Rapper and singer .idk.'s acronym stands for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge, a stage name he's used since he released his first mixtapes back in 2014. Since then, he's produced a multitude of albums and singles, including BRAVADO + INTiMO. Popular songs from that project are included in this infectious set. He also performs "SUPERNOVA (i)," which includes an interpolation of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly."
With a wide range of talents and influences, the rapper's music reflects a broad range of his life experiences. "A lot of people don't know I started making music in prison," .idk. told the audience. "…whatever song was in my head, if I knew it, I would sing it, and that would be, like, entertainment for a lot of the other inmates and stuff," he continued. "So really I started off singing and I got into this rap thing because that was where my heart was."
He demonstrates his musical versatility throughout the set. Starting with "24," a rap hit from his 2019 album, Is He Real?, this Tiny Desk arrangement is infused with the rhythms of go-go, the official music of Washington, D.C. It's also a reflection of his early years growing up in the suburbs of the city. An outspoken critic of the criminal justice system, .idk. ends his set with "Mr. Police," a thoughtful, jazzy song that reinforces one of the key principles that drives him: the idea of opposing constructs, and that ignorance and knowledge are in contrast.
SET LIST
- "24"
- "TiFFANY (B)"
- "DENiM (B)"
- "STiLL i (i)(DENiM DEMO)"
- "SUPERNOVA (i)"
- "SEE YOU AGAiN (B.i.)"
- "Mr. Police"
MUSICIANS
- .idk.: vocals
- Andrew Torgelson: sax, flute
- Blue Rondo: keys/piano
- Chris Hon: bass
- Joey Antico: drums
- Keith "Sauce" Robinson: percussion
- Henry Manning: vibraphone
- Cecily Bumbray: vocals
- Tashera Robinson: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Mitra I Arthur
- Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Alanté Serene
- Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Josh Newell
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2025 NPR
