There is no falsifying the type of pleasure PJ Sin Suela exudes — it is infectiousness, magnetic and constant. From San Juan to the Tiny Desk, it is onerous to catch a second the place the Puerto Rican rapper, physician and writer does not smile, chuckle or perreo hasta abajo. This efficiency, the right house for the world to see a real PJ, is not any exception.
On songs like “TOP” and “Amor Synthetic,” he waxes about love in buoyant and foolish methods — “por ti, Darwin estudio la evolución (for you, Darwin studied evolution),” goes one line. However like many Puerto Rican artists in love with their island house, PJ’s sonic panorama options mountains of lightness constructed on a previous and current ache. “Mambrú,” which closes out this set, tells the story of a younger Puerto Rican man who joins the U.S. Military, ships off to battle “beneath a flag that does not fill him up” and does not return house the identical.
The important thing, for PJ Sin Suela, is to maintain house shut. On the Tiny Desk, Puerto Rican flags wave proudly and there are protest stickers all over the place that spotlight points close to and expensive to his coronary heart. There is no inch of PJ Sin Suela or his artwork that is not centered on the wants of his individuals. However the island’s challenges, in his world, go hand in hand with hometown satisfaction, summed up on “Duolingo”: “All people be like, ‘Rattling boy, the place you from? Illinois?’ / No bitch, Puerto Rico de donde salen tus artistas favoritos (the place all of your favourite artists come from).”
SET LIST
- “Tengo Una Nota”
- “Duolingo”
- “Mírame”
- “Amor Synthetic”
- “TOP”
- “Mambrú”
MUSICIANS
- PJ Sin Suela: vocals
- Kalani Trinidad: flute, keys, discuss field
- Barba Blanca: keys
- Jahaziel Garcia: trumpet
- Janice Maisonet: tenor saxophone
- Benson Pagán: guitar
- Messy Deprat: bass
- David B.: drums
- Gabo Lugo: percussion
- Rafita: hypeman
- Yeidimar Ramos: background vocals
- Universónica: background vocals
- Alexssa Hernández: signal language interpreter
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Anamaria Sayre
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Sequence Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Zayrha Rodriguez
- Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
- Manufacturing Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Alanté Serene
- Tiny Desk Sequence Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Govt Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
