There are only a few times where it seems like the world still loves all of us. Like when there is that one time around the end of October when the NFL, NBA, college basketball, and the MLB playoffs are all on television at the same time. Or when Drake saved Top Boy to give the show the proper ending it deserved. And you learn on a random Monday that Tiny Desk is Bardigang and got Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar to grace the office and set the desk ablaze.
Cardi B’s performance dropped and the internet clocked in like it was a Bronx block party. And for those that think Cardi’s performances are all flash and fancy outfits will be shocked to see the stripped down live performance and her larger-than-life personality into a space where there are no arena-sized screens, pyrotechnics or elaborate stage productions to hide behind. Just Cardi, a live band, a whole lot of hits and that unmistakable Cardi B energy.
The performance, which included “Hello,” “ErrTime,” “Man of Your Word,” “Be Careful,” “Up,” “AH HA,” “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It,” gave fans a little bit of everything: the brash confidence, the vulnerability, the jokes and the party-starting records that helped make her a superstar. NPR even reported that the crowd was so large that some people had to be turned away. Being that NPR is in Washington, D.C., Cardi even dropped a small shout out to UCB’s “Sexy Lady” at the end of her set.
Tiny Desk has become one of those rare corners of the internet where artists can remind people why they fell in love with them in the first place. Here is a look at the party thrown on X in honor of Cardi B’s performance.