Macklemore & Ryan Lewis — Tiny Desk (NPR), 2012

Filmed live session by American hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk, recorded on December 3, 2012 at Bob Boilen’s desk in Washington. Captured just before the duo’s global breakthrough, this intimate performance condenses in about fifteen minutes the emotional palette behind their success. Only three songs, but telling ones: “Same Love,” a plea for equality and LGBTQ+ rights, the mischievous lightness of “Thrift Shop,” and the galvanizing closer “Can’t Hold Us,” carried on stage by the soul voice of Ray Dalton. The stripped-down, acoustic Tiny Desk format reveals Macklemore’s writing and producer Ryan Lewis’s sense of melody, far from big productions. This filmed live concert documents a pivotal moment in the Seattle duo’s career and remains one of the decade’s most memorable Tiny Desks. For fans of live hip-hop and acoustic sessions, an essential piece, at once moving and festive.