Chika — NPR Tiny Desk (Washington), 2020

Recorded at Bob Boilen’s desk on 24 February 2020 at NPR headquarters in Washington, this Tiny Desk Concert by American rapper Chika is a deliberately stripped-down live set. Then 23 and hailing from Alabama, she became the first hip-hop act to anchor a Tiny Desk performance on a single Peruvian cajón rather than a full drum kit, pushing her lyrics to the center. Backed by four singers and a guitar line that is both catchy and hauntingly eerie, she opens with “Industry Games,” the title cut from her major-label debut EP, then moves through “Songs About You,” “Balencies,” “Crown” and “Intro.” The intimate format highlights her unusual tonality, multi-cadence delivery and double-time bounce, sliding between rap verse and melodic hooks. Joined by Dominic Missana on cajón, David Levitan on guitar, Chris McClenny on bass and backing vocalists Jabri Rayford, Rachel Robinson, Darius Dixson and Danielle Withers, Chika delivers a full concert produced by Abby O’Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith and Jack Corbett. It remains one of the standout Tiny Desk sessions of 2020 and a strong entry point to her catalogue.