Big Boi: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Oct. 10, 2018 | Abby O'Neill -- The energy in the room was buoyant and vibrant from the moment they walked in the door. OutKast star Big Boi, Sleepy Brown of the prolific Atlanta production collective Organized Noize, and their eight-member backing band have been working together for 20-plus years, and their chemistry is instantaneous and undeniable.

These guys helped redefine the sound and style of hip-hop in the '90s, incorporating funk and psychedelia while transcending genre boundaries. As half of OutKast — still the only rap group ever to take home Album of the Year at the Grammys — Big Boi continues to thrive as a solo act, riding the charts with last year's Boomiverse and its hit single "All Night."

Big Boi played that infectious, horn-drenched banger at the Tiny Desk, and book-ended it with two of his best-known OutKast songs: "So Fresh, So Clean" from 2000's Stankonia and "The Way You Move" from 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Along the way, he and his stellar supporting players just keep feeding off each other in a set that's bound to leave you smiling.

Personnel
Big Boi (lead vocals), Sleepy Brown (vocals), David Brown (guitar), Preston Crump (bass), Omar Phillips (drums), DJ Cutmaster Swift (turntables), Jason Freeman (trumpet), Jerry Freeman (trumpet), Keisha Williams (backing vocals), Terrance "Scar" Smith (backing vocals)

Set List
"So Fresh, So Clean"
"All Night"
"The Way You Move"

Credits
Producers: Abby O'Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Beck Harlan, Maia Stern, Kaylee Domzalski; Production Assistant: Brie Martin; Photo: Cameron Pollack/NPR