DJ Premier & The Badder Band — NPR Tiny Desk, 2017

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Why this recording

The whole set is a single piece: a nine-part medley of Premier productions, running from KRS-One (“KRS-One Attacks”, “MC's Act Like They Don't Know”) through Das EFX, Nas (“Nas Is Like”), Royce Da 5'9 (“Boom”) and Gang Starr with M.O.P. (“1/2 & 1/2”). The horns are split between Mark Williams on trombone and Jonathan Powell on trumpet. Recorded on 21 August 2017 and released a week later, this Tiny Desk was captured by audio engineer Josh Rogosin and three NPR videographers.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelNPR Music
Source statusOfficial — broadcaster or organiser
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionHD (720p+)
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

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Published on September 5, 2026 by Simon Janvier

A live concert filmed at NPR’s headquarters in Washington on 21 August 2017, this Tiny Desk marked a first for the series: a set led entirely by a DJ. A three-time Grammy winner, DJ Premier is one of the founding architects of New York hip-hop, the emblematic producer of Gang Starr and beatmaker for Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas and Mos Def. Before a won-over crowd of journalists, Preemo runs a medley of nine of his classic productions, elevated by his touring outfit, The Badder Band: Brady Watt’s undulating bass, Lenny “The Ox” Reece’s four-square drumming and the jazzy horns of Mark Williams and Jonathan Powell. The set draws on the boom-bap canon — from Gang Starr’s Step into the Arena to Jeru the Damaja’s Da Bitches — and closes on Moment of Truth, a tribute to his late partner Guru. An essential live capture for grasping the sampling craft and timeless groove of one of rap’s greatest producers.

Setlist

  1. Step into the Arena (Gang Starr)
  2. Da Bitches (Jeru the Damaja)
  3. Moment of Truth (Gang Starr)

Personnel & credits

  • DJ Premier — turntables
  • Brady Watt — bass
  • Lenny "The Ox" Reece — drums
  • Mark Williams — horns
  • Jonathan Powell — horns
Category

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