Fat Joe breaks Tiny Desk mold with spontaneous guest-heavy showcase
The Bronx rapper performed a career-spanning set that included tracks from his newest album, Organized Rhyme, and featured five guest vocalists.
By Vincent Parker ·
Fat Joe returned to the NPR Tiny Desk on November 5 to perform a set that spanned more than three decades of his recording career. The concert featured guest appearances from Remy Ma, Jadakiss, Stove God Cooks, Stevie Mackey, and Dre of the production duo Cool and Dre.
The performer described his goal for the session as an attempt to touch the third rail, aiming for a level of spontaneity that differed from standard Tiny Desk concerts. He noted that the unpredictable nature of the show reflected the longevity of his career, which has continued to thrive for over 30 years.
Since his previous Tiny Desk home concert five years ago, Joe Cartagena has expanded his work beyond music. He has leaned into his reputation for polarizing takes and storytelling as an internet personality. He also wrote a book and recently began co-hosting the Joe and Jada podcast with Jadakiss, another artist who has appeared on the Tiny Desk series.
The musical setlist combined classic hits with material from his latest album, Organized Rhyme. Tracks included Million Dollar Intro, Cocababy, and All the Way Up, the latter featuring Remy Ma. The performance also included New York with Jadakiss and The Aroma, which featured Jadakiss, Stove God Cooks, and Remy Ma.
The on-stage band included Zo Harris on keys and as music director, Ricky Strings Ramos on guitar, Keithan Foster on bass, Antwan Amadeaus Thompson on drums, and Ted Smooth on DJ duties. Dre provided background vocals for the performance.
The production team for the event included producer Bobby Carter and director and editor Joshua Bryant. Josephine Nyounai handled audio engineering and mixing, while Neil Tevault served as an additional audio engineer. Elizabeth Gillis captured the photography for the segment.
The Tiny Desk team listed in the credits included Josh Newell and Felix Contreras. The series editors were Lars Gotrich and executive producer Suraya Mohamed. Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, and Robin Hilton are credited as the series creators.
