Young Thug has shown off his punk rock instincts in his brand new concert for NPR’s Tiny Desk.
Thug’s set took place at the Houdini Gardens in Los Angeles, and rather than stripping back his sound for the series like most artists attempt, the rapper turned things up to 100. He premiered four new tracks in his set, ‘Die Slow’, ‘Droppin’ Jewels’, ‘Hate The Game’, ‘Tick Tock’, and Thug also threw in a punked-up version of ‘Ski’.
Tiny Desk producer Sidney Madden wrote: “Thug is using his Tiny Desk debut to usher in his next era, one that’s meant to represent ‘authenticity, consciousness and overall purity’. The Grammy winner’s rhymes slither along smoothly no matter how rough the music, taking fans on a journey of energy and emotion.”
This concert is the start of a new, bold era for Thug. It might seem like it’s arrived out of the blue, but he’s been hinting at his punk intuitions for years. Speaking to The Fader in 2019, he commented: “It’s most definitely touching music. It’s music that the world is going to embrace.”
He added: “[‘Punk’] means brave, not self-centered; conscious. Very, very neglected; very misunderstood. Very patient; very authentic.”
See the performance below.
