NPR Music recently announced their latest lineup of “Tiny Desk” performances to celebrate Black Music Month.
Through nine performances, the media outlet will highlight influential albums that have helped shape Black music, with genres spanning from classic soul to modern-day hip-hop. Each performance will be supplemented with short-form interviews of the artists for the “Tiny Talks” series.
The albums that will be celebrated include Living Colour’s “Time’s Up,” Wiz Khalifa’s “Kush & Orage Juice,” CeCe Winans’ “Alone in His Presence,” Amerie’s “Touch” and Stanley Clarke’s “School Days.”
The 25th anniversary of Beenie Man’s “Art and Life’ and the 20th anniversary of Keyshia Cole’s “The Way It Is” will also be celebrated as part of this month’s “Tiny Desk” series.
The celebrations have already kicked off with a concert by E-40 in honor of the 30th anniversary of “In A Major Way.”The artist celebrated his 1995 release with performances of hit tracks such as “Da Bumble,” “Hope I Don’t Go Back” and “Tell Me When to Go.”
“The idea of celebrating anniversaries came to me as I witnessed Chaka Khan deliver one of the most outstanding Tiny Desk concerts of all time last year,” said host and producer of the series, Bobby Carter. “She reminded us that she’s been making music for 50 years. I tossed the idea around to my teammates, and they immediately came back with some heavy hitters reaching significant milestones in 2025.”
Celebrated each June, Black Music Month was first created in 1979. The birth of the month was championed by the Black Music Action Coalition, an advocacy organization that included Kenny Gamble, media strategist Dyana Williams and DJ Ed Wright.
Modeled after the workings of the Country Music Association, the Black Music Action Coalition garnered the support of multiple producers and musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy and Rev. Jesse Jackson.
On June 7, 1979, the month was first acknowledged by President Jimmy Carter, with performances by Chuck Berry and Billy Eckstine held for the inaugural Black Music Month Celebration at the White House. The bill, however, was passed in 2000 after 10 years of lobbying by Williams, officially establishing the month through Congress.
Throughout Black Music Month, the roots of modern music, including ragtime, jazz, blues, and spirituals, are celebrated, acknowledging the far-reaching impact of Black musicians on the music industry as a whole.
“This year feels like the perfect time to stop and revere some of the greatest albums in Black Music,” said Carter. “These artists might not be the first you hear in the Pop culture conversation, but they are crown jewels in Black culture. These are our icons.”
