This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.
Bobby Carter | June 20, 2025 Before he stepped behind the Tiny Desk, Beenie Man contemplated our office space. The man born Moses Anthony Davis is accustomed to performing at maximum velocity, touching every part of a big stage … and here were but a few square feet for him to move. Nevertheless, the king of dancehall brings Kingston to Washington, D.C.
As an exemplar of longevity, he pauses to remind us just how long he’s been at it: “I’ve been doing music since the age of 5. I did my first single at the age of 7. Now I’m 50-something and I’m doing the same thing.” Just in time for our Black Music Month anniversary theme, Beenie Man’s most commercially successful album, Art and Life, turns 25. (And, not for nothing, his work visa was reinstated after a ten-year ban, allowing him to perform again in the United States.) The real dancehall fans were front and center with flags in tow, easing any doubts that Beenie Man had as he powered through a decades-spanning set of club classics.
SET LIST “Who Am I” “Romie” “Girls Dem Sugar” “Toy Friend” “Miss L.A.P.” “Let Him Go” “Dude” “King of the Dancehall” “Rum & RedBull”
MUSICIANS Beenie Man: vocals Nigel Staff: keys, music director Brinton Haughton Jr.: keys Paul Green: guitar Donovan Belnavis: bass Ricardo Davis: drums Ovasha: background vocals Ke Star: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Bobby Carter Director/Editor: Kara Frame Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel Audio Engineer: Josh Newell Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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