''Watch Koffee play "Raggamuffin", "Rapture", "Toast" and "W" at the Tiny Desk. Jan. 27, 2020 | Sidney Madden -- "It's been a fairly short musical journey and we have seen fairly much success," Koffee told the NPR Music offices between songs during her Tiny Desk set. Flashing her braces with each grin, Jamaica's 19-year old tour de force wasn't exaggerating. Her debut EP, Rapture, just won a 2020 Grammy for Best Reggae Album, making her the first woman and the youngest artist to ever win in the category. It comes just two years after her tribute song to sprinter, eight-time Gold Medalist and fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt went viral online. Koffee has sustained a steady upwards momentum since then, finding her footing on festival stages and collaborating with others outside her genre. (Her latest single, "W" features Atlanta rapper, Gunna.) Above all, what makes Koffee so refreshing is that she centers her music around faith, resilience and gratitude. She has a new perspective to add to the pantheon of mostly male reggae greats and it's resonating with a new generation that's just getting hip to the iconic sounds. As her Tiny Desk performance shows, Koffee makes the best of her surroundings, channeling the day's buzzy energy into a balancing act of youthful heart and old-pro precision, proving why she has become one of the most invigorating voices in reggae. "I want to thank everybody who's been involved," Koffee told the crowd halfway during her show. "You have now become a part of my journey."
''Watch Burna Boy play "Gbona", "Wetin Man Go Do", "Dangote" and "Ye" at the Tiny Desk. Nov. 18, 2019 | Bobby Carter -- While preparing for Burna Boy's Tiny Desk appearance, it was evident early on that his performance would be strictly business. After exchanging pleasantries on the phone with his mother and manager, Bose Ogulu, she made it clear there wouldn't be time for much of anything else. "Burna has been working really hard so please bear with us," she told me. "The band will arrive well before him. Let me know the latest time at which he can arrive."The Nigerian singer and songwriter is one of the biggest African artists in the world. He's also a pioneer of Afro-fusion which incorporates sonics and influences from a myriad of genres, laid on an Afrobeat foundation. The sound has been inescapable this year. The man born Damini Ogulu has been touring the world for the majority of 2019 and has at least 10 songs in the current nightclub rotation. Beyoncé took notice and offered him a place on The Lion King soundtrack, The Lion King: The Gift.Sandwiched between two sold-out concerts in Washington D.C., his Tiny Desk performance offers something relatively different from what we're used to seeing at his rowdy stage shows. He's more reflective here and restrained, allowing his songwriting to shine. In the spirit of one of his heroes, Fela Kuti, he weaves through highlights from his breakout album, African Giant, that are liable to move your body as much as your social consciousness.SET LIST"Gbona""Wetin Man Go Do""Dangote""Ye"MUSICIANSBurna Boy: vocals; Emmanuel "Manny" Abiola-Jacobs: drums; Michael "Maestro" Masade Jr.: keys; Jola Ade: keys; Gaetan Judd: guitar; Christina Matovu: vocals; Otis "Bdoc" Mensah: bass.''
