Vince Staples performed a Tiny Desk Concert on Tuesday, playing selections from his albums Cry Baby and Dark Times [1].
The performance served as a platform for Staples to highlight the history of the Black Panther Party by honoring members who were killed. By calling out specific names during a high-profile musical set, the artist sought to gauge and provoke the audience's knowledge of revolutionary figures.
During the set, Staples paused to address the crowd directly regarding the legacy of the Black Panthers. "I just wanna see something. If you know who George Jackson is, in the crowd, raise your hand!" Staples said [1]. He followed this by asking the audience, "What about Bobby Hutton?" [1].
Staples also referenced Larry Kimmons, who was shot and killed by a Pepperdine University security guard in 1969 [1]. The inclusion of these names transitioned the musical performance into a moment of historical reflection, connecting modern art with the violent state repression faced by the party in the late 1960s.
While some reports of the event focused on the musical arrangement and the assembly of his band, the broadcast highlights the intentionality of the political call-outs [1], [2]. Staples used the intimate setting of the Tiny Desk studio to challenge the attendees to recognize the individuals who shaped the struggle for Black liberation.
The set featured a blend of Staples' established discography, utilizing the unique acoustic environment of the NPR studio to deliver both melodic tracks and pointed social commentary [1], [3].
“"I just wanna see something. If you know who George Jackson is, in the crowd, raise your hand!"”
By integrating the names of slain activists into a commercial music performance, Staples is utilizing 'cultural memory' to prevent the erasure of radical political history. This act transforms a standard promotional appearance into a pedagogical tool, forcing a contemporary audience to confront the specific casualties of the Black Panther Party's conflict with U.S. law enforcement.
