NPR kicks off Black Music Month with E-40: A Bay Area Hip-Hop Legend
Vallejo’s Finest Takes the Tiny Desk Stage
YAY AREA! This is how you kick off Black Music Month. Vallejo’s own stops by the NPR offices to school everyone on what a multi-decade career in Hip-Hop looks like. Bay Area legend E-40 brings the energy of a fresh emcee, even though he’s been in the game for ages
As 40 Water puts it: “I’ve been doing this since Kermit the Frog was a pollywog!” Our biggest challenge was cramming three decades of music into the Tiny Desk, but 40 Fonzarelli and his crew put in weeks of rehearsal to make sure the vibe was electric.
E-40’s sophomore solo album, In a Major Way, dropped in 1995, a landmark year in hip-hop history with classics rolling out weekly from icons like 2Pac, Mobb Deep, Goodie Mob, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, and GZA. E-40 has never been about the straightforward approach; his unique style has fueled his incredible entertainment career.
At the Desk, Charlie Hustle kicks things off with “Da Bumble” from In a Major Way, cruising through a lineup of hits while paying homage to his day ones. Producer Lil Jon brought him back to the mainstream in the early 2000s with “Tell Me When to Go,” “U and Dat,” and “Snap Yo Fingers,” while TikTok revived “Choices (Yup)” and introduced him to Gen Z. “I’m on my fourth wind!” 40 declares. No lies told.
SET LIST:
“Da Bumble”
“Yay Area”
“Sprinkle Me”
“Captain Save a Hoe”
“Snap Yo Fingers”
“U and Dat”
“Choices (Yup)”
“Hope I Don’t Go Back”
“1-Luv”
“Function”
“Tell Me When to Go”
MUSICIANS:
E-40: vocals
Kev Choice: music director, keys
Bosko Kante: music director, background vocals
Martin Luther: guitar, background vocals
Howard Wiley: saxophone, EWI
Marcus Phillips: bass, keys
Dame Drummer: drums, background vocals