Sir Mix-a-Lot, Nas, and Rick Ross have all played with symphonies (as have some trap rappers, kind of), and The Roots (more, and more) (and before them Stetsasonic) made this their thing.

There are some interesting examples of orchestral arrangements of rap beats, and turntablists with other musicians, too. The latter can be a little less approachable (understatement), but I find it interesting all the same.
posted by box at 8:28 AM on July 4, 2023 [6 favorites]

This is good. Also, there's a small, Chilean flag in the bookcase behind the drummer.
posted by signal at 9:02 AM on July 4, 2023

I believe the khaki look is something that Juvenile sported back in the day, and The Amours and the backing band wearing it was a shout-out to that, but I'm not certain.

From the nola.com article gee_the_riot posted earlier:

The day before departing for D.C., Laurendine scoured the New Orleans metro area for Dickies khaki shirts and camouflage bandannas so the musicians could dress like Juvenile in the ‘90s.

posted by zamboni at 9:09 AM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

As a small thematic complement to box's fabulous links, I think it's fair to say that a whole bunch of people hadn't realized that T-Pain could fully legit SING (without autotune) until he did his own Tiny Desk years ago.
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 3:23 PM on July 4, 2023 [4 favorites]

Rappers you don’t expect to perform with a live band performing with a live band is kind of a Tiny Desk staple but the NOLA-ness adds a certain something to this one. And yeah Mannie Fresh is an interesting guy, a good interview, and massively influential on Southern hip hop.
posted by atoxyl at 11:29 AM on July 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

for Dickies khaki shirts and camouflage bandannas so the musicians could dress like Juvenile in the ‘90s.

ah yes, I do remember that my school in the 90's had banned Dickies. which was stupid

WWL Interview for Essence Fest
posted by eustatic at 2:55 PM on July 5, 2023

> box: "orchestral arrangements of rap beats"

The Simpsons, S7E24, "Homerpalooza":

Who is playing with the London Symphony Orchestra? Come on, people. Somebody ordered the London Symphony Orchestra, possibly while high. Cypress Hill, I'm looking in your direction.

posted by mhum at 9:21 AM on July 8, 2023 [1 favorite]