Bobby Carter

The band's Tiny Desk performance featured songs that leaned right into its incalculability.

Nearly 6,000 independent artists submitted to this year's Tiny Desk Contest. Meet the Utah band that rose to the top.

Ab-Soul's career is a prime example of how rap has grown over the past 50 years. For his Tiny Desk set, he hand-picked a live band and gave a display of raw honesty and next-level lyricism.

Unsigned artists can submit their original music to the Contest until March 13.

NPR Music's Tiny Desk series kicks off a celebration of Black History Month with this stunning performance from Lady Wray.

The Compton poet's vulnerable music required minimal adjustment to fit into our space.

The East Atlanta emcee brings a serious attention to detail to this stripped-down performance of tracks from his new album plus some earlier career-defining songs.

One of the biggest songs of 2021 was technically released in 2020 — so it can't be included on lists of the year's best music. NPR's Bobby Carter shouts out the song "Essence" by Wizkid.

These songs take on some of the ugliest stories in our history and reflect the commitment of Black musicians to telling the truth of how Black people have been wronged, and survived, and fought back.

The slow asphyxiation of heartache. The deep resonance of bravado. Heat Check's playlist returns with Victoria Monét, Denzel Curry and Kayla Steen.