⁣⁣About that takeover... Any food or product recalls we should all know about?!

#TheCabinet returns and guests Jazmine Henley-Brown and Kristian Calhoun join Alex Haynes Live to discuss #TrueKitchen, #Twerking, #Brunch, restaurant decorum and the Dallas restaurateur that slammed guests over the weekend. The panel explores the differences between Dave Chappelle's requests of his fans to boycott and comedienne Mo'Nique.

NPR Music is celebrating Black Music Month with an array of brand new Tiny Desk concerts. Together, these artists represent the past, present and future of Black music. This month of carefully curated shows is a celebration of Black artists expressing themselves in ways we've never seen before, and of the Tiny Desk's unique way of showcasing that talent.

Sidney Madden | June 22, 2023
“I think we’re in the groove now,” Amaarae laughs to her bandmates midway through her Tiny Desk concert. As one of the few breaks she takes in a 20-minute set, the singer-songwriter uses this pause to check the energy and drip of her musical consiglieres. While Amaarae and her soprano command attention in a distressed, rust-colored trench and corset top, the 11-piece band compliment their star by rocking t-shirts of the same color palette embroidered with standout lyrics from the songs she’s performing; “See my essence, feel my blessings,” “Wasted eyes on you”, “I like coffee with some head in the morning.”

It's this level of intention, precision and playfulness that has gotten the Ghanaian-American artist to her Tiny Desk moment. As a writer, her searing wordplay beckons with confidence that’s cooler than the other side of the pillow. As a producer, her ear for opposites-attract rhythms create singular moments on any chart they grace. As a Tiny Desk performer, the sunny, juicy jam of “Big Steppa,” acoustic imagining of “Disguise” and extended jubilance of “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY” are anchored by Amaarae’s knowledge that she’s serving up something so forward-facing, it’s incomparable.

Born in the Bronx but hailing from Accra, Ghana, Amaarae’s appearance on NPR Music’s Black Music Month lineup proves how far the sounds of West Africa have stretched to influence the U.S. and, more implicitly, just how much the music defies catch-all labels like ‘Afrobeats.’ Fountain Baby, the album that’s home to most of the songs Amaarae performs at the Desk, represents what she does best. While it may be categorized as “pop” by streaming services, as an experience, Fountain Baby is an overflowing stream of genre-swerving liquid dopamine, lulling and surprising its listener in waves. Pulling influence from a grab bag of global incantations, Amaarae makes African percussion flirt with baile funk and alté, pop punk and garage, resulting in one of most triumphant albums and Tiny Desk Concerts of 2023 so far.


SET LIST
“Reckless & Sweet”
“Wasted Eyes”
“Disguise”
“Big Steppa”
“Co-Star”
“HELLZ ANGEL”
“SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY”

MUSICIANS
Amaarae: vocals
KZDidIt: arrangement, percussion
Kyu Steed: arrangement, vocals, shaker
Tom Levesque: trumpet
Alex Goldblatt: guitar
Braxton Cook: saxophone
Amber Nicole: backing vocals
Dominique Abrams: backing vocals

The Compozers
Nana Pokes: bass
Charlie Biggz: 1st keyboard
David Melodee: 2nd keyboard
Stephen Asamoah-Duah: drums

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Sidney Madden
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Michael Zamora
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Hazel Cills
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#tinydesk #blackmusicmonth #amaarae

This is AmeriKKKa is a daily news show for the Black collective, chronicling daily news, centering Black stories and summarizing politics. Live from the Unmuted Newsroom studios in New York and Atlanta and hosted by Alex Haynes and Tiffanie Lanelle.

Actress Keke Palmer was granted a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson. Palmer alleges he physically attacked her at her Los Angeles home over two years. In the court documents, Palmer says the abuse included striking and grabbing her around the neck and threatening to kill himself with a gun if she left him. She also accuses him of hitting her in front of their son and spewing profanities about her to their child.

⁣⁣Let's talk about this same sex marriage petition the Supreme Court got...
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Langston Hughes immortal question "What happens to a dream deferred" rings out this week as Gen Z comes to the table with some questions regarding work ethic and making your dreams a reality in life.

Discussion gets real this week.

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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. The lineup includes both emerging and established artists who will be performing a Tiny Desk concert for the first time. This celebration highlights the beautiful cornucopia of Black music and our special way of presenting it. We hope you enjoy.

Bobby Carter | February 25, 2021
Kirk Franklin, set up with his band and choir in a corner of Uncle Jessie's Kitchen, makes a declaration. "I know you're at home right now, in your draws, listening to some Jesus music. It's ok. Jesus loves you in your draws!" The Arlington, Texas studio, named after a long time close friend, features a large photo of the iconic "I AM A MAN" protest signs from the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike on the wall. The jubilant energy that Franklin and company emit, juxtaposed with a visual reminder of the strife that Black people have endured is illustrative of the importance of gospel music in the Black community.

For nearly 30 years, Franklin has been widely regarded for revolutionizing gospel. He incorporated secular music, particularly hip-hop, while preserving the message and integrity of traditional gospel. Here, he and his powerhouse choir pace through a decades-long, sixteen Grammy award winning discography of faith, praise and encouragement while cracking plenty of jokes. I cannot recall a more moving Tiny Desk home performance.

All month long, we've presented artists that speak to the diversity and complexity of Black music--where we've been, where we are and where we're going. For the final show, we take it back to the spiritual roots and there's no one more fitting to cap things off than Mr. Kirk Franklin.

SET LIST
Love Theory
Silver and Gold
Melodies From Heaven
I Smile

MUSICIANS
Kirk Franklin: vocals, keys
Melodie Pace: vocals
Darian Elliot: vocals
Michael Bethany: vocals
Eboni Ellerson: vocals
Deon Yancey: vocals
Tia Rudd: vocals
Shaun Martin: keyboard
Matthew Ramsey: bass
Terry Baker: drums, percussion

CREDITS
Video: Clear Scope Media
Audio: Michael Havens Reese Brooks

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Art Director: CJ Riculan
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #kirkfranklin #gospel #tinydesk

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