Watch Cardi B Blaze Through Her No-Brakes Tiny Desk Performance

Cardi B is probably as well-known for her banter as her bars, but she was (almost) all business during her new NPR Tiny Desk Concert. The rapper blazed through an eight-song set in 18 minutes, taking only brief pauses to shout out her backing musicians and, at one point, remark on the lack of Maryland crab cakes in her rider. Meanwhile, the nine-piece band gave fresh, rock-inflected updates to singles like Am I the Drama?’s “ErrTime,” “Up” and “Bodak Yellow.” Watch it go down below.

In February, Cardi B returned to the Saturday Night Live stage for her second stint as musical guest, in an episode hosted by Alexander Skarsgård. So far she’s followed up Am I the Drama?, her 2025 album, with a couple of one-off tracks: the summer jam “Ah Ha,” and “Don’t Chart,” her contribution to the Grand Theft Auto VI soundtrack.

Read about Cardi B in The 25 Funniest Rappers of All Time.

Walden Green is a music writer and cultural critic who joined Pitchfork in 2024. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, his work has appeared in Dirt, The Fader, and Philadelphia. He lives in New York. ... Read More